What Price For Kitty?

wrote:
On 14 Feb 2005 21:53:05 -0800, "-L." wrote:

*Adequate* veterinary care. Exams, vaccines, flea meds, treatment
fior
routine conditions. Most vets agree on a "standard" of adequate
veterinary care. We have laws that enforce *adequate* veterinary
care.


Who is 'we' that have laws. 'We' have 'abuse' and minimum care laws
here. No "We have laws that enforce *adequate* veterinary care"

"Abuse" - actually "neglect" - and "minimum care" laws cover adequate
veterinary care.


Could you be specific as to EXACT laws and where they apply???

I think the way I worded the post you responded to threw you off - what
I am saying is that I personally believe that people who cannot afford
procedures considered by most vets to be "adequate" veterinary care -
exams, vaccines, etc. - should probably not have pets. This is the
same standard of care most shelters I am familiar with require, prior
to allowing an adoption. I should have then inserted a paragraph break
before making the second statement:

"We have laws that enforce adequate veterinary care."
which refers to the kind of care which is required when an animal is
sick or injured, and is covered in neglect and "minimal care" statutes.
These are, of course, subject to law enforcement interpretation.

The following link details state-by-state, the applicable laws.

http://www.api4animals.org/47.htm

Many mention "minimal care" (which includes seeking medical care) where
others (like AZ) specifically mention the failure "to provide medical
attention to prevent suffering."

That's the other type of "adequate" veterinary care to which I
referred.

Sorry for the confusion - it's late, I'm tired, and my eyesight is
poor.

-L.

I think saying people with financial issues shouldn't have pets is plain
ridiculous, partly because most people with extreme issues dont go and get
pets after the fact, they have and love them, and then for whatever reason,
become poor, disabled, etc, etc.
Also, all this talk of sick pets or pets that cost too much being put down
as if its a common and only option. Most people i know in these situations
would give the pets away to others, or to a shelter or organization , not
just euthanasia them without looking at other options.

in article , Nomen Nescio at
] wrote on 2/15/05 1:00AM:

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

From: Jim Lawton

In the UK we have this organisation - do you not in the states?

http://www.pdsa.org.uk

In Massachusetts, the MSPCA has a similar program called
"The Pet Care Assistance Fund" to help people who truly can't afford
medical care for their pets.
My wife and I make a donation every year and have even left a
substantial part of our assets to the fund in our Will.
And for those of you who feel that someone with limited funds does
not deserve to have a pet, check out
http://www.mspca.org/site/pp.asp?c=gtIUK4OSG&b=126332
then click on "Update on Nicky".
Then tell me......
Do you think "Joseph Burke" does not deserve to have a cat?

And while you're there, please make a small donation!





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I just wish there were more organizations like this.

That's one of the reasons so many folks talk about either having pet
insurance or keeping a separate account just for pet emergencies.


We now have 2 credit cards on hand for emergencies so if they needed a
vet we wouldn't have to worry about it.

I've only come across it once. When Fugazi had cancer, of course, I
wanted make her better whatever the cost, I have a brother who would
help out, I would sell anything (This was back before the credit
cards!)but in the end I had to say "If money is no object do we have
a 50% or better chance of her having a good quality of life even for a
short time."

My vet was wonderful and simply said, "There is a maybe 5% chance at
most I am wrong but we're talking about performing invasive procedures
on a sick cat which won't her any good it will only make you feel
you've done everything you can which is understandable , but you have
to consider that she isn't suffering yet but she will."

It made the decision easier (not that tears don't spring to my eyes
even now almost 6 years later)

I love that vet. Compare what happened to a friend of mine...His wife
couldn't bring herself to let go of her first cat and when the cat got
old and sick, he found himself in the hands of a greedy vet who
colluded quite shamefully with his wife always offering another
treatment that "might" work. He ended up paying over £3,000 (and this
was a few years ago) and the poor cat had no real quality of life at
all, apart from going to the vet it would just lie in its bed
obviously unhappy and uncomfortable.

Lesley

Slave to the Fabulous Furballs

Angela St.Aubin wrote:
I think saying people with financial issues shouldn't have pets is
plain
ridiculous, partly because most people with extreme issues dont go
and get
pets after the fact, they have and love them, and then for whatever
reason,
become poor, disabled, etc, etc.

That certainly isn't my experience. many, many people get pets when
they knowingly cannot afford them.


Also, all this talk of sick pets or pets that cost too much being put
down
as if its a common and only option.

It is a common occurance. Any shelter worker can tell you the number
of animals that are surrendered with medical issues for financial
reasons. Vets euthanize animals daily because of the owners' lack of
funds. Ity's extremely common.



Most people i know in these situations
would give the pets away to others, or to a shelter or organization
, not
just euthanasia them without looking at other options.

What do you think the shelters do with a sick animal - especially if
the medical treatment is extremely expensive?

-L.

Nomen Nescio wrote:
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

From: Jim Lawton

In the UK we have this organisation - do you not in the states?

http://www.pdsa.org.uk

In Massachusetts, the MSPCA has a similar program called
"The Pet Care Assistance Fund" to help people who truly can't afford
medical care for their pets.
My wife and I make a donation every year and have even left a
substantial part of our assets to the fund in our Will.
And for those of you who feel that someone with limited funds does
not deserve to have a pet, check out
http://www.mspca.org/site/pp.asp?c=gtIUK4OSG&b=126332
then click on "Update on Nicky".
Then tell me......
Do you think "Joseph Burke" does not deserve to have a cat?


It's not a question of "deserving", it's a question of paracticality.
It's not fair to an animal to let it go without proper medical care.

How many other communities have similar programs? I venture very
few...

-L.

"Angela St.Aubin" wrote in message
.. .

I think saying people with financial issues shouldn't have pets is plain
ridiculous, partly because most people with extreme issues dont go and get
pets after the fact, they have and love them, and then for whatever
reason,
become poor, disabled, etc, etc.

Not true. I've dealt with this at the shelter. People try to talk me into
giving them the cat for free because they can't afford the adoption fee.


Also, all this talk of sick pets or pets that cost too much being put down
as if its a common and only option. Most people i know in these situations
would give the pets away to others, or to a shelter or organization , not
just euthanasia them without looking at other options.



I don't know what the percentages are, but we do get pets from the local vet
who were going to be euthanized, at the owner's request, for minor medical
issues.

--
-Kelly
kelly at farringtons dot net
"Wake up, and smell the cat food" -TMBG

wrote in message
...
You are practicing 'backwards' thinking here. Why blame pet owners?
Why not instead blame VETS and animal organizations for not doing more
and properly organized pro bono/sliding scale work???

Excuse me? Did you not read my post, which is a post, not a flame. Why
can't someone post their opinion without it being a flame?
Anyway, I AM working with a rescue organization on a Community Service
project to provide low-cost or free vetting. So no, I'm not going to blame
the vets, because we have a vet who is coming in on her day off to do this,
nor am I going to blame the animal organizations. Right now, all we can do
is spay/neuter and vaccines, because it's all we are set up for.

And obviously, you've never lived on a farm!!! As a child I can
guarantee you our 'barn cats' had absolutely NO vet care, yet each was
loved dearly (though they never set foot inside; homes were for
people, barns were for animals!), healthy, HAPPY lives. Natural
selection was at work here...

Only the 'prize' breeding stock had any vet care, and that was only if
they were 'off their feed'.

Is that supposed to make me feel better? A good friend of mine TNR's barn
cats. They are not always in good shape. We get the kittens from those
barn cats, just more cats adding to the overpopulation problem.


I think sometimes 'perspective' is lost in these 'flames'. The
question should be: in what way can I, as an individual, help cats,
(and not just MY cats!).


I do help cats. I volunteer at a limited-admission shelter.

Instead of trying to decide WHO can have pets, and the criteria for
same, why not 'adopt' a local low income person and help w/costs or
transit for a year!!! Or volunteer 4 hrs a month (or the ebullient in
money) to the agency of your choice. Or both! Now that would be
helping both people and cats!!!


Because of said volunteering (instead of working a full-time job) money is
tight in my own home, but we always make sure the cats are taken care of.
I'm not saying you have to be rich to have a cat, I'm just saying you need
to provide the basics, one of which is adequate vet care, and I do think you
should have some type of plan for emergencies.


I in turn, volunteered months ago to do at home computer stuff for our
local SPAN group (I've also done the same, only years ago, for a local
wetlands that I live by, where strays are dumped and distemper runs
rampant). None of which helps my poor kitty facing a second spay! Or
buys a screen door, or a kitty condo. But we are both doing what we
can in our way :-

It's great that you are doing something like that.

--
-Kelly
kelly at farringtons dot net
"Wake up, and smell the cat food" -TMBG

"Nomen Nescio" ] wrote in message
...
In Massachusetts, the MSPCA has a similar program called
"The Pet Care Assistance Fund" to help people who truly can't afford
medical care for their pets.
My wife and I make a donation every year and have even left a
substantial part of our assets to the fund in our Will.
And for those of you who feel that someone with limited funds does
not deserve to have a pet, check out
http://www.mspca.org/site/pp.asp?c=gtIUK4OSG&b=126332
then click on "Update on Nicky".
Then tell me......
Do you think "Joseph Burke" does not deserve to have a cat?

And while you're there, please make a small donation!


Thanks. I live in MA (but volunteer in NH, I'm on the border) so I actually
know more about NH services. I know someone who could use that pet care
fund. Thanks again.


--
-Kelly
kelly at farringtons dot net
"Wake up, and smell the cat food" -TMBG

"-L." wrote in message
oups.com...
I have done similar in the past - paid for procedures for animals that
were slated to be euthanized because of lack of funds. But what
happens "next time"? Are we postponing the inevitable? That's Kelly's
quandry, I think.



Exactly. I'm not saying these people don't love their cats either, but
sometimes, love just isn't enough.

I don't know where you live but in the areas where I have worked in
animal welfare, the organizations spend a lot, relatively, on vet care
for the indigent. The vet I worked for spayed at cost, and often did
no-cost spays as part of a community program.

Yep. The vet our shelter works with does often talk people out of
euthanizing and instead surrender to us. They give us 50% off on vetting.
Also, why does the OP feel vets need to give stuff away? Most vets I know
are not rich.
--
-Kelly
kelly at farringtons dot net
"Wake up, and smell the cat food" -TMBG