Sunday, September 2, 2007
Vet bills
We have two cats, in addition to the dozen or so fish that I have blogged about before. My cat, Terri, is 16 years old. Keith's cat, Milo, is 5 years old. They were long overdue for a vet appointment when Terri just randomly started peeing on Ava's bed every day (ewww!). So we juggled childcare again so I could take both cats to the vet. Milo looks great, though he's a bit pudgy (just under 14 lbs) and needs his teeth cleaned. Terri looks great for a geriatric kitty, but she needs her teeth cleaned badly, has one that probably needs removed, and she's got two suspicious lumps growing on her side. And there is the peeing problem. So blood and urine samples were taken, neither of which I've heard any results on. The lumps could be needle biopsied, or we could just take them out. Then we could choose to test them, or just toss them. Um, she's 16 years old. I ain't doing any crazy cancer treatments on a 16-year old cat. So the plan is to take them out and toss them when she has her teeth cleaned. But here is my problem. The grand total for all these procedures and tests? $1300. And this is with the budget vet in town! I love our cats and all, but $1300 is not in our budget or wildest imagination right now. We're saving for a bigger carseat for Alder, which he'll need by winter I think. But knowing my kitty is probably in some discomfort (that tooth looks heinous), can I pass up her health needs? And when the blood and urine tests come back, what if she has some kidney issue that is causing the peeing problem? At 16 years old, how much should you spend on a cat...a cat that has followed you across the country and been your best companion since early high school?
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3 comments:
I've been struggling with this moral dilemma myself. Our cats haven't had any medical issues yet, but one poops outside of the box (but in the basement, thank G-d) and they both probably need a teeth cleaning. Still, it would cost about a grand to get both of their teeth taken care of and now that I've got 2 kids and our budget is stretched to accommodate a maternity leave, I just don't think I can spend the money on my beloved kitties. Kids just take priority, I guess.
Yeah, I think that is where we are settling too. We're on a tight budget. I will have no income until I finish school, and without income I can't afford daycare, which means school takes longer... So maybe we can get the kitties all fixed up with the vet when I pull in that fat job. And that will be when?!?
And yeah, Ava's poor bed. Though to be honest, I'm just glad it isn't my bed.
Strange... Dave and I were just talking about this very subject in a hypothetical way. Chloe is in good shape now, but I remember what it was like with Merlin and lots are different now.
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