Wednesday, June 20, 2007
How much is your cat worth?
So I've been faced with a decision I hoped I would never have to make. My cat Newman is sick. Not a $20 bottle of antibiotics kind of sick; a $2,000, 10 days at the vet kind of sick. She has hyperthyroidism. She has gone from 11 pounds down to 5 1/2. My cat has lost more weight in the last year that I have, but that's besides the point.
Newman is almost 11 years old. She is a fluffy barn cat that I rescued from the Colusa County FFA barn. When I saw her, I knew she was the one going home with me. She was a big ball of brown fur with blue eyes. I took her home and gave her a flea bath. She was covered with fleas and looked like a drowned rat. She is the annoying little sister to the much healthier Cosmo.
Newman has always been my sick and expensive cat. She has a long history of urinary issues and once got herself caught up in chicken wire, stripping the skin off her back leg. I used to vet tech for my vet in trade for her care. So, here I sit, getting ready to drop $1300 on top of the $750 I spent last week.
Some people think I'm crazy for spending so much on my cat, but how can you not? And I worry how much is too much? What if her next medical crisis is more costly? Is it like an old car that you just keep putting money into? I think not. At the end of a long day, an old car doesn't crawl up on your chest, do 4 circles then lie down and purr. And when, as a responsible owner, do I have to decide that prolonging her life is just me being selfish vs me being a good owner? Hopefully when that happens the decision will be a clear one.
So Thursday, I drop Newman off to get her radioactive iodine pill and will get her back 10 days and $1300 later. I'm looking forward to her crawling up on my chest, doing some circles and lying down with a purr. In the meantime, I'm sure Cosmo will take the opportunity to do it for her, since Cosmo is usually only allowed to sleep next to me.
Newman, from what I'm told will recover much faster than my savings account will. And that's just fine with me. There is only one Newman in my life and I can always make more money.
Newman is almost 11 years old. She is a fluffy barn cat that I rescued from the Colusa County FFA barn. When I saw her, I knew she was the one going home with me. She was a big ball of brown fur with blue eyes. I took her home and gave her a flea bath. She was covered with fleas and looked like a drowned rat. She is the annoying little sister to the much healthier Cosmo.
Newman has always been my sick and expensive cat. She has a long history of urinary issues and once got herself caught up in chicken wire, stripping the skin off her back leg. I used to vet tech for my vet in trade for her care. So, here I sit, getting ready to drop $1300 on top of the $750 I spent last week.
Some people think I'm crazy for spending so much on my cat, but how can you not? And I worry how much is too much? What if her next medical crisis is more costly? Is it like an old car that you just keep putting money into? I think not. At the end of a long day, an old car doesn't crawl up on your chest, do 4 circles then lie down and purr. And when, as a responsible owner, do I have to decide that prolonging her life is just me being selfish vs me being a good owner? Hopefully when that happens the decision will be a clear one.
So Thursday, I drop Newman off to get her radioactive iodine pill and will get her back 10 days and $1300 later. I'm looking forward to her crawling up on my chest, doing some circles and lying down with a purr. In the meantime, I'm sure Cosmo will take the opportunity to do it for her, since Cosmo is usually only allowed to sleep next to me.
Newman, from what I'm told will recover much faster than my savings account will. And that's just fine with me. There is only one Newman in my life and I can always make more money.
