What Price For Kitty?

I've been thinking about this. I have spent huge sums of money on the cat I
have had for the past seven or eight years. But I have money, and I don't
think about it. But if I didn't have money -- let's say living from
paycheck to paycheck -- and the vet came in and said, "$850 for labwork and
surgery." Forgive me, but I would probably have to draw the line there and
have the poor thing put to rest. I know this makes me a bad person, but
come on y'all, what is your true limit on such matters?

Glarb

Glarb wrote:
I've been thinking about this. I have spent huge sums of money on the cat I
have had for the past seven or eight years. But I have money, and I don't
think about it. But if I didn't have money -- let's say living from
paycheck to paycheck -- and the vet came in and said, "$850 for labwork and
surgery." Forgive me, but I would probably have to draw the line there and
have the poor thing put to rest. I know this makes me a bad person, but
come on y'all, what is your true limit on such matters?

Glarb

I have lots and lots of credit. As long as I wasn't putting my cat
through unnecessary treatments that would not actually improve his or
her quality of life...I would not put a price limit on their heads. Keep
in mind, I am only a school teacher. I am not a rich woman. But, I love
my cats like children and if I had children, I certainly wouldn't
euthanize them if the bills got high!

Your question is a tough as well as very personal one though...because
certainly not everyone is able to fork up indefinite amounts of money.
This kind of thread could definitely lead into some flames and
judgements...which I would personally not like to see.

if only it were easy...
pam

"kitkat" wrote in message
om...
Glarb wrote:
I've been thinking about this. I have spent huge sums of money on the
cat I
have had for the past seven or eight years. But I have money, and I
don't
think about it. But if I didn't have money -- let's say living from
paycheck to paycheck -- and the vet came in and said, "$850 for labwork
and
surgery." Forgive me, but I would probably have to draw the line there
and
have the poor thing put to rest. I know this makes me a bad person, but
come on y'all, what is your true limit on such matters?

Glarb

I have lots and lots of credit. As long as I wasn't putting my cat
through unnecessary treatments that would not actually improve his or
her quality of life...I would not put a price limit on their heads. Keep
in mind, I am only a school teacher. I am not a rich woman. But, I love
my cats like children and if I had children, I certainly wouldn't
euthanize them if the bills got high!

Your question is a tough as well as very personal one though...because
certainly not everyone is able to fork up indefinite amounts of money.
This kind of thread could definitely lead into some flames and
judgements...which I would personally not like to see.

if only it were easy...
pam


I would take out a second mortgage on my house for my cats.
Or an equity loan. And I would ask relatives for money if need be--
which is something I have done maybe twice in my life. I would ask
friends for money, something I have never done. I would sell
all my collectables to pay for my cats' health needs. I would do
everything I could, as long as I was not, as you say, Pam, putting them
through hell when they did not have a good chance at a decent
recovery. I am their caretaker, and it is my responsibility to not
only get them health care but also to see to it that they do not
suffer unnecessarily.

Mary wrote:

I am their caretaker, and it is my responsibility to not
only get them health care but also to see to it that they do not
suffer unnecessarily.

This is so key. I hope that if and when the time should come that I have
to make "big decisions" I am strong enough to do what is right by the
cat...I simply can not imagine life without my Luna! I don't like to
imagine life without Jasper either, but I kinda feel like he came to us
on borrowed time as it is and I feel grateful to be able to give him a
comfortable happy home to live out his senior years, however long that
may be. Luna I have had since she was 6 months old...so it is
just...*different*.

I simply can not put a price on my cats. When Luna looks at me with her
big round eyes and she is just full of wonder and contentment...well I
could just float away! As for Jasper, when he squeaks with excitement
because we are home and near him...that is what it is *all about*.


pam

"kitkat" wrote in message
om...
Mary wrote:

I am their caretaker, and it is my responsibility to not
only get them health care but also to see to it that they do not
suffer unnecessarily.

This is so key. I hope that if and when the time should come that I have
to make "big decisions" I am strong enough to do what is right by the
cat...I simply can not imagine life without my Luna! I don't like to
imagine life without Jasper either, but I kinda feel like he came to us
on borrowed time as it is and I feel grateful to be able to give him a
comfortable happy home to live out his senior years, however long that
may be. Luna I have had since she was 6 months old...so it is
just...*different*.

I simply can not put a price on my cats. When Luna looks at me with her
big round eyes and she is just full of wonder and contentment...well I
could just float away! As for Jasper, when he squeaks with excitement
because we are home and near him...that is what it is *all about*.


pam

Asking the question to me was like asking the question "How much
is too much to spend on your child?" As Priscilla recently said, I
openly admit that my cats are substitute kids. (I also spend a
good bit of my disposable income making sure my nieces
and nephews do not want for anything, too.)

What if it wasn't "your" cat? I have two cats of my own, but I've spent
hundreds of dollars on an assortment of stray cats who've shown up on my
doorstep. I had an $800 vet bill for one of "my" feral cats, I've spent
hundreds on a stray kitten with a persistent URI, and hundreds more on a
stray (non-feral) cat with struvite crystals. Both of them have moved
in with me, neither of my "real" cats are happy about it.

One of my ferals, a formerly beautiful long haired lynx point, comes up
to me to be petted, but only if I don't look at him, and only if he
can't see my hand coming for him. He's getting pretty matted now,
there's not much I can do about it--except spend a lot of money on him,
too. He's been neutered, that was his only visit to a vet. I only take
the manageable strays to the vet, except in an emergency. There is no
limit to how much I could spend trying to save cats, except for the
limits I make myself. Still, I worry that I might be becoming a "cat
collector".

I love my cats, I love my strays, I particularly love my most unlovable
ferals, but I can't cripple myself for a single cat. At some point,
saving one cat might mean losing all the others. Why do I even bother
at all when my efforts are insignificant compared to the need? I don't
have an answer. Usually I don't think about it, I just pull out Mr.
Plastic.

Mary wrote:



I would take out a second mortgage on my house for my cats.
Or an equity loan. And I would ask relatives for money if need be--
which is something I have done maybe twice in my life. I would ask
friends for money, something I have never done. I would sell
all my collectables to pay for my cats' health needs. I would do
everything I could, as long as I was not, as you say, Pam, putting them
through hell when they did not have a good chance at a decent
recovery. I am their caretaker, and it is my responsibility to not
only get them health care but also to see to it that they do not
suffer unnecessarily.




--
J Kimmel

www.metalinnovations.com

"Cuius testiculos habes, habeas cardia et cerebellum." - When you have
their full attention in your grip, their hearts and minds will follow.

"John Kimmel" wrote in message
...
What if it wasn't "your" cat?

I don't know. I tend to fall in love with every cat I meet.


I have two cats of my own, but I've spent
hundreds of dollars on an assortment of stray cats who've shown up on my
doorstep. I had an $800 vet bill for one of "my" feral cats, I've spent
hundreds on a stray kitten with a persistent URI, and hundreds more on a
stray (non-feral) cat with struvite crystals. Both of them have moved
in with me, neither of my "real" cats are happy about it.

You're a good man.

One of my ferals, a formerly beautiful long haired lynx point, comes up
to me to be petted, but only if I don't look at him, and only if he
can't see my hand coming for him. He's getting pretty matted now,
there's not much I can do about it--except spend a lot of money on him,
too. He's been neutered, that was his only visit to a vet. I only take
the manageable strays to the vet, except in an emergency. There is no
limit to how much I could spend trying to save cats, except for the
limits I make myself. Still, I worry that I might be becoming a "cat
collector".

Honestly? Then you might have a problem.


I love my cats, I love my strays, I particularly love my most unlovable
ferals, but I can't cripple myself for a single cat. At some point,
saving one cat might mean losing all the others. Why do I even bother
at all when my efforts are insignificant compared to the need? I don't
have an answer. Usually I don't think about it, I just pull out Mr.
Plastic.

You're a good man.

I just take what I have and pay the bills and divvy the rest up
among the nieces and nephews, cats, and other loved ones.
Some little treats for me, and I am happy.

To answer the real question you are asking: I have to keep my
distance most times--and I mean consciously withdraw--when
I see animals in need. There is only so much I can do, and I
know it. It is not because I want to use my money for other
things, it is because I have to be sure I can pay my bills. It is
the same with my sisters' children: my impulse is to give them
everything. They are good kids--they need things and they
do not expect anything.



Mary wrote:



I would take out a second mortgage on my house for my cats.
Or an equity loan. And I would ask relatives for money if need be--
which is something I have done maybe twice in my life. I would ask
friends for money, something I have never done. I would sell
all my collectables to pay for my cats' health needs. I would do
everything I could, as long as I was not, as you say, Pam, putting them
through hell when they did not have a good chance at a decent
recovery. I am their caretaker, and it is my responsibility to not
only get them health care but also to see to it that they do not
suffer unnecessarily.




--
J Kimmel

www.metalinnovations.com

"Cuius testiculos habes, habeas cardia et cerebellum." - When you have
their full attention in your grip, their hearts and minds will follow.

On 2005-02-15, Mary penned:

I just take what I have and pay the bills and divvy the rest up among the
nieces and nephews, cats, and other loved ones. Some little treats for me,
and I am happy.

To answer the real question you are asking: I have to keep my distance most
times--and I mean consciously withdraw--when I see animals in need. There is
only so much I can do, and I know it. It is not because I want to use my
money for other things, it is because I have to be sure I can pay my bills.
It is the same with my sisters' children: my impulse is to give them
everything. They are good kids--they need things and they do not expect
anything.

(Warning: I was a philosophy minor, so I find these sorts of nuances
fascinating)

Sure, I think that's what we all have to do if we want to stay sane. I
do remember a class discussion at some point ... Pretty much everyone
agrees that if your own kid is in trouble, you'll do whatever you can to
save them. But what if it's your cousin's kid; would you spend your
money on them? Is it right to buy a piano when that money could save a
poverty-stricken child in asia?

It's pretty interesting to think about how our minds work. Why is my kid any
more deserving than another person's kid? Wouldn't I do more good for cats in
general if, instead of spending $15,000 on medical bills for one cat, I
distributed that to shelters around the region? But most of us will choose to
pay for our own pets rather than the "greater good." That might be because we
strongly believe in our duty as pet owners, but I suspect it's mostly an
emotional issue. We love our own pets and we can't bear to part with them.

Most people wouldn't sacrifice themselves, and certainly wouldn't sacrifice a
loved one, to save a group of people they don't know. We simply value those
we know more than those we don't.

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

"Glarb" wrote:

I know this makes me a bad person, but
come on y'all, what is your true limit on such matters?


What the hell is wrong with you?

"Mary" wrote in message
.com...

"Glarb" wrote:

I know this makes me a bad person, but
come on y'all, what is your true limit on such matters?


What the hell is wrong with you?


Nothing! That's perfectly normal behavior for an asshole.