<prompt> Human: Hi all,I am a 23 year old living in a studio in the US. I make 39kyr in a very stable job. I am in grad school, as well, and I take most of my classes online, so I am only away from home for workschool 43 hrswk usually.Here it goes: my parents bought me a cat when I was 13 years old. I had BEGGED for YEARS to get a cat. We always had dogs, but I wanted MY OWN pet. Finally, my parents came around and surprised me with a kitten on my thirteenth birthday. I was so happy. I cannot overstate how much I loved that cat. She was everything I had dreamed of and more, and she was mine. Unfortunately, my cat died at the age of six, when I was only 18 years old. I was and always will be a little devastated. I was away at my first year of college when it happened, so I wasnt even with her in her final month. I still cry when I think of her. As lame as it may sound to some, she really was my baby, and I miss her endlessly.So, heres the nitty gritty: I found a cat at a shelter I used to volunteer at. The cat has an adoption fee of 70. It is microchipped, spayed, and up-to-date on all shots. She has a mild infection currently, and just finished a round of antibiotics. This will likely be the only treatment needed, but there is a chance she could need more. My parents are adamantly against me getting a cat. I would like to have actual numbers to show them to support my points, but I am not sure how to go about this, considering the only facts I can find say owning a cat costs about 1kyr. Does anyone have experience in a similar situation? Here are my stats, for clarity:39kyr salary stable job2.5k in savingsSet to make 60k once I finish my grad program in 2 years.TL;DR - I think I am ready to adopt a cat. Am I, really? Please tell me if I am being unreasonable. I am trying to be as responsible as possible, but I love animals so much, and I am sure that is coloring my perception.Assistant: I think the first critical question is if you apartment allows cats and what fees they might charge.Human: Good point. My apartment does allow cats and they charge a one-time pet deposit of 200, and I can amend my lease to include that at any time.  <response>: Okay, keep in mind this may be an ongoing challenge. But it sounds manageable. I might also consider getting pet insurance since it sounds like you might be the type that would go into debt for your pets health care if you had to. 