Keeping a pet is a very rewardingundertaking, and dogs and cats in particular offer plenty of love andcompanionship in return for relatively small sacrifices on your part. If yourpresent pet is such a joy that you are considering expanding the family, haveyou also considered the financial implications?

It might be easy to think that since youhave one pet already that adding another one to the family can't be too much toask for, but actually it is not quite so simple. A new pet, be it a cat or adog, will need more of your time initially, as kittens and puppies needtraining, special care and a carefully watched diet.

Then there are the extra costs of training,in the case of dogs, and also vet checkups and . While someof these expenses, such as , are very small every month, and other, such as dog trainingcosts, will fall away after a few months, others are more lasting.

Two dogs and two cats do eat twice as muchas one, and if you are considering getting a cat to match your dog or a dog tomatch your cat, then bear in mind that these two animals have completely differentnutritional requirements and will need completely different foods.

A cat or a dog are lifelong investments,and will therefore be costing you money for years to come. With the economicrecession hitting some people hard this year, there will be many who find thatupkeep of their beloved pets is a financial strain which they cannot afford.

It may come to pass that animal shelterswill be bursting at the seams with unwanted costly pets, so if you do decidethat you can afford a pet after all, then rather visit the RSPCA or your localanimal shelter and see if you can find the perfect new pet there.