The length of the promise
A dog commonly lives ten to fifteen years, and an indoor cat often lives fifteen to twenty. The animal you adopt at twenty-four will be with you through several apartments, job changes and possibly a marriage and children.
The money
Expect to spend at least a thousand dollars a year on a cat and noticeably more on a dog. The first year costs more because of the adoption fee, spaying or neutering, initial vaccines, a microchip and supplies, although shelter adoption fees usually include the first three. The routine costs are food, an annual veterinary examination, vaccines, and monthly prevention for fleas, ticks and heartworm. The costs people forget are boarding or a sitter whenever you travel, a dog walker if you work long days, grooming for some breeds, and dental cleanings.
Emergencies are the real risk. A swallowed sock or a blocked bladder can produce a bill of several thousand dollars in one night. Prepare with either a dedicated savings account or pet insurance bought while the animal is young. Most policies exclude preexisting conditions and reimburse you after you have paid the veterinarian, so read the terms.
Housing and time
Many landlords prohibit pets or restrict them by breed and weight, and those who allow them often charge a deposit and monthly pet rent. Get permission in writing in the lease. An adult dog needs exercise every day in all weather and should not routinely be left alone for more than about eight hours. A puppy needs to go outside every few hours, including at night. Cats tolerate a working day alone far better, although they still need daily play and a clean litter box.
Doing it responsibly
- Choose for temperament and energy level rather than looks, and ask shelter staff which animals suit your actual routine.
- Register the microchip in your name and keep your telephone number current, and add an identification tag to the collar.
- Keep rabies vaccination current, which the law requires for dogs in most states and for cats in many.
- Learn the common poisons: chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions and the sweetener xylitol for dogs, and lilies for cats.
- Name a person who has agreed to take the animal if you are hospitalized or worse.
Tip Foster for a shelter for a few weeks before you adopt. It is the only honest trial of how an animal fits your days, and it helps the shelter either way.
