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10 Australians reveal how much they spend on their pets in a month

By 9Honey|

As the cost of living skyrockets and most Aussies choose to go without certain pleasures to avoid exceeding their monthly budgets it seems pet owners are making sure their fur babies definitely don't go without.

From plane tickets to prawns and only the finest toys (that get destroyed in record time), we asked 10 owners to share what they spend on their beloved fur babies in a month and these are their receipts...

Fiadh the high-flying pup

The owner: Aine

The pet: Fiadh is a year-and-a-half-old sheepadoodle (Old English sheepdog x poodle). She is white, floofy and weighs 24kg.

The many faces of Fiadh. (Supplied)

How much do you spend on Fiadh in a month?

We probably spend about $400 a month, factoring in pet insurance and pet food. She has an intensive grooming routine and enjoys many treats. We save money on dog toys because we simply stopped buying them. They'd never last more than a day. She now exclusively plays with (or destroys) toilet paper cardboard rolls and cardboard coffee cup holders.

What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought Fiadh?

A domestic return flight from Sydney to Perth which cost $1400. It was literally more expensive to fly her to Perth and back than it was to fly myself.

READ MORE: Adorable dogs waiting for their owners to come home

The jumper-mauling oodles

The owner: Kerri

The pets: I am "that" crazy dog lady. I have a nine-year-old Shoodle, Sparky, a five-year-old Moodle, Bear and a three-year-old Cavoodle, Chi.

Kerri's pups Sparky, Bear and Chi. (Supplied)

How much do you spend on your dogs in a month?

I think it's best for all of us if I don't add that up! Say about $200+ on food. Add in $150 pet insurance. Throw in about $600 (over 12 months on vaccinations) and then the toys ... well, you can see why I work seven days a week.

What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought for your dogs?

A $200 PE Nation jumper. I bought it for me and the little one ate it! But they are sooooooooo cute I forgave them.

READ MORE: 15 dog crossbreeds you didn't know existed

The axolotl with a taste for the finer things in life

The owner: Kathleen

The pet: Burt is my pet axolotl, he is 2.5 years old and is pink and white.

Bougie Burt in his new tank. (Supplied)

How much do you spend on Burt in a month?

In a month I'd roughly spend around $100 on anything from water conditioner to toys and food. Burt is rather bougie and enjoys a fancy diet of mussels, bloodworms, beef heart, and prawns.

What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought Burt?

A $300 tank upgrade because he got big!!

READ MORE: Adorable photos of puppies before they were fully-grown dogs

Good dog (Luna), bad dog (Dougie)

The owner: Shauna

The pets: Luna is four, she is a border collie cross and Dougie is one, he is a beagle cross.

Luna and Dougie: spot the dog with an obsession for destruction. (Supplied)

How much do you spend on Dougie and Luna in a month?

Around $200 on pet food, I buy them lots of bones and things to chew to keep them quite จC probably $120 a month จC and I would say around $20 on beds, because as I said Dougie likes to chew and he goes through new one every month or so. I now just buy the cheap ones as I can't find one that is indestructible.

What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought for your dogs?

I bought Dougie a $150 snooza bed จC he ate it. Does my Apple Watch count? 'Cause he ate that too.

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Animal family of four

The owner: Jo

The pets: I have two cats, Timmy and Jackson, and two budgies, Bennie and Archie.

Jackson, the cat with a "funky tummy". (Supplied)

How much do you spend on your pets in a month?

Around $60 per month on food and crystal cat litter, which is the only one they will poop in. Jack has a funky tummy so needs special dry food so he isn't stinky.

What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought for your pets?

Probably the $160 scratch pole for the cats although I did get a brand new big budgie cage for $210, sort of an apology for having cats that kept jumping on it.

READ MORE: Vets reveal the most common dog name at their clinic: '253 patients with this name'

The sock-loving labradoodle

The owner: Sindy

The pets: Gary the labradoodle. He is one year old!

Gaz the goodest boy and his family. (Supplied)

How much do you spend on Gary in a month?

In a month, I'd probably spend around $250-$300 on Gaz.

  • Dog food and treats: $120
  • Monthly Worming/Tick Prevention: This is about $100 for three months, so $33 each month
  • Grooming: $100
  • Monthly fun treat: $10-$50. This is usually a silly outfit or a fun toy that he will play with once and never touch again... he would, of course, rather play with our old manky socks (I never learn!).

What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought Gary?

Endless toys and clothing he has not worn and refuses to wear/play with, probably totalling around $500ish since we got him last year. I need to donate these to the puppies in our building!

Massimo and Georgie, 'the most beautiful cats in the world'

The owner: Lucia

The pets: I have two rag dolls called Massimo and Georgie, they are brothers and objectively the most beautiful cats in the world.

Massimo and Georgie on their preferred cat scratcher. (Supplied)

How much do you spend on your pets in a month?

I reckon we spend about $300 on them a month. There's two of them and they eat like kings. Also factoring in vet fees and the occasional board when we go away without them.

What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought for your pets?

Hmmmmm, maybe a $350 cat scratcher that they have never used. They prefer to scratch the couches instead จC the damage they have caused is way more expensive than the scratcher itself.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Queen Elizabeth's dogs

Cattle Dog pals

The owner: Kristine

The pets: We have Benny, who is an Australian Cattle Dog, he is seven, and Jess is also an Australian Cattle Dog cross and she is around six (she is a rescue and we don't really know!)

Best pals Benny and Jess. (Supplied)

How much do you spend on Benny and Jess in a month?

Generally we spend around $250-$300 a month on them, more if we need to get a new batch of their monthly tablets. They get a giant 15kg bag of dry food between them (lasts longer than a month) and then fresh mince every week. Plus treats like Dentastix and pigs ears.

They have mountains of toys as they both need to be occupied whenever they're not being the complete opposite to 'working' dogs and sleeping. They are chewers so we've gone through many a toy (Benny's destruction record stands at 10.7 seconds) but I've managed to find some great ones at Kmart, which have surprisingly last the LONGEST of almost everything. Right now they're due for a new indoor bed จC but the couch seems to do them just fine.

What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought for your dogs?

Hard to remember exactly. But my husband did completely convert the back seat of his last car to be a dog bed for them both instead of seats, which ended up being a few trips to Bunnings.

HRH Prince Harry

The owner: Sarah

The pet: Prince Harry is a ginger rescue cat. He's very fluffy and seems to get fluffier every other month, but I think technically he's just medium-haired.

His royal highness Prince Harry. (Supplied)

How much do you spend on Prince Harry in a month?

Somewhere between $240 and $360, which is mainly on food. He mainly eats wet food, which is a bit pricier, and we also prefer to feed him the better quality food like Royal Cain. If he actually just ate one type of food all the time we could cut this down, but he is fussy and likes an assorted buffet of menu options as is befitting of his royal status. He will meow meow at you as you open each packet until he finds the one he wants.

What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought Prince Harry?

We get him a birthday present every year, and that can vary from $20 to $50 depending. It's usually a new toy. Usually he just likes leftover boxes from packages we get.

The most expensive box he's ever had was from a fancy office chair that cost $250ish. Technically this was for us, but we also have a custom-made canvas art print of his head photoshopped on top of a royal prince-looking body that cost $90 (it is called The Young King print on Crown & Paw). We also bulk bought a crate of vet-recommended food to help with digestion, costing around $200 after he gobbled up the sample cans. He now refuses to eat it.

The dog with the good bed

Everybody say hello to Poppy. (Supplied)

The owner: Allanah

The pet: Poppy, two-year-old Red Heeler cross Jack Russell.

How much do you spend on Poppy in a month?

We spend probably $80 a month on toys and balls for her. Food is probably $200 a month and $100 is spent on treats.

What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought for Poppy?

An $80 bed.

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