Cats and dogs are a big personal and financial commitment.
In the first year alone, a cat or dog will cost you between $3,000 and $6,000. After your first year together expect to pay at least:
- $1,627 each year for a dog
- $962 each year for a cat
On top of this, you’ll need to pay for vet bills if your pet gets sick or injured. This can be very expensive. Factor it into your budget and consider whether pet insurance is right for you.
Make sure you consider all the costs of owning a pet:
| Average annual household spend, 2019 |
Dogs | Cats | Fish | Birds | Small mammals | Reptiles | total ($m) National |
| Food | $586 | $491 | $125 | $224 | $226 | $160 | $3,949.9 |
| Veterinary services | $470 | $261 | $24 | $60 | $136 | $77 | $2,616.0 |
| Pet healthcare products |
$224 | $147 | $60 | $88 | $96 | $72 | $1,422.6 |
| Products or accessories |
$157 | $96 | $137 | $122 | $108 | $221 | $1,174.2 |
| Pet insurance | $147 | $69 | – | – | – | – | $744.5 |
| Clipping / grooming | $154 | $45 | – | – | – | – | $710.3 |
| Boarding / minding | $108 | $96 | – | – | – | – | $666.4 |
| Training / behaviour / therapy |
$70 | $36 | – | – | – | – | $364.4 |
| Alternative healthcare treatments |
$57 | $44 | – | – | – | – | $335.8 |
| Transport | $51 | $43 | – | – | – | – | $305.5 |
| Competitions / memberships |
$35 | $29 | $26 | $29 | $20 | $64 | $281.6 |
| Walking | $37 | – | – | – | – | – | $144.1 |
| Anything else | $61 | $35 | $39 | $30 | $18 | $34 | $404.3 |
| Average per household* |
$2,158 | $1,393 | $411 | $552 | $605 | $629 | |
| Average per animal* |
$1,627 | $962 | $38 | $86 | $254 | $336 | |
| National Total ($m) | $8,303.6 | $3,624.2 | $434.7 | $478.9 | $155.9 | $122.3 | $13,119.6 |
NB: Above table excludes Council registration costs which can vary from between $30 and $200 per year.
Averages presented in this table include those who spent nothing, for ease of extrapolation to the broader population
(Source: Animal Medicines Australia Report: Pets in Australia – A National Survey of Pets and People 2019)
