Quote Originally Posted by Catlady711 View Post
Yes more kitties cost more. The biggest vet bills (barring accidents or illness) is usually when you first get them and then again when they get old and tend to have more health problems. The inbetween parts aren't too bad if you think more of prevention and quality, rather than skimping on things.

I don't know exactly how much more a second kitty would actually cost. On litter/food you probably would benefit from buying bulk, but with two faces eating the food/using the litter, it would dissapear faster.

I've seen surveys that say anywhere from $180 to $400 for each cat (not counting the first year for initial shots, spay/neuter).

Rather than make a hasty decision, sit down with your finances and figure out how much you can afford to spend per week/month/year on a pet. Call around to the local veterinarians to find out what the average prices are for shots, spay/neuter, yearly boosters, flea preventative, etc. Check your local pet stores for prices on food/litter/supplies. If you can afford those things and not have to decide between paying the rent and feeding the cats, and have enough to put away for a rainy day fund for ER vet bills etc, then by all means get two kitties and enjoy them!
Everything said here makes perfect sense. My only warning, for lack of a better word, is if just one cat becomes seriously ill, that will throw everything off, as you well know since you just experienced high vet bills when your sweet Wally became fatally ill. Just recently my favorite cat RB Puddy was costing me nearly $1000 a month in meds and vet bills and I had 6 other cats to take care of. I'm not trying to scare you or say that this will happen to you but it could. Having two cats means twice the vet bills, twice the amount of shots, twice the amount of food and litter, etc., (you'll need 3 litter boxes now, one per cat plus one) not to mention needing reliable transportation if you need to rush them to the vet. (If I recall correctly, that was also an issue when Wally was sick.) If you can honestly say that none of this poses a problem, then by all means, adopt two kitties.