IBISWorld Inc. a research firm conducted a study on costs of owning a dog vs a cat. The findings are eye-opening. By an average of 13 years of life span, a dog would cost his owner $13,330 as oppose to $8,506 for a cat. It's a whooping "56.7 percent more to raise a dog than a cat."
The study compared different expense categories. They included vaccines for cats in the Misc. category and singled out the cost on cats' Flea Control and the expenses on dogs' Heartworm. Pet owners seem to spend a lot more on veterinary care for dogs than cats. However, cats require a large amount of funds on cat litter expenses.
Though there are more cats than dogs in the United States, 39% of households own a dog whereas 34% of households have a cat. Only 10% of the dogs and 18% of the cats are adopted from local animal shelters.
IBIS World Dog Versus Cat Cost Breakdown
Dog food $3900 Cat food $2444 Vet bills $2860 Vet bills $800 Boarding $1586 Boarding $1300 Vaccines $940 Cat litter $1560 Heartworm $676 Flea control $780 Misc. $3368 Misc. $1622 Total Dog Costs $13,330 Total Cat Costs $8506 - from "Cats cost less to own than dogs, research firm says"
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