[2sillycats]

:? On a another cat board that I belong too, one of the members has lost 3 cats in the past three weeks. One of the cats had been dealing with cancer for the past two years and had undergone chemotherapy. The cats owner was lamenting that he hadn't done enough to help his kitty. He said he had spent over $20,000 on the cat's treatments over the last two years.

Hearing what this man has done for his cats has made me wonder whether I really am a good cat mom. I can't afford those kind of treatments for my girls. Nor do I think I would be willing to put my cats through that if there wasn't a good chance of the treatments working.

Would I be considered a horrible person if I set a monetary limit to what I do for my cats' healthcare?

But...I am looking into pet insurance. Non-animal fanatics scoff at the idea of pet insurance. But with my current situation it seems like a good idea to me. I would pay a little bit every month towards insurance that would then pay for just about any injury or illness that may occur. Seems like a nice compromise to me.

What are your thoughts on this?

 

[Zalensia]

If you can use youre will-power set up a savings account with your bank/building society and put money in that way. Many insurance companies wont pay out for termanil illnesses, esp 20,000 most pay about 5000 tops from what I have seen. Many wont pay out for long term/lifetime illnesses such as diabeties either. Having 5 cats i could NEVER afford insurance for them all. Instead I opened a joint account with my partner and we both put money in when we can, then it is always there. I leave my bank card at home, so IF i see something i really want i cant buy it because i wont have the bankcard with me to spend the money.

As for a good cat mum- If you do everything you can posibly do care and finacially wise then you are just as good as any other cat owner. Just think what might happen to your babies if they got ill in a rescue center.

 

[2sillycats]

Having the will power to save money is a whole 'nother message board! LOL! :lol: But that is a very good idea. Right now my girls are young and are both indoor cats. Hopefully, they have many years of good health ahead of them. But need to prepared.

Actually, this is a great way to get me to save money. Just think of my cats health every time I want to buy something I don't need. That'll stop me everytime!!! Great Idea!!! :idea:

 

[BoscosMum]

I do not think you are a bad cat mom!
My husband and me have 4 children still home (1 on his own now)
There would be a financial limit for us, if we had a tragedy occur.
I am not saying we have put a number on this. Our financial situation is reality! We have a large family. I pray my pets will live long and healthy lives...What else can I say?

 

[CyberPet]

I don't know how it is in other countries, but here we have an insurance that we sign up for each kitten. We pay at the most about $150 a year for vet costs (i.e. not the premium each year but the one time fee if you need to collect on the insurance) and then a small percentage above a certain amount (about $3,500) but it max out too, so you won't end up paying several tens of thousands for a treatment. The insurance cost about $75 a year... it depends of course what you paid for the cat as well since the insurance we have (for $75 a year) also includes a life insurance if the cat dies.

Do you have any insurances for pets in the US that's reasonable?

 

[Zalensia]

Yeah it may be different in the US, but here in the UK I havent found any of them resonable, thats why I say save up.

 

[2sillycats]

I don't know how it is in other countries, but here we have an insurance that we sign up for each kitten. We pay at the most about $150 a year for vet costs (i.e. not the premium each year but the one time fee if you need to collect on the insurance) and then a small percentage above a certain amount (about $3,500) but it max out too, so you won't end up paying several tens of thousands for a treatment. The insurance cost about $75 a year... it depends of course what you paid for the cat as well since the insurance we have (for $75 a year) also includes a life insurance if the cat dies.

Do you have any insurances for pets in the US that's reasonable?

Goodness! I think I live in the wrong country. Who provides this insurance?

 

[2sillycats]

Yeah it may be different in the US, but here in the UK I havent found any of them resonable, thats why I say save up.

That is the case here for the most part. I did find on insurance package that was only $10 a month per cat and covered injuries and accidents. Those are the things most likely to hit my cats right now.

Here is another of the packages offered.http://www.petcareinsurance.com/us/cat/gold/index.asp

 

[2sillycats]

I do not think you are a bad cat mom!
My husband and me have 4 children still home (1 on his own now)
There would be a financial limit for us, if we had a tragedy occur.
I am not saying we have put a number on this. Our financial situation is reality! We have a large family. I pray my pets will live long and healthy lives...What else can I say?

Well, thank you, I certainly feel like it sometimes. I guess when the time comes we will just do the best that we can for our pets.

 

[CyberPet]

Goodness! I think I live in the wrong country. Who provides this insurance?

