On Tue, 14 Jun 2016 08:31:33 -0230, Cheryl
wrote:

I felt ready around the May 24 holiday weekend to think about getting a
new cat. I visited the local city shelter. They had SO many to choose
from! I finally put in a request for a little black DSH girl about 2
years old named Kerry, who'd been turned in as a stray fairly recently.
They wouldn't release her until their vet had given her final OK, which
couldn't happen until after the holiday weekend. By that time, she (the
cat, not the vet!) was sneezing, and diagnosed with cat flu! They said I
could pick another cat (presumably one without cat flu) or wait for
Kerry, but they didn't want me to take Kerry then because I had an old
cat at home who might get quite sick if she picked up cat flu. So last
week, when Kerry finally got her health clearance, I brought her home.
She's a real sweetie, very friendly, and hasn't fought with Cinnamon,
although they don't get very close to each other either, and there's
some hissing. I had her to a regular vet (not the shelter one) yesterday
because this vet wanted to see her before scheduling her spay. She
passed the physical, and the spay was scheduled for Friday. I was
shocked at how much the spay will be, but then I realized just how long
it was since I'd paid for one. Sam was neutered, which of course, is
cheaper than spaying, and the shelter I got Cinnamon from spayed her for
me. So the last spay I paid for must have been Betsy (RB) back in 1990
or 1991. It's now around $300-400 CDN, not including taxes and not
including additional charges if, for example, she ends up being in heat
when I bring her in, or there are other complications - and not
including the initial checkup (which I got a little discount on since I
got Kerry from a shelter)!

There is a low-cost spay/neuter program in my city, but I earn too much
to qualify for it. It makes sense that those of us fortunate enough to
have steady jobs pay our own way - but I'm a bit started to discover
that I am now one of those people old enough to have 20-30 year old
prices stuck in my head. I used to think elderly relatives were so out
of touch when they thought things were terribly expensive because they
hadn't actually bought those things in many years.

I have argued this with a vet friend, that they are part of the feral
cat problem because they charge so much. It is not complex surgery.
Years ago I was in the OR as such with my Peke whom the vet knew
panicked if I wasn't there when she woke. He knew me well enough to
know I wouldn't freak.

What interested me was the other table in there - the girl comes in
with a female cat, puts her under, shaves her tum etc. even opens up.
The partner comes in, he is a qualified vet, removes the uterus etc.
and leaves. The girl closes her up and stitches. Ten minutes at
best.

I was lucky that my new cat who came to me in late December had
already been chipped and spayed by a Toronto shelter. She came here
with her first family but was not nice with the baby and so they found
me and Winnie, is now mine! I'm glad I didn't have to pay that sort
of price.