The decision over a cat vs dog is a really personal thing.Usually the cost to buy the animal is the cheapest part of the actual purchase. My furbabies are a complete part of my family. I know if I didnt have them ( and I do provide them with a life , that if i was ever to be reincarnitated, I would want to be owned by me) that there would be a lot of spare money floating around. Animals provide you with unconditional love, no matter what. That is priceless in my world!

Dogs you will need to pay registration for each year to the local council and this varies and depends on whether the dog is desexed or not. Anywhere from $40 to $90 a year.

Both dogs and cats will require worming. Worming brands differ in cost. For example some dog brands cover everything apart from heart worm and you will need another different one to cover that. There is also the ease of giving wormers. The super dooper easy place it on the back of the neck kinds are more expensive. Wormers are based on weight, so a smaller dogs worming will cost less than larger dogs.

Vet visits - a consultation cost is roughly $50 starting cost. Vaccinations vary depending on what it is and some places offer discounts depending on what other services you use and if you have multiple pets.

Dog / Cat Food - well it really depends. You can feed the super el cheapo no label stuff from the supermarket to the more expensive brands from the supermarket. There are pet store lines as well. This is where you need to do your research. There are loads of preseratives in these foods! Just like people, animals can have reactions to items. And its not nice at all! You can consider things like the BARF diet ( raw food). If you are willing to put some time and energy in, you could cook up rice and vegetables and freeze, and then add in fresh meat from a pet store. It would work out cheaper in the long run and a lot healthier for your animal as well. There are also natural things you can add like a bit of Garlic to keep fleas away.

The biggest thing is the UNEXPECTED vet bills that arise. You need to either have pet insurance or put some money aside in case something happens. At the end of last year, one of our furbabies was injured and required emergency surgery. It was not a cheap exercise at all.

If there is anything you want to ask, no matter how minor or even if you feel it might be silly to ask, feel free to PM me

Good Luck in decision