All insurance companies here in Sweden has pet insurances. Some has better deals than others, but they all have them. Both for owners but also for those who are breeding.

 

[wookie130]

I think of it this way-if the only people in the world who deserve to own and love cats are the ones who can afford to dole out $20,000 (or even $3000) on a medical emergencies at one time, then there would be even less homes available for cats then there are now.

I may not have an endless reserve of cash available for the most serious of medical bills, but my cats are indoors, are spayed/neutered, up-to-date on their vaccinations, receive the healthiest diet I can afford to offer, have a warm bed and a lap to cuddle with them on, groomed regularly, have a collection of toys, a big window to bird-watch out of, and all of the love in my heart.

If you can provide the above, then no, you are not a bad cat owner by anyone's definition. And believe me, although all cats deserve the above, there are many in streets, barns, in dumpsters, and in shelters that yearn for a fraction of the things I mentioned.

 

[2sillycats]

Goodness! I think I live in the wrong country. Who provides this insurance?

All insurance companies here in Sweden has pet insurances. Some has better deals than others, but they all have them. Both for owners but also for those who are breeding.

That is really interesting. Pet insurance is kind of a new thing around here.

 

[2sillycats]

I think of it this way-if the only people in the world who deserve to own and love cats are the ones who can afford to dole out $20,000 (or even $3000) on a medical emergencies at one time, then there would be even less homes available for cats then there are now.

I may not have an endless reserve of cash available for the most serious of medical bills, but my cats are indoors, are spayed/neutered, up-to-date on their vaccinations, receive the healthiest diet I can afford to offer, have a warm bed and a lap to cuddle with them on, groomed regularly, have a collection of toys, a big window to bird-watch out of, and all of the love in my heart.

If you can provide the above, then no, you are not a bad cat owner by anyone's definition. And believe me, although all cats deserve the above, there are many in streets, barns, in dumpsters, and in shelters that yearn for a fraction of the things I mentioned.

Well, my cats eat good, sleep well and play hard so they must have good lives. I know they do. They have me wrapped around their tails, hanging on their every whim. I made sure our new home had window sills wide enough for cats butts to sit on. Like you, I do the best that I can in preventing illness and keeping them happy.

Silly cats.

 

[wookie130]

See? So you're not a bad cat mom at all!!!

 

[Padunk]

Looking at the title of the post, and then who posted it. It wasn't necessary to read your post to tell you that you're an excellent cat mom. :wink:

 

[Bean]

Personally, if my cat needed $20,000 worth of surgury that may or may not work, I would probably end up putting them down. Even people I've seen go through cemo went through a lot of pain - I don't know if I'd want my cat to go through that.

 

[Payge]

You just have to do the best you can, there are no guaruntees in life. Wookie hit the nail on the head. Not everybody can afford to shell out thousands of dollars for their pets. Does this mean pets should only be restricted to wealthy people? In my opinion if you love your cat, and pay for their shots/spaying/food/litter, then you deserve one. In a perfect world everyone could afford to spend $20,000 on their pets medical bills, and there would be no stray/feral/abandoned pets, well heck in a perfect world our pets would never get sick.

I think of that story about the cat named Ugly, all he wanted was someone to love him. If he had that it would have been a dramaticly better life for him. If he had had a home it would have been even better, neutering, shots, etc etc and it would have been even better. So the bottom line is, if you improve an animals life in any way(yes we know the BEST way is to provide it everything) then you are a GOOD cat mommy or daddy.

 

[CyberPet]

I think an important thing in this is: Will a $20,000 surgery "fix" the cat or just let the cat live a bit longer for MY sake. I.e. will the cat be happier or am I just proloning it's suffering in the end just to keep the cat with me longer?

I think it's hard to let go if an animal is sick and that's why people might spend huge amount of money when it might be better to put the animal down and grieve for a bit and then perhaps buy another animal.

And to answer your question (since I really forgot that): No, you don't sound like a bad mom at all. You do the best you can, and that's all we can do!

 

[2sillycats]

See? So you're not a bad cat mom at all!!!

Well, thanks. I am sure my cats could point out some deficiencies.

 

[2sillycats]

Looking at the title of the post, and then who posted it. It wasn't necessary to read your post to tell you that you're an excellent cat mom. :wink:

Well, I try. Although I did mess up my girls' sleeping schedules yesterday by being home all day. :roll: