Your Pet Is Fleecing You

You might want to drop man's best friend a bill: It turns out that not only is your dog chewing holes in your socks, he's eating a hole in your wallet—a much bigger one than you think, reports CNBC. According to a survey of pet owners by Britain's People's Dispensary for Sick Animals, 12% of apparently very naive respondents thought the lifetime cost of their pet would be $644, while a majority put the cap at $6,445. The real numbers for your beloved pooch? Anywhere between $27,074 and $42,545, depending on the breed. That includes buying your dog, food, toys, grooming, and basic but not catastrophic vet care.

Fine, so you'll get a cat instead, right? Things only get slightly better: Factoring in the addition of kitty litter, you're talking $21,917 to $30,942. Want to downsize to a rabbit? That'll be $12,893, thank you very much. If you're left feeling like you want to spend more, well, consider getting pet insurance. At around $25 a month, CNBC notes that that can mean thousands more over the course of an animal's life. The silver lining, of course, isn't financial: 93% of us say our critters make us happier. And much poorer than we think. (More dogs stories.)