your cat's life is at stake and you're a
little short of cash, keep a counterfeit Rolex near the carrier and wear
your best clothes to the emergency vet...

Phil

Better yet, how about understanding the responsibility and expense of pet
ownership, and having a credit card or emergency fund for such instances. How
about having an ongoing relationship with a vet for your pet, so they know you
when you arrive and have a stake in the well being of your pet? How about
going to an animal ER instead of a regular vet (who it doesn't seem the OP had
been to before?).

I'm lucky to have several veterinary ERs in my area. ALL of them state the ER
fee up front. I go prepared to pay that fee plus whatever it takes for
diagnostics or treatment - that's my responsibility as a pet owner.

As luck would have it, most of the visits I've made to vet ERs have been at
some ungodly hour. That means I'm certainly not dressed in my Sunday best - If
I have a watch at all, it's a Timex or such. Rarely time to put on jewelry,
makeup, or "nice clothes" (and if we're dealing with a sick animal, ratty
clothes are generally more appropriate!). I go in with full knowledge that
this visit will cost me though. To do otherwise is pretty naive.

None of us knows whether this cat had any chance of survival. It sure wasn't
helped when the OP chose to take his very sick cat home for 4 more days. Why
not go beg, borrow and grovel for money MONDAY? And get that cat back to a vet
asap?

Easy to blame the "money grubbing vet" (most vets don't make a whole helluva
lot of money), when ultimately, the owner has a huge responsibility they have
failed to live up to.

Janet Boss
http://bestfriendsdogobedience.com/
http://photos.yahoo.com/bestfriendsobedience