Can you afford to keep a pet in retirement? Guest Blog Post from Compare-annuity.com

We have a guest blog post this month from Ryan Smith who is part of the content development team at Compare Annuity.

He writes about the pros and cons of keeping pets in retirement. We welcome your comments on this subject.

 

In retirement, many turn to pets for companionship. There are pets in around 46% of the UK’s households and the combination of having more time to care and look after them once you’re out of work as well as the companionship they provide means they really are man’s best friend. But as a retiree, like with a heavily reduced income, can you really afford to keep a pet?

How much will a pet cost you?

Taking into account vet’s bills, food, accessories and other costs such as kennels or catteries for the times you are away from home, the average lifetime cost of owning a cat or a dog stands at around £17,000. This is around £1, 100 per year for a cat and £1, 200 per year for a dog!

The average UK pension fund is worth around £36, 800, according to figures from the Association of British Insurers. A pension pot of this size, if converted to an annuity would pay a single man aged 65 a retirement income of just over £2, 250 a year, or approximately £190 a month. You can calculate your own annuity rate using a free annuity calculator online.

When you compare this to the average price of keeping your pet, it doesn’t leave much left in the pot for your own living costs. It’s also worth considering that the annual cost of keeping an animal could potentially rise at around 20 per cent per year, meaning your furry friend could be much more expensive to look after than you originally thought.

Reducing costs

Just like in every aspect of life, there are always ways of saving money when it comes to the care of your animal companions:

  • Buying food in bulk. This is always a good start, and a great habit to get into. While it’s a bigger initial amount to pay out initially, generally you may be able to save yourself around 50% – and your pets won’t know the difference!
  • Get insured. Vet’s bills can be one of the biggest expenses of keeping a pet. RSPCA figures show that almost 50% of pets will need treatment this year, at an average cost of £220. Pet insurance could save you hundreds of pounds over the pet’s lifetime. Remember to shop around though: online comparison sites will help you find the best cover.
  • Keep jabs up to date. While this may be expensive, and likely won’t be covered under your pet’s insurance cover, opting not to get vaccinated could mean a higher medical bill later down the line if a nasty illness occurs. Again, insurance may not pay out if an illness occurs that could have been vaccinated against.
  • Cut the Kennels. If you’re looking at holidays, you’ll need somewhere for your pet to stay too. Kennels can be extremely costly, and many don’t think about this when they start considering a break. Family, friends or neighbours may be willing to look after a pet in your absence, particularly if they also have pets and you can come to a mutual agreement for the next time they’re away.

Can you afford not to keep a pet in retirement?

Despite the costs of keeping a pet, the positives will likely outweigh the financial negatives the majority of the time. Owning a pet can have a positive impact on you both physically and mentally.

A Cambridge University study has actually found that pets can improve our general health in less than a month, with fewer headaches, coughs and colds reported, reduced stress and blood pressure, and even a lower risk of depression. They’re also essential for staving off loneliness, an occurrence that’s all too common in retirement and that can cause the same health degradation as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Cats and dogs are great companions and can make dark nights in front of the television seem a lot less lonely, even helping you to feel safer and more secure in your home.

Walking a dog will also ensure that you get out and about, keeping you active and even allowing you to meet other people. It’s even been proven that those pet owners over the age of 65 actually pay 30 per cent fewer visits to their doctors than those without pets.

 

While the costs can creep up, for many retirees pets can be essential. As long as you do your research, consider your costs and ensure that you are financially stable, sharing your retirement with a furry friend can make your golden years even more valuable.

Ryan Smith is part of the content development team at Compare Annuity, working with a carefully selected network of annuity specialists offering retirees free, no-obligation quotes and advice on annuities.

 

 

 

We look forward to welcoming you in store soon; remember we are open in our Bath store 7 days a week!

Any ideas and suggestions you have will be welcomed. You can follow us in many ways:

Facebook                Twitter             Pinterest

 We are now on Instagram! – notjustpets Follow us and see some fantastic photos!

We run regular photo competitions, quizzes, offers and promotions on our Facebook and Twitter pages, so why not “like” or “follow” us today! 

Get in touch via any of the above, or via our website or email at bathpets@aol.com or telephone us on 01225 461461. Or simply pop in, you’ll be welcome!

Not Just Pets Fundraising For Red Nose Day 2015!

How much would you like to see the Team at Not Just Pets looking very silly? You can help us raise our fundraising total and make our staff members look very silly at the same time!

This Friday 13th March we will be fundraising for Red Nose Day!

For every red item sold we will donate 20p to the pot as well as having a bake-off where we see which of our three stores can sell the most yummy cakes!

But how does that make the staff look silly? For each target we reach towards our total we will be adding to our red outfits with extra funny items such as –

– Put deely boppers on

– Wear funny glasses

– Put glittery eye shadow on

– Put on red nail varnish

-Put on red lipstick

– Wear a red wig/spray our hair red

– Wear a funny moustache

– Get our faces painted in truly silly style!

So the more we raise the sillier the staff will look! It will be worth popping in to store on the day for that reason alone!

We hope that you will be able to join us on the day but if you are not able to you can still donate at our Just Giving page where all the money goes straight to the Red Nose Day fund

https://my.rednoseday.com/sponsor/NotJustPets

Here are some pictures from previous Red Nose Day fundraisers! 

 

We look forward to welcoming you in store soon; remember we are open in our Bath store 7 days a week!

Any ideas and suggestions you have will be welcomed. You can follow us in many ways:

Facebook                Twitter             Pinterest

 We are now on Instagram! – notjustpets Follow us and see some fantastic photos!

We run regular photo competitions, quizzes, offers and promotions on our Facebook and Twitter pages, so why not “like” or “follow” us today! 

Get in touch via any of the above, or via our website or email at bathpets@aol.com or telephone us on 01225 461461. Or simply pop in, you’ll be welcome!

Love Your wildlife Day Round Up

This Valentines Day we celebrated by holding our Love Your Wildlife Day! We organised the day to help Rajapack reach their fundraising total for Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital.

We had a great range of cakes and treats for people to buy and had organised crafts for people to make. Mai is here modelling the really cool Bat Hat and Paper plate Hedgehogs! We had Hedgehog cupcakes, Welsh cakes and animal marshmallow pops! All very tasty.

 

We were also supported by Spike’s World with prizes for taking part in our Wildlife Quiz!

 Special guests from the Avon Wildlife Trust and the Avon Bat Group visited us to help raise awareness of local wildlife and how to get involved in it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harold the Brown Long Eared Bat was a huge hit with customers who visited the store. Many customers were pleased to see the nocturnal visitor who was camped out in our Garden room for the day.

We had a great fundraising game – The Penny Cover Up! – Everyone was carefully placing their coins to make the hedgehog picture look fantastic.

 

The Teddy Tombola was popular and everyone got to take a new friend home!

Staff and customers had a great day and managed to raise £20.86 to go towards Rajapack’s Hector Hedgehog Mansion fundraising! Here is Lee who was dressed up as a Scottish Wild Cat!

 

This amount has taken the total to the next level on the fundraising target of £350 which means Hector has now got his West wing extension!

 

We hope that Hector can reach his final total and live happily in his Hedgehog Mansion!

Let us know if you visited on the day and share your experiences! We look forward to hearing from you.

We look forward to welcoming you in store soon; remember we are open in our Bath store 7 days a week!

Any ideas and suggestions you have will be welcomed. You can follow us in many ways:

Facebook                Twitter             Pinterest

 We are now on Instagram! – notjustpets Follow us and see some fantastic photos!

We run regular photo competitions, quizzes, offers and promotions on our Facebook and Twitter pages, so why not “like” or “follow” us today! 

Get in touch via any of the above, or via our website or email at bathpets@aol.com or telephone us on 01225 461461. Or simply pop in, you’ll be welcome!

Puppy Ownership Talk with Caroline from The Clever Dog Company Bath Branch

 

Not Just Pets in Bath city centre will host a free puppy ownership talk with Caroline Wilkinson from the Clever Dog Company Bath Branch.

Caroline will be coming into store to give a talk about the initial training and issues that puppy ownership brings with it.

 

If you are just thinking of getting a puppy or have already got your puppy this talk will be perfect for you!

Items covered will be

– Before you get your puppy: is it the right time?

– Socialisation and Habituation

– Handling your puppy

– Housetraining

– Biting and Jumping Up

– How dogs learn and the importance of training

She will be able to discuss short individual questions and items but some issues may need a longer consultation which she will not be able to do on the day of the talk but can help arrange another time.

 Meet the trainer puppy ownership talk will take place on Saturday 28th February and Caroline will be in store 11am- 1pm. 

Everyone who signs up for the talk will receive a free gift on the day!

You will need to sign up for the talk to reserve your place please pop into the shop or call 01225461461 for more details.

We look forward to welcoming you in store soon; remember we are open in our Bath store 7 days a week!

Any ideas and suggestions you have will be welcomed. You can follow us in many ways:

Facebook                Twitter             Pinterest

 We are now on Instagram! – notjustpets Follow us and see some fantastic photos!

We run regular photo competitions, quizzes, offers and promotions on our Facebook and Twitter pages, so why not “like” or “follow” us today! 

Get in touch via any of the above, or via our website or email at bathpets@aol.com or telephone us on 01225 461461. Or simply pop in, you’ll be welcome!

Love Your Wildlife Day – Saturday 14th February 2015

Not Just Pets is holding a Love Your Wildlife day to raise awareness and funds for Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital. Alongside the fundraising event held by Rajapack who are building the cardboard Hedgehog Mansion. The money raised from the Love Your Wildlife day will be donated to help Rajapack reach it’s £1000 target!

On Saturday the 14th February Not Just Pets invites you to the Bath St James Parade store to join in with the fundraising fun! 

  • There will be a fantastic cake stall with yummy wildlife themed cakes to buy including a chance to win a hedgehog cake!
  • A craft stall where you can make a hedgehog mask or a paper plate hedgehog for a small donation.
  • Looking to take a new friend home? There will be a special teddy tombola! 
  • Donate your small change to complete the penny cover up picture! There will be a hedgehog template that will be decorated with coins to make a fantastic picture. The money will go towards the fundraising.
  • Some fun facts and information will be displayed and arranged for you to learn about the wildlife in your garden or area that you can help preserve!
  • There will be special offers and money off wildlife products in store.

The Staff at Not Just Pets are looking forward to fundraising with you and hope that you enjoy the Love Your Wildlife day!

We look forward to welcoming you in store soon; remember we are open in our Bath store 7 days a week!

Any ideas and suggestions you have will be welcomed. You can follow us in many ways:

Facebook                Twitter             Pinterest

 We are now on Instagram! – notjustpets Follow us and see some fantastic photos!

We run regular photo competitions, quizzes, offers and promotions on our Facebook and Twitter pages, so why not “like” or “follow” us today! 

Get in touch via any of the above, or via our website or email at bathpets@aol.com or telephone us on 01225 461461. Or simply pop in, you’ll be welcome!