An Addition
 

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.


--
Cheryl

An Addition
 

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.

An Addition
 

On 6/14/2016 6:01 AM, 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
snip

Concatulations! I hope this will be "the beginning of a beautiful
friendship" (as said in "Casablanca") and a very long one.

I agree that some vets contribute to the feral problem when they charge
so much for a simple procedure. I was fortunate with my adoptions. I
paid $75.00 each for Nikki and Selina because the rescue group I adopted
them from charge that flat fee (male or female), which includes spay or
neuter, microchip, vetting and vaccinations, and care for as long as
they have the cat. That amount, of course, does not even begin to cover
the cost of that type of extensive care. I have sometimes told people
that Duffy was the best investment I ever made. I adopted him from a
shelter in a nearby town, and he was only $25.00 because he had been
previously adopted with neutering paid for by that couple.

How is Sammy? I often think of him and hope everything is going well.

MaryL

An Addition
 

On 2016-06-14 11:34 AM, MaryL wrote:

Concatulations! I hope this will be "the beginning of a beautiful
friendship" (as said in "Casablanca") and a very long one.

I agree that some vets contribute to the feral problem when they charge
so much for a simple procedure. I was fortunate with my adoptions. I
paid $75.00 each for Nikki and Selina because the rescue group I adopted
them from charge that flat fee (male or female), which includes spay or
neuter, microchip, vetting and vaccinations, and care for as long as
they have the cat. That amount, of course, does not even begin to cover
the cost of that type of extensive care. I have sometimes told people
that Duffy was the best investment I ever made. I adopted him from a
shelter in a nearby town, and he was only $25.00 because he had been
previously adopted with neutering paid for by that couple.

How is Sammy? I often think of him and hope everything is going well.

Poor Sammy died in March from his kidney problems. They progressed very
quickly - he was actually in the vet clinic for some supportive
treatment when he died, a little over a week after diagnosis. At first I
didn't want another cat, but I changed my mind, sooner than I had expected.

Cinnamon's doing fine, although she's a bit annoyed at the interloper.

The city shelter, where I found Kerry, charges $120 per cat. That
doesn't include spay/neuter, but I was impressed by their care for the
cats. It's not a fancy building, but it's clean, with outside runs for
some of the rooms, and they have a vet on staff and keep good records.
Kerry was checked over, tested for Felv and something else I don't
remember, de-wormed, de-flea'd, and got her first vaccination. She would
have been given a booster, but she got cat flu, and they wouldn't give
her a live vaccine until she was thoroughly recovered, so that's
something I need to do. They microchipped her, too, and gave me a
booklet of instructions on how to care for a cat, one of those shopping
bags with a logo, and a generous plastic bag of the food she was used to
eating. It turns out that she'll eat anything and everything, but the
bag of food was a nice idea.

My previous cats have generally been some version of "free to good home"
so I paid for everything, but Cinnamon was left at the SPCA shelter, and
the SPCA spayed her and gave her to me for free. I think they were
over-run with cats and thought they were unlikely to find another home
for an adult cat that they did a bit more than they usually do. She does
have her "papers" - the documents I signed saying if I ever can't keep
her, she goes back to the SPCA.


--
Cheryl

An Addition
 

On 6/14/2016 9:48 AM, Cheryl wrote:
On 2016-06-14 11:34 AM, MaryL wrote:

Concatulations! I hope this will be "the beginning of a beautiful
friendship" (as said in "Casablanca") and a very long one.

I agree that some vets contribute to the feral problem when they charge
so much for a simple procedure. I was fortunate with my adoptions. I
paid $75.00 each for Nikki and Selina because the rescue group I adopted
them from charge that flat fee (male or female), which includes spay or
neuter, microchip, vetting and vaccinations, and care for as long as
they have the cat. That amount, of course, does not even begin to cover
the cost of that type of extensive care. I have sometimes told people
that Duffy was the best investment I ever made. I adopted him from a
shelter in a nearby town, and he was only $25.00 because he had been
previously adopted with neutering paid for by that couple.

How is Sammy? I often think of him and hope everything is going well.

Poor Sammy died in March from his kidney problems. They progressed very
quickly - he was actually in the vet clinic for some supportive
treatment when he died, a little over a week after diagnosis. At first I
didn't want another cat, but I changed my mind, sooner than I had expected.

Cinnamon's doing fine, although she's a bit annoyed at the interloper.

The city shelter, where I found Kerry, charges $120 per cat. That
doesn't include spay/neuter, but I was impressed by their care for the
cats. It's not a fancy building, but it's clean, with outside runs for
some of the rooms, and they have a vet on staff and keep good records.
Kerry was checked over, tested for Felv and something else I don't
remember, de-wormed, de-flea'd, and got her first vaccination. She would
have been given a booster, but she got cat flu, and they wouldn't give
her a live vaccine until she was thoroughly recovered, so that's
something I need to do. They microchipped her, too, and gave me a
booklet of instructions on how to care for a cat, one of those shopping
bags with a logo, and a generous plastic bag of the food she was used to
eating. It turns out that she'll eat anything and everything, but the
bag of food was a nice idea.

My previous cats have generally been some version of "free to good home"
so I paid for everything, but Cinnamon was left at the SPCA shelter, and
the SPCA spayed her and gave her to me for free. I think they were
over-run with cats and thought they were unlikely to find another home
for an adult cat that they did a bit more than they usually do. She does
have her "papers" - the documents I signed saying if I ever can't keep
her, she goes back to the SPCA.


Oh, I'm so sorry to hear about Sammy(RB). I don't know how I missed
that. He was lucky to have you to care for him.

I will try to keep up more with your cats. I have followed your
messages about your back and hope to hear better news there.

MaryL

An Addition
 

On 2016-06-14 12:44 PM, MaryL wrote:
On 6/14/2016 9:48 AM, Cheryl wrote:
On 2016-06-14 11:34 AM, MaryL wrote:

Concatulations! I hope this will be "the beginning of a beautiful
friendship" (as said in "Casablanca") and a very long one.

I agree that some vets contribute to the feral problem when they charge
so much for a simple procedure. I was fortunate with my adoptions. I
paid $75.00 each for Nikki and Selina because the rescue group I adopted
them from charge that flat fee (male or female), which includes spay or
neuter, microchip, vetting and vaccinations, and care for as long as
they have the cat. That amount, of course, does not even begin to cover
the cost of that type of extensive care. I have sometimes told people
that Duffy was the best investment I ever made. I adopted him from a
shelter in a nearby town, and he was only $25.00 because he had been
previously adopted with neutering paid for by that couple.

How is Sammy? I often think of him and hope everything is going well.

Poor Sammy died in March from his kidney problems. They progressed very
quickly - he was actually in the vet clinic for some supportive
treatment when he died, a little over a week after diagnosis. At first I
didn't want another cat, but I changed my mind, sooner than I had
expected.

Cinnamon's doing fine, although she's a bit annoyed at the interloper.

The city shelter, where I found Kerry, charges $120 per cat. That
doesn't include spay/neuter, but I was impressed by their care for the
cats. It's not a fancy building, but it's clean, with outside runs for
some of the rooms, and they have a vet on staff and keep good records.
Kerry was checked over, tested for Felv and something else I don't
remember, de-wormed, de-flea'd, and got her first vaccination. She would
have been given a booster, but she got cat flu, and they wouldn't give
her a live vaccine until she was thoroughly recovered, so that's
something I need to do. They microchipped her, too, and gave me a
booklet of instructions on how to care for a cat, one of those shopping
bags with a logo, and a generous plastic bag of the food she was used to
eating. It turns out that she'll eat anything and everything, but the
bag of food was a nice idea.

My previous cats have generally been some version of "free to good home"
so I paid for everything, but Cinnamon was left at the SPCA shelter, and
the SPCA spayed her and gave her to me for free. I think they were
over-run with cats and thought they were unlikely to find another home
for an adult cat that they did a bit more than they usually do. She does
have her "papers" - the documents I signed saying if I ever can't keep
her, she goes back to the SPCA.


Oh, I'm so sorry to hear about Sammy(RB). I don't know how I missed
that. He was lucky to have you to care for him.

I will try to keep up more with your cats. I have followed your
messages about your back and hope to hear better news there.

MaryL

I think you're confusing me with the other Cheryl! I'm the one from Canada.

--
Cheryl

An Addition
 

I think you're confusing me with the other Cheryl! I'm the one from Canada.

Oh, you're right. I should know to check more closely. Thanks for
letting me know.

MaryL

An Addition
 

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

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.

It's nice that you have another kittie friend.

I'd love to have another, but doubt GLyN would tolerate it.

And while you're unhappy with the cost now, it WON'T be that
long before you may be even LESS happy, because you'll start
getting offered the senior discounts, without even asking.

An Addition
 

On Tue, 14 Jun 2016 12:18:32 -0230, Cheryl wrote:

The city shelter, where I found Kerry, charges $120 per cat. That
doesn't include spay/neuter,

Many local shelters here do the spay/neuter before adoption.
Others are part of a partnership with local Vets who do them
for reduced fees, along with a general checkup, as part of
the adoption process


And the cost here is less than yours, especially when they're
trying to clear out things when they're fuller than they like.

The fee at the County shelters for dog is $69, $58 for cats,
but drops to $35 for a 'senior' animal (5 years old or more).

Then there are other specials a few times a year.

And there is also the Humane Society, Helen Woodward Center,
and other private shelters.

The Humane Society/SPCA has NO fee for Senior adopters (55+),
but their costs before then are higher than the County
shelters.

An Addition
 

On Tue, 14 Jun 2016 12:56:25 -0230, Cheryl
wrote:

On 2016-06-14 12:44 PM, MaryL wrote:
On 6/14/2016 9:48 AM, Cheryl wrote:
On 2016-06-14 11:34 AM, MaryL wrote:

Concatulations! I hope this will be "the beginning of a beautiful
friendship" (as said in "Casablanca") and a very long one.

I agree that some vets contribute to the feral problem when they charge
so much for a simple procedure. I was fortunate with my adoptions. I
paid $75.00 each for Nikki and Selina because the rescue group I adopted
them from charge that flat fee (male or female), which includes spay or
neuter, microchip, vetting and vaccinations, and care for as long as
they have the cat. That amount, of course, does not even begin to cover
the cost of that type of extensive care. I have sometimes told people
that Duffy was the best investment I ever made. I adopted him from a
shelter in a nearby town, and he was only $25.00 because he had been
previously adopted with neutering paid for by that couple.

How is Sammy? I often think of him and hope everything is going well.

Poor Sammy died in March from his kidney problems. They progressed very
quickly - he was actually in the vet clinic for some supportive
treatment when he died, a little over a week after diagnosis. At first I
didn't want another cat, but I changed my mind, sooner than I had
expected.

Cinnamon's doing fine, although she's a bit annoyed at the interloper.

The city shelter, where I found Kerry, charges $120 per cat. That
doesn't include spay/neuter, but I was impressed by their care for the
cats. It's not a fancy building, but it's clean, with outside runs for
some of the rooms, and they have a vet on staff and keep good records.
Kerry was checked over, tested for Felv and something else I don't
remember, de-wormed, de-flea'd, and got her first vaccination. She would
have been given a booster, but she got cat flu, and they wouldn't give
her a live vaccine until she was thoroughly recovered, so that's
something I need to do. They microchipped her, too, and gave me a
booklet of instructions on how to care for a cat, one of those shopping
bags with a logo, and a generous plastic bag of the food she was used to
eating. It turns out that she'll eat anything and everything, but the
bag of food was a nice idea.

My previous cats have generally been some version of "free to good home"
so I paid for everything, but Cinnamon was left at the SPCA shelter, and
the SPCA spayed her and gave her to me for free. I think they were
over-run with cats and thought they were unlikely to find another home
for an adult cat that they did a bit more than they usually do. She does
have her "papers" - the documents I signed saying if I ever can't keep
her, she goes back to the SPCA.


Oh, I'm so sorry to hear about Sammy(RB). I don't know how I missed
that. He was lucky to have you to care for him.

I will try to keep up more with your cats. I have followed your
messages about your back and hope to hear better news there.

MaryL

I think you're confusing me with the other Cheryl! I'm the one from Canada.

Cheryl, did I know you from a needlework group light years ago?