Our alley cat got his urine blocked up with crystal formations in his bladder...long story short....an overnight stay and a catheder later, we are short $1,000 dollars.

I bring this up because a few people that we haved talked about this have told us that they wouldn't have spent the cash.

Please pray that my cat doesn't get blocked up again (they said it can be a recurring problem among some cats, we are adjusting his diet) because he just jumped from his first life to his 8th...I can't spend this amount of cash on him again.

...Looking up pet insurance....

ugh, I don't want to even think about it

http://www.couriermail.co...5824986934

How much is it to put an animal down? Even that is costly

ZombieKitten said:

ugh, I don't want to even think about it

http://www.couriermail.co...5824986934

How much is it to put an animal down? Even that is costly

We could have spent much more, but we went against the vet's wishes and brought him home after one overnight stay.....they wanted $600-$700 PER NIGHT....we asked if they could guarantee that he would not have this problem if he stayed....they said no....we told them that it looks like we're taking our chances either way and scooped up our pet.

Seriously, they vet hosp had instant credit lines available onsite through a 1-800 number....

I have the same problem with my tomcat. It seems a common enough problem with them males. I had to have him treated three times. And will do so again if need be; I love that little critter.

It's not that expensive to have an animal put "to sleep".

I'm a firm believer in an pet being for life, not just until they become inconvenient. I have an ongoing argument - years long in fact - with a family member who thinks it's ok to get pets for her kids that nobody takes care of after they get bored with them (which is usually a couple weeks). Or worse, get a cat or dog until they have to move someplace that doesn't allow animals (so don't move there! ) or decide they don't like it's behavior (they got rid of a cat because they were too lazy to stop it from running out the front door when THEY weren't paying attention). I could also tell you a rather long story about a guinea pig I rescued, built a giant pen for (3 feet by 4 feet) and fed like it was a person for FIVE YEARS, even though it NEVER gave me any enjoyment (it hated people) because it was being mistreated.... but it's still painful... so I won't. With all this in mind, here's what I think about your question.

It depends on where the animal is in it's own lifespan. When I was a teenager we spent seveal hundred dollars to have a tumor removed from a pet rats neck. Some friends and family members thought we were nuts to have surgery performed on a $4 rat. But everybody who knew it loved it, and to us it was part of the family. The vet assured us that if it hadn't spread anywhere else the rat would live for another couple years. It ended up living another FOUR years. But I took a cat in to the vet who all of a sudden had an open sore on his chest during his twelth or thirteenth year. The vet said immediately (on sight) that it was bad (actually found a couple more sors under his fur) and that tests showed it was some kind of cancer. She then informed us that they could do all kinds of crazy stuff, including kitty chemo, but that all of the processes would make the cat extremely uncomforable, possibly kill him and didn't guarantee prolonging his life for any appreciable amount of time. The cost for all that was of course going to be comparable with a human's visit to the hospital. Thousands of dollars. So for me it became about weighing how much longer the animal COULD live and how much discomfort they would be in versus giving him a hug and letting him go (which the vet actually agreed with).

So, ya know, sorry for the REALLY long reply, but that's the only way I can explain it. It's not so much about money for me, because I think taking care of our pets is a responsibility to be taken very seriously. But I also think it's our responsibility to be mature enough about it to weigh our blind love for our pets against prolonging their pain filled lives. I know some people don't agree with the last part. Some people think that putting them down should never be an option. I can respect that, too. But for me, in regards to your question, that's the only way I can decide. If there's a chance the animal will continue living in a reasonable amount of comfort for an amount of time that makes the procedure worth while, cost shouldn't matter.

we had a cat with an open sore on her nose, vet told us it was cancer and it would cost $XXXX and he'd have to take off her whole nose

anyway, we wanted to think about it, and in the meantime, sore scabbed up and eventually fell off and nose was back to normal underneath

she lived until she was 18 without any other problems again

ZombieKitten said:

we had a cat with an open sore on her nose, vet told us it was cancer and it would cost $XXXX and he'd have to take off her whole nose

anyway, we wanted to think about it, and in the meantime, sore scabbed up and eventually fell off and nose was back to normal underneath

she lived until she was 18 without any other problems again

There is that too! Which sucks. Because they know people will do almost anything for their pets. Thankfully we had a REALLY good vet for a VERY long time. Anything we ever had done at that office was way below what other people seemed to be getting charged. I think I've gotten lucky and found a good vet for my cats in the town I'm in now, too. Didn't have a vet yet and needed one, but didn't start calling until they were all closing. One place said to go ahead and bring him in. He was a ten week old kitten who wouldn't stop vomitting. They ended up charging us a regular office visit and check up price and gave him a fluid injection for free.

Cerebus said:

It depends on where the animal is in it's own lifespan.

and to answer the question... What is your pet's cut-off on vet bills?

personally i'd spend as much as i could or the last bit of what i had to save their life, if they would live comfortably. to me animals/pets lives are just as important as human animals. and many times i prefer their company of the latter.

tough decision that one. but i have to agree with Cerebus' reply.

do what's best for the pet.

[Edited 7/7/10 22:07pm]

Cerebus said:

ZombieKitten said:

we had a cat with an open sore on her nose, vet told us it was cancer and it would cost $XXXX and he'd have to take off her whole nose

anyway, we wanted to think about it, and in the meantime, sore scabbed up and eventually fell off and nose was back to normal underneath

she lived until she was 18 without any other problems again

There is that too! Which sucks. Because they know people will do almost anything for their pets. Thankfully we had a REALLY good vet for a VERY long time. Anything we ever had done at that office was way below what other people seemed to be getting charged. I think I've gotten lucky and found a good vet for my cats in the town I'm in now, too. Didn't have a vet yet and needed one, but didn't start calling until they were all closing. One place said to go ahead and bring him in. He was a ten week old kitten who wouldn't stop vomitting. They ended up charging us a regular office visit and check up price and gave him a fluid injection for free.

that's nice

we had another cat that was behaving strangely. Vet said he had a bladder infection.

Turns out SHE was in heat

ZombieKitten said:

we had another cat that was behaving strangely. Vet said he had a bladder infection.

Turns out SHE was in heat

That is SERIOUSLY messed up.

Cerebus said:

ZombieKitten said:

we had another cat that was behaving strangely. Vet said he had a bladder infection.

Turns out SHE was in heat

That is SERIOUSLY messed up.

it was RIDICULOUS

the cat pissed on my parents bed and my dad threw it out in disgust (did I tell you this cat was a white persian very much indoors cat?) and within minutes was mounted by neighbouring toms and my dad thought HE WAS GAY

That cat lived an interesting life... or at least had some good stories to tell.

I would treat them as a member of my family, it is a life, well that is how I see it anyway.

Revolution said:

Revolution said:

ZombieKitten said:

ugh, I don't want to even think about it

http://www.couriermail.co...5824986934

How much is it to put an animal down? Even that is costly

We could have spent much more, but we went against the vet's wishes and brought him home after one overnight stay.....they wanted $600-$700 PER NIGHT....we asked if they could guarantee that he would not have this problem if he stayed....they said no....we told them that it looks like we're taking our chances either way and scooped up our pet.

Seriously, they vet hosp had instant credit lines available onsite through a 1-800 number....

Where do you doctor at?? The Beverly Hills Hilton??

$.77

tinaz said:

Revolution said:

We could have spent much more, but we went against the vet's wishes and brought him home after one overnight stay.....they wanted $600-$700 PER NIGHT....we asked if they could guarantee that he would not have this problem if he stayed....they said no....we told them that it looks like we're taking our chances either way and scooped up our pet.

Seriously, they vet hosp had instant credit lines available onsite through a 1-800 number....

Where do you doctor at?? The Beverly Hills Hilton??

It's a nearby vet hosp that has overnight care...most vets dont. Our regular vet sent us there because they were an hour from closing and my cat needed immediate attention (they still charged us the $50 diagnosis charge, only to send us somewhere else )

I can sympathize with you on this. About a year ago, I had to have one of my cats operated on for the same thing - urinary crystals in his bladder. After all was said and done, I spent about $1,500 on getting my cat on the road to recovery. The cat was examined and x-rayed to see if any crystals could be found in the bladder. There were none that could be detected, but the vet told me that sometimes crystals are so small that they cannot be detected by x-ray. So I opted to have the cat operated on, so they could make the opening where the urine comes out a little bigger. I also have him on a special diet, so that the urinary crystals do not form in his urine again. The doctor gave me strict instructions to NEVER take him off the food, or he will have the same problem again.

I guess I don't really have a cut off on vet bills, because I'm one of these people who can't stand to let my cat suffer. My sentiment is that if I can do anything humanly possible to save a cat from being in pain, do it.

I understand how you must have felt when people told you that they would not have spent that much money on the cat. My dad told me the same thing when I had to have my cat operated on, and we got into a bit of a heated discussion about it. I told him, "It's easy for you to say that, because it's not your cat. When it's a cat that you own and care about, you want to do whatever you can to help it, and so that it will not suffer." I think some folks don't understand and don't get why people would spend all their hard earned money on an animal. Ignore them, and take comfort that you did the right thing. You probably did it for the same reasons that I did, in that you knew the cat was sick, and needed medical attention.

You are correct in that it can be a recurring problem in some cats. But you are adjusting his diet, which may help. I hope your kitty doesn't have any future problems.

Cerebus said:

ZombieKitten said:

we had a cat with an open sore on her nose, vet told us it was cancer and it would cost $XXXX and he'd have to take off her whole nose

anyway, we wanted to think about it, and in the meantime, sore scabbed up and eventually fell off and nose was back to normal underneath

she lived until she was 18 without any other problems again

There is that too! Which sucks. Because they know people will do almost anything for their pets. Thankfully we had a REALLY good vet for a VERY long time. Anything we ever had done at that office was way below what other people seemed to be getting charged. I think I've gotten lucky and found a good vet for my cats in the town I'm in now, too. Didn't have a vet yet and needed one, but didn't start calling until they were all closing. One place said to go ahead and bring him in. He was a ten week old kitten who wouldn't stop vomitting. They ended up charging us a regular office visit and check up price and gave him a fluid injection for free.

Your vet is a prince. I find that most vets will squeeze every nickle they can get out of you knowing how attached you are. Pisses me off when the vet charges me $5 for a nail trim when I had already spent $350 on tests and treatment for something else. Seems to me she could have thrown the trim in for free...the hussy.

My first cat Doris used to get uterine infections/crystals a few times, but she didn't have to have surgery. The first time I knew anything was wrong was when she squatted right in front of me, let out a hair raising scream and proceeded to piss blood on my carpet. I scopped her up and took her directely to the emergency clinic. They gave her antibiotics and told me NOT to feed her tuna fish, which she loved. Put her on a low ash diet and she lived to be 9. She died of feline leukemia. Broke my heart. I had to take off work for 3 days. But not to get off topic, I think back then I must have spent at least $900 in vet bills, and we're talking the 1980's.

[Edited 7/8/10 12:56pm]