Letters to the Editor
-
It's not preventive care we're talking about here, though
We're talking about expensive palliative care for elderly and/or dying pets that may or may not prolong their life by a month or two. According to the people here, and according to my friends who have pets, vets do tend to guilt people into paying for these treatments - "what, don't you love your cat/dog/gerbil?"
The problem with this is that the more expensive pet ownership becomes and the more high-pressure sales tactics are used to push expensive treatments, the fewer people will want pets, and the more unwanted pets will languish in shelters.
-
Anybody Ever Just Say "I Can't Afford That"?
If you can't, or if you feel you can't (it's all relative, and anyone who tries to place an absolute value on a pet is insane), perhaps telling the vet, as one respondent here did, "No thank you" is sometimes the way to go. I believe that was a response to a $750 "routine maintainance" estimate. I'd say the same thing. I've also owned (or been owned by) quite a few cats. Some of them have been nearly as close to me as my children (make of that what you will). I've lost a few, one to a callous vet who didn't even bother to call and let me know she'd died, but had no problem calling me over and over because I was a little slow with his "compensation." I've lost a couple to wanderings, one to a car (chased be another, truly demonic, cat), and had one put to sleep. (There is no appropriate euphemism really; my wife and I paid to have him killed, gently, as we held him and he purred and slipped away, after a long, terrible and uncontrollable illness). Would I spend $1300 to keep my current feline companion alive and well? Hell yes. I would. I've got the money, so I can say that, I can make that choice. I don't judge anyone who feels otherwise, so long as they've assumed a certain degree of financial responsibility for their animal relative to what they can realistically afford. I'm not one of these "You must not love your cat, then!" kind of idiots. Not everyone is the same, not everyone has as much to spend (or waste) on a pet. I won't spend bunches of money for those "routine maintainance" things, either. I treat my animals well, keep them healthy, and am capable of weighing quality of life against ability to pay. The same thing, hopefully, can be said of my children if they wind up having to decide just what is a reasonable cost to keep me alive. Especially if I've spent all my money on keeping some cat alive.
There is a middle ground. There are also mercenary veterinarians. This shouldn't be hard to understand for anyone who's required medical care for him or herself. Things can get damned ridiculous and,in fact, have gotten that way. If they'll do that to people (or do it to us in terms of routine maintainance for our precious cars, for that matter -- and how much is it worth to keep that bloodsucker running, by the way?) then it's pretty clear a veterinarian might try the same crap on a pet owner.
I've been fortunate with most of my cats over the years, but in the end, at least so far, I've outlived every one of them (except my current roommate). I've also cultivated relationships with vets -- and MDs -- who are decent human beings. I have no trouble saying "Are you crazy? That's just exhorbitant." Insurance for my cat appeals to me -- for future purposes, but not just yet. On the other hand, what I cough up in insurance for my own carcass could save the lives of several cats per year, I'm sure.
Which brings us back to the prevailing theme of the day: It's time for things to change.
Meanwhile, just weigh the unconditional love some of you get from your cat -- or dog, or ferret or whatever the hell that thing is eyeing your jugular -- against what you'd be doing with the money otherwise. That's all. No two of us are alike.
And anyone with the name Calhoun, well, you just gotta cut them a little slack. Thanks Ada, great article. Made me think. Hopefully it will cause a lot of thinking.
-
Dignity matters
Animals do not understand the procedures we put them through, and humans are nothing but selfish to insist pets endure lengthy medical treatments simply so we can have them just a bit longer. That's all it is really -- we want them around, so we keep them around, and yap a lot about how money shouldn't matter. Well, it does and, more importantly, so does your animal's happiness. I went through this twice; first time, spent the money and my poor cat suffered through a surgery from which she never truly recovered. Second time, it was a 17 year old cat who was on his last legs -- still on them, however -- and the vet (different vet, blessed man) told me to let my cat die with dignity. To let him go before he was actually dying. To prevent his suffering a single day of discomfort or pain.
I remembered the first cat I put down, and how she suffered. So I held my Sam to my hugely-pregnant belly and looked into his eyes as he feel asleep for the last time. I cry when I think about Sam, but I know he never knew a truly uncomfortable or painful day. He lived and died proudly.
When you spend the money, you do it for you. If you choose a cat over a car, it is your choice -- the cat will not appreciate it any more than the car, not at the time, not over any length of painful interventions. I'd rather 1,000 cats live only 10 years well than 100 hit 18 years with dozens of procedures. And I think the cats would rather that too.
-
I love my cats
And I have and will do pretty much anything for them. I only have 2 now, but a year or two ago I had 6. I blame the pet food fiasco for a couple of those losses :( . :( My most recent loss was Onyx, who was diabetic. We gave him insulin shots 2X a day for probably 10 years. I was fortunate to have neighbors who would look after him when we were away. The hassle was a small price to pay for the companionship of the most amazing cat I've ever known. He died just before Thanksgiving and was probably in the 15 to 17 year range. I miss him, but I have no regrets.
One of my current kitties is around 5 now. When he was around 1, he broke his foreleg--snapped both bones right through. It cost us around $1200 for the surgery, and Sirocco is still a bit spooky, but I treasure his company. It was a small price to pay for his love and comanionship. He's healthy and happy, and should be with us for many more years. I would make the same choice today. :)