Cat Food
Pets, pet food and pet equipment are usually taxable. However, if you’re the proud owner of a fluffy, adorable cat, chances are you could write off the cost of cat food in certain situations.
For example, a couple who owned a junkyard was allowed to deduct the cost of cat food they used to attract wild cats. Not only did the feral felines eat the food, but they also chased away snakes and rats from the property, making it safer for clients. Therefore, the Tax Court ruled in favor of the couple and the IRS allowed them to deduct the cat food costs.
In another example, a woman invested more than $12,000 of her own money for vet bills, food and other items for the feral cats that she fostered in her home. She was allowed to claim a charitable deduction for the money she paid to a charity that specialized in the neutering of wild cats but limited her deducted amount because she did not get a contemporaneous written acknowledgment from the charity for every $250 or more spend on the charity’s behest.
