Tuesday, June 7, 2011
How much is your pet worth? How much would you pay to save a seriously ill pet?
Our oldest daughter's cat had surgery this week, for the second time, to remove a foreign object the animal had eaten. The cat had been sick for nearly ten days, and had been taken to the vet and misdiagnosed initially. On the second visit, upon determining the problem, the vet quoted possible surgery costs from around $4000 to nearly $6000! (Thankfully, it turned out to be closer to the lower number.) Miss S1, owner of said cat and earner-of-her-own-paycheck, had already approved the surgery when she called me to talk it over. I have not sent her any money to help out, but was ready to assist with a loan if she had asked.
Actually, my first reaction was to tell her just to have the poor cat put down. This is, after all, the second time this animal has eaten something that had to be surgically removed, and she just finished paying off that bill. (Sigh!) Then I remembered that the vet told her young cats are prone to doing this type of thing, and that he should grow out of it. So starting over with a new kitten wouldn't guarantee lower vet bills. But the real thing that convinced me was the hysteria and panic in my daughter's voice. I remembered how far away from home she is, away from friends and family, and that this beloved cat is her only tie to home. So instead of telling her she was crazy to spend so much on a cat, I tried to be positive and remind her of her recent promotion and raise, and that she would be able to pay off this surgery sooner than last time. (I also offered to help her pay some on her school loans, to free up her money for the vet bill.)
Please join with me in my hopes and prayers that this animal stops eating (non-edible) things----and that he doesn't get sick again until my daughter has a husband and children to dote on, because I really think it would break her heart to lose this cat now, while she is single and unattached.
And please tell me, are we crazy? How much would you spend to save your best friend?
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