Owning a pet dog or cat 'should be seen as akin to running a business'

Tuesday, 2 February 2010 19:00

When it comes to owning a pet, costs must be budgeted for and anticipated just as ethical cover policyholders would with any other aspect of their personal finance.

This is the opinion of Adam Wiener, executive editor of Filife.com, who said: "It's like running a business. You are going to have start-up costs and ongoing costs."

He was quoted by the Boston Herald as saying it was important to calculate all predictable costs in the short and long term - including pet health insurance - to be able to assess if a financial situation is going to allow for responsible pet ownership.

Various charities can offer estimates of how much having an animal will cost over the years.

In the UK, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Blue Cross offer similar information for those who want to be sure they can budget for a pet.

Animal Friends are a specialist pet insurance company providing dog insurance and cat insurance to British pet owners since 1999 and we now offer horse insurance too.

Posted by Vicky