I love my two kitties, like Dan's cats fine, and am kind but annoyed by the dog.
I will be VERY sad when my cats die, but I have definite financial limits on how much I would spend and also would deeply consider quality of life.
I would post a picture of a cat on FB IF it were truly hilarious.
I have a friend who, while working a low-paying job, must have spent about 10,000 on her pets, including a homeopathic vet, acupuncture and special organic food. She also spent tons of money she didn't really have on vet bills for a cat that was clearly untreatable. It caused serious problems in her marriage. I had a real problem with this.
My cats sleep on my bed sometimes, but I kick them out whenever I feel like it, and if either of them were annoying in the room, I wouldn't allow it. The dog is not allowed upstairs. They all get the healthiest kind of cat chow under $10 with occasional cans of tuna, and the dog gets small dog breed food and meat table scraps once or twice a month, about a saucer full; my pets are not allowed to eat better than I do.
I cuddle my cats and call them ridiculous nicknames, but they are clearly my cats and not children or friends. I look as them as roommates I am responsible for feeding and caring for.
My dogs are definitely my friends. Definitely. Except they're worse conversationalists than some of my friends. Some.
Well, I address the dog as, "kid" sometimes. As in, "Kid, what have you done now?". And she's certainly had regular medical care when I have not. If there were some likelyhood of her outliving me some sort of plan would be in place.
I have end of life issues to deal with now and the vet and I are on the same "keep her comfortable" page. She's had seventeen years come May. But if I had the means? And she were younger and X meant saving her life? I'm not sure what I would and would not do. My one cousin has a monthly bill the equivalant of a car payment for surgery that saved her then-kitten's life. Gizmo is a happy cat and she's happy to drive a beater to have him -- pretty sure I'd do that.
But if I had the means? And she were younger and X meant saving her life?
See, I get this. But a 16 y.o. cat with pancreatic cancer and you are getting the electricity shut off but paying $1200 vet bills three and four times and year? Nope.
I paid for Solomon's insulin and needles, and paid $150 vets bills quite a few times and ate mac and cheese. But when he was 15ish (never certain of his age), losing teeth, pissing all over and clearly not loving life, I cried and put him to sleep. Took me a couple of weeks of wrestling with the decision, and he was very much a roommate cat.
I adore my present kitties, and would definitely spend for vet bills, but I simply would not take extraordinary measures. They are adored and loved, definitely, but faced with a $3000 bill, I would be VERY hesitant, unless it was a sure fix and they would have years more of a good life.
Holy crap. Rescue workers just found a 4-month-old baby, alive and unharmed, buried in the rubble. Swept out of her parents' arms. They survived too, but they thought she was gone forever. I can't even imagine what it would be like, three days of that grief and then improbably -- impossibly -- getting your baby back, whole and perfect, in the midst of all that destruction.
if that's not on goodstuff yet, it darn well should be.
