Seriously, £10k for a cat?

[PermanentTemporary]

I suppose I'm deliberately putting myself out there for a pummelling. Feel free.

Cat was hit by something yesterday (presumably a car but the injury is very localised). Currently at the vet's. Serious situation but probably a treatable injury with surgery, maybe a couple of weeks to heal. Some quite technically complex care in the meantime and they will want him to come home for that, quite reasonably.

Right now, he's suffering. Not in pain I hope, but broken bones, unable to do what cats should do, not at home etc. Realistically it will be a couple of weeks minimum before he feels good again. But he's a young cat, only 6, every prospect of a good future.

He's not insured. And the reason I took that chance is because I know that I don't have a problem with asking a vet to put a cat that needs major treatment or is suffering in any way to sleep. To me, a short healthy life is as good as a long life. Animals live in the present. And also, I think it is incredibly self indulgent to spend what will probably be the thick end of £10k on a cat. I don't really agree with pet insurance which has hugely inflated what we do to pet animals (this is the opinion of a vet friend of mine as well so it's not purely my bee in bonnet).

Complicating this is the fact I am surrounded by sentimental family members who won't contemplate what to me seems not a very hard decision. I'm going to be the one paying the bill. It's going to mean not doing a lot of other things, holidays etc. I am confronted with the reality that I am a hard bitch.

Well, I obviously don't know your circumstances - but if you were really struggling, surely you would have empathy for others who wouldn't be able to do the same as you?

No you don't know what our circumstances were, yet you judged....the very thing you're accusing me of without any evidence, because I didn't judge.

I do have empathy for those struggling. It's harder to find empathy for those who have deliberately not taken out insurance like OP.

I wouldn't say struggling is having to 'do without stuff' like holidays in order to save your cats life though. That's just prioritising.

My dog had an ear infection that took over £10k to resolve.

To have left it would have meant it getting worse and worse until it killed him (he was 2 years old).

But there is no way I'd choose to PTS because treatment was not major and noninvasive. It would not have been a kindness to spare him it.

There are 'trivial' issues that are expensive to treat simply because of the time it takes and/