The first time I realized just how expensive it was to own a pet in college, I was standing in an emergency vet clinic in the middle of the night, staring at a $1,000 bill I had no idea how I was going to pay.
I adopted my cat, Tonka Jahari, during one of the lowest points of my college experience. During my sophomore year, I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression, and despite having my friends and then-boyfriend supporting me, I still felt a loneliness I couldn’t shake. Then I remembered the comfort that my childhood cat, Lexi, gave me before leaving for college, so during a depressive episode, I went to the animal shelter and adopted the first cat I saw.
As my emotional support animal (ESA), Tonka gave me something to come home to and helped make my college apartment feel more comforting. But she also became a huge financial responsibility. After her $31 adoption fee, I spend around $100 a month on food, litter, treats, and other necessities. And when she unexpectedly got sick after getting into a bag of chocolate chip cookies, that $1,000 emergency bill immediately put me into debt.
After working out how to pay Tonka’s $1,000 vet bill with a credit card, I started wondering how other college students were affording pets of their own — from paying their initial costs to keeping up with the food, emergency vet visits, and other ongoing expenses. Turns out, we’re all just doing our best.
How Much It Actually Costs To Have A Pet In College
When UCF junior Lana* saw a cat that looked “sick and hungry,” in a parking lot, she couldn’t leave her behind. She rescued the cat, now known as Bean, hoping to give Bean a better life. What Lana didn’t anticipate, though, was how much that better life would cost. She now spends around $500 a year on vet care and approximately $100 a month on food and litter, for a yearly total of about $1,700. “[It] was a lot more than I expected,” she tells Her Campus.
Lana’s situation isn’t out of the ordinary. According to Northwestern Mutual financial advisor Phoebe Story, people often overlook these recurring expenses when bringing a pet home. “The adoption fee or purchase price is often the most visible expense, but it’s really just the starting point,” Story says. Food, routine veterinary care, vaccinations, medications, and other supplies can quickly add up. For students living on an already limited income, planning for these expenses can be the difference between a manageable responsibility and financial ruin.
The cost can vary based on the type of pet and their needs (understandably, a goldfish costs way less to maintain than a diabetic Labrador Retriever). For Riley*, a senior at Eckerd College, her service dog costs around $250 a month depending on his training needs. Meanwhile, University of Findlay sophomore Grace spends about $40 to $50 a month on toys, food, treats, and other items for her dog, Jasper — though sometimes that cost is way higher. “I spent $400 getting him neutered before the semester started and $200 on vaccines,” she says.
How College Students Are Affording Their Pets
Charlie*, a senior at the University of Central Florida, has had her cat since he was a kitten. Charlie says paying for a pet is simply another part of her monthly budget. She tells Her Campus that she spends about $80 monthly, plus $350 annually for his routine vet appointments. Since she works full-time while attending college, she uses her own income to cover her cat’s expenses, and rather than waiting until an expense comes up, she tries to think ahead. “When I know he needs something, I plan for it,” Charlie says.
For another UCF student, Avery*, the monthly cost is higher, since their cat has medical issues that require expensive food and specialized litter. She works as a shift lead at a coffee shop, which helps cover their cat’s expenses — but not all of them. “I financially support him between me and my mom,” Avery says.
Financial support from family members is common for those students who are able to receive it. Tara, an Augustana College senior, says her cat Luna can cost between $50 and $100 a month, but her family helps cover many of her expenses. Although she works as a teaching and research assistant, she says the paychecks aren’t “enough to take care of my needs and Luna’s, so it really helps that my parents support us.”
Sharing the cost of a pet with a roommate or partner is also a way for students to lighten the financial burden. At the University of Alabama, college senior and TikToker Bella Gates works as a content creator after previously working full-time as a medical assistant, a job that helped her create a financial cushion for the school year. Now, she and her boyfriend split the cost of caring for their puppy, Bear, between their two incomes. “We wanted taking care of him to be a shared responsibility, so we make sure we’re both contributing to his care and planning for his expenses together,” she says.
How College Students Are Preparing for the Unexpected
Even for those who have their regular expenses more or less figured out, pets are living beings, meaning emergencies can happen. Story says unexpected veterinary expenses can have an “outsized impact” on students with limited budgets. “Without emergency savings, students may feel forced to rely on credit cards, borrow money from family or friends, or divert funds from other priorities,” she says. “That can turn a temporary setback into longer-term financial stress.”
Which brings us back to Charlie’s proactive approach. “I have an emergency fund [the money] would come from, and I have money allotted to go toward savings every paycheck,” she says. Bella and her boyfriend have a similar plan. “If Bear ever needed a $1,000+ emergency vet visit, we would absolutely reallocate money from our savings to make sure he received the care he needed,” she says. They’re also considering pet insurance. “[It] was recommended to me by several veterinary technicians who follow me on TikTok after I started sharing content about Bear. Plans we’ve looked at are typically around $35–50 per month, and we feel that having insurance would provide a lot of peace of mind and help make larger, unexpected veterinary costs more manageable.”
Other students (like me) don’t have as much of a plan. “Realistically, I’d put it on a credit card and pay it off,” Lana says.
Why College Students Think It’s Worth It
Despite the financial responsibility, every student I spoke to — no matter their financial situation or their pet’s needs — each described their pets as an important part of their college experience. “Bringing Luna to school with me was the best decision I’ve made,” Tara says. “Seeing her is something to look forward to after class.”
Story says that a pet’s companionship can be particularly meaningful for Gen Z students navigating an uncertain period of their lives. “For many Gen Zers, pets provide companionship, emotional support, routine, and a sense of stability during a period of life that can feel uncertain.”
Grace says that Jasper provides her comfort and companionship. “Being away from home and adjusting to college can be stressful, and having him with me makes my dorm feel more like home.” For Charlie, her cat “keeps me on a schedule, and I love him like my child.”
Each of these college students’ experiences shows that there isn’t one way to afford a pet in college. Some students work full time, some rely on family support, some build emergency savings accounts, and others make sacrifices in their everyday spending. But they all share the same responsibility: Once you bring a pet home, their needs become part of your budget.
For college students like me, the costs don’t necessarily mean getting a pet is out of the question. Sometimes, it means understanding the cost before you fall in love, and figuring out how to make it work once you do.
*Names have been changed for privacy.