What I wouldn't do for my cat

There's a lovely article in the Toronto Star by a cat lover who writes
about how much money she'd spend to preserve her cat's life. I know
we've gone the distance financially at the vets for our cats, and been
richly rewarded by prolonging their lives. How about you?
Here's a link to the article.

http://www.thestar.com/article/309350

Bobcat wrote:
There's a lovely article in the Toronto Star by a cat lover who writes
about how much money she'd spend to preserve her cat's life. I know
we've gone the distance financially at the vets for our cats, and been
richly rewarded by prolonging their lives. How about you?
Here's a link to the article.

http://www.thestar.com/article/309350

I love Persia dearly, of course. So when the vet called me while I was out
of town in 2004 and said her third UTI in about 6 months was worrisome and
asked if he could do an x-ray of course I said yes. But I started worrying
right then, and with good reason. When he called back saying she had
crystalline oxalate formations in her bladder and needed surgery, I thought,
"How on earth am I going to pay for this?!" Still, what could I do, say no?
Let her suffer through UTI after UTI? Have her PTS? Absolutely NOT!

It turned out there was also a small (thankfully benign) tumor in her
bladder as well. It would have gotten bigger and caused who knows what
trouble down the road. $900+ for the surgery but she's doing well. It
would be better (financially) if I could feed her something less expensive
than the R/x food she has to eat. But it's working for her so I'm not going
to mess with a good thing.

I can't begin to calculate the money I spent on my small dog, Sampson (RB
1999). Between his hospitalizations, medications and R/x food in the last 5
years of his (almost 18 year) life it was well into thousands of dollars.
And I could afford it even less then. I managed.

Jill

On Mar 9, 12:21*pm, Bobcat wrote:
There's a lovely article in the Toronto Star by a cat lover who writes
about how much money she'd spend to preserve her cat's life. I know
we've gone the distance financially at the vets for our cats, and been
richly rewarded by prolonging their lives. How about you?


I have absolutely no idea how much I have spent on my animals in the
10 years I have had them. But one thing is certain, it is completely
irrelevant because I have always found it somehow. Would I do it again
without question? Absolutely. Would I mortgage my house to pay for vet
treatment if I thought it would help? Yes I would in a heartbeat.

I can't put a price on a life, but I can put a price on quality of
life. When Sir William (RB) had a stroke, I remember telling the vet
that money was absolutely no object, because he was insured. She told
me (and I still remember her words as clear as day) "we can do an MRI
and lots of tests, to tell us what I already know, and you can give
paliative care, but money can't fix this. You need to think about
letting him go." Those of you around at the time (2000) will remember
me letting him go.

It was the worst phone call of my life, but I still think I made the
right decision. When I see people spending thousands of £ on paliative
care, with no quality of life for the pet, I really do wonder who they
are doing it for. I recently had to help a friend take her dog, Fudge,
to the vet to be PTS. Fudge had been ill for months and months, and
should have gone to RB 6 months earlier. For Fudge, money wasn't an
object, but quality of life was.

Helen M

On Mar 9, 9:32*am, wrote:


I can't put a price on a life, but I can put a price on quality of
life. When Sir William (RB) had a stroke, I remember telling the vet
that money was absolutely no object, because he was insured. She told
me (and I still remember her words as clear as day) "we can do an MRI
and lots of tests, to tell us what I already know, and you can give
paliative care, but money can't fix this. You need to think about
letting him go."


When Fugazi was ill I said to the vet "Let's leave money out the
equation- I can find whatever it takes but what I need to know is what
are the chances of her having more time and I mean good time if we
treat her?"

And the vet said "There's a less than 5% chance it isn't cancer- to
find out we'll have to keep her overnight and do an X-ray but to do an
X-ray we'll have to put her under and she probably wouldn't survive.
If she does the odds are very much that we will be having this
conversation tomorrow but the only difference is I will be 100% sure
it is cancer. In the meantime we will have put her through a lot of
stress, which is unlikely to affect the outcome and you'll have to
start asking yourself who are you doing it for you or her?"

Nasty but honest at least I knew where we stood and I could make the
inevitable move in the right direction for her

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

Bobcat wrote in news:8d0c946f-6d8f-49d9-b329-
:

There's a lovely article in the Toronto Star by a cat lover who writes
about how much money she'd spend to preserve her cat's life. I know
we've gone the distance financially at the vets for our cats, and been
richly rewarded by prolonging their lives. How about you?
Here's a link to the article.

http://www.thestar.com/article/309350



I am single, have a decent income and don't spend money needlessly. I
spent a lot of money keeping Zak alive for 10-11 months and, to be honest,
would have spent more if I thought his quality of life would have waranted
it. I have no judgement for those who can't spend that kind of money. I
don't know how high I would go to save one of my cats and hope I am never
tested but if I were indepedently wealthy I suppose I would be one of those
crazy people you read about.

Andy

Lesley wrote in news:cc29046f-9b7d-4660-a353-

conversation tomorrow but the only difference is I will be 100% sure
it is cancer. In the meantime we will have put her through a lot of
stress, which is unlikely to affect the outcome and you'll have to
start asking yourself who are you doing it for you or her?"

Nasty but honest at least I knew where we stood and I could make the
inevitable move in the right direction for her

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs


It may be a bit corny but every cat I have ever had I sit down with when
they first enter my life and I tell them (as if the understood 100%) that I
will always protect them and will never let anything hurt them. I tell
them I love them and will always make decisions based of what is best for
them not me. I did this with the new guys already and I don't use baby
talk when I do it. I know it sounds nuts but I think on some level they
realize what I am on about. I guess I don't have to tell you I have lived
up to my promise. I have done it three times in my life and don't envy
those who have done it more.

Bobcat wrote:
There's a lovely article in the Toronto Star by a cat lover who writes
about how much money she'd spend to preserve her cat's life. I know
we've gone the distance financially at the vets for our cats, and been
richly rewarded by prolonging their lives. How about you?

I have some money saved in a separate account, and I wouldn't hesitate
to use it on one of the cats if it was necessary and could help them. I
never hesitated to give Frank the care the vet recommended that last
autumn, when he was sick all the time, even though it did strain my
finances a bit. I don't need much for myself, and I have a fairly good
income that I get by on fine.

What I'm currently doing for my cats is to feed them fresh meat every
day. It may sound expensive, but I've done my math and it's not any more
expensive than feeding them premuium commercial food.

Another thing, not associated with money, that I've had to learn to do
for my cats is cutting up meat for them. Doesn't sound like a big thing,
but I'm a vegetarian and this was really hard for me at first.
Especially cutting up hearts, which often have some remnants of clotted
blood in them. But since Mir really will not eat anything but fresh
meat, and she's thin as a rail, I do it.


--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.

Jill,
We had a cat with that problem and our vet at that time said he had no
hope for her at all. He did say she might stop some of the ongoing
damage if we gave her a pill and fed her Science Diet Rx. We did and
Kittles lived on to be 23 years+ before she just went to sleep and
never woke up. There is always hope and they are tougher than we
think. Love makes the difference I think... theirs, not ours.
Spider

On Mar 9, 8:52*am, "jmcquown" wrote:
Bobcat wrote:
There's a lovely article in the Toronto Star by a cat lover who writes
about how much money she'd spend to preserve her cat's life. I know
we've gone the distance financially at the vets for our cats, and been
richly rewarded by prolonging their lives. How about you?
Here's a link to the article.

http://www.thestar.com/article/309350

I love Persia dearly, of course. *So when the vet called me while I was out
of town in 2004 and said her third UTI in about 6 months was worrisome and
asked if he could do an x-ray of course I said yes. *But I started worrying
right then, and with good reason. *When he called back saying she had
crystalline oxalate formations in her bladder and needed surgery, I thought,
"How on earth am I going to pay for this?!" *Still, what could I do, say no?
Let her suffer through UTI after UTI? *Have her PTS? *Absolutely NOT!

It turned out there was also a small (thankfully benign) tumor in her
bladder as well. *It would have gotten bigger and caused who knows what
trouble down the road. *$900+ for the surgery but she's doing well. *It
would be better (financially) if I could feed her something less expensive
than the R/x food she has to eat. *But it's working for her so I'm not going
to mess with a good thing.

I can't begin to calculate the money I spent on my small dog, Sampson (RB
1999). *Between his hospitalizations, medications and R/x food in the last 5
years of his (almost 18 year) life it was well into thousands of dollars.
And I could afford it even less then. *I managed.

Jill

I was just thinking of all the dogs I have had over the years. I know
people who have had cats and hey can afford the regular shots and such but,
could not afford major surgeries and such. Some say they would move heaven
and earth and that is good. However, I know people who have rescued cats
and had them for a few years then, something comes up involving a lot of
money and they had them put to sleep. The last lady I knew who had to make
this choice was chewed up and spit out by other cat owners.

This cat had 8 years in a good home, was fed and was loved as well as
loving. If had been left outside who knows. Just don't want anyone who
"can't" really afford to go the extra mile to not rescue an animal if one
comes along. Quality of life, strays verses having a slave matters too.
"Lesley" wrote in message
...
On Mar 9, 9:32 am, wrote:


I can't put a price on a life, but I can put a price on quality of
life. When Sir William (RB) had a stroke, I remember telling the vet
that money was absolutely no object, because he was insured. She told
me (and I still remember her words as clear as day) "we can do an MRI
and lots of tests, to tell us what I already know, and you can give
paliative care, but money can't fix this. You need to think about
letting him go."


When Fugazi was ill I said to the vet "Let's leave money out the
equation- I can find whatever it takes but what I need to know is what
are the chances of her having more time and I mean good time if we
treat her?"

And the vet said "There's a less than 5% chance it isn't cancer- to
find out we'll have to keep her overnight and do an X-ray but to do an
X-ray we'll have to put her under and she probably wouldn't survive.
If she does the odds are very much that we will be having this
conversation tomorrow but the only difference is I will be 100% sure
it is cancer. In the meantime we will have put her through a lot of
stress, which is unlikely to affect the outcome and you'll have to
start asking yourself who are you doing it for you or her?"

Nasty but honest at least I knew where we stood and I could make the
inevitable move in the right direction for her

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

I will do for my cats what I would want done for me, I wouldn't do more than
that as it would be hypocrite, like I could have gotten Miss Violette a
kidney transplant, 10k and adopting the donor cat, but since I wouldn't get
one I didn't get her one, Lee
Bobcat wrote in message
...
There's a lovely article in the Toronto Star by a cat lover who writes
about how much money she'd spend to preserve her cat's life. I know
we've gone the distance financially at the vets for our cats, and been
richly rewarded by prolonging their lives. How about you?
Here's a link to the article.

http://www.thestar.com/article/309350