We all love our pets, but they are expensive to support. Food, flea control, worming, grooming, and accessories can eat a hole in your pocket. These are my favorite small tricks to save money on all those things our fur-babies need.
- Only change half of the litter box at a time. This only works if you have just one cat per litter box. Cats always urinate on one end of the box, then turn around and poo on the other. The urine is what causes most of the odor, so after you pooper scoop the box, remove the half with the urine and replace it.
WARNING: Please read this article about The Dangers of Clumping Cat Litter. - Mix expensive and cheap food. The reason picky pets love expensive food is because it smells better, but is usually no healthier for them. I mix 1/3 cheap food with 2/3 expensive food to save money. Cats are picker than dogs, so try half-and-half and see if it works with your pet.
- Use regular cat food as treats. Those little bags of cat treats get costly after awhile, especially if your cat is a beggar like mine is. She’s too picky to eat homemade treats, so I just pick up a small box of some special type of fancy dry food and use those as treats. Need soft treats? Wrap some of the food in a damp paper towel and put it into a plastic bag. The food will soften without falling apart.
- Use DIY Flea Control. Did you know that you can use dog flea control for cats? Neither did I until I found a site called Fleabusters that sells kits to do so. You can also buy generic brands to save even more money, and you can also just buy one dose at a time. You can also use diatomaceous earth for fleas. Read more about that at the link in #6.
- Use Dawn dishwashing liquid instead of flea shampoo. Dawn kills fleas and has no harsh chemicals like most flea shampoos. ONLY the original blue Dawn kills fleas, so don’t get the diluted scented kind.
- Use natural products for worming. Antihelmintic drugs are strong medicine, and some animals do not react well to them. I use virgin coconut oil and diatomaceous earth to control worms in my cat, and it works like a charm. She won’t eat the coconut oil, so I put it on her fur and paws, and she licks it off. She gets the added benefit of soft, shiny fur. To keep worms at bay, add 1/4 teaspoon of virgin coconut oil to the food for small cats and dogs and 1 teaspoon. for large dogs twice a week. This also helps keep your pet from getting furballs.
CAUTION: Only use food-grade diatomaceous earth, because the kind used in pool filters is poisonous. Learn more about diatomaceous earth for pets HERE.
The health of your pets doesn’t have to kill the health of your bank account. All you have to do is make some minor adjustments to have more pennies in your purse for yourself, while keeping your pets healthy. If you have money saving tips for pets, share them in the comments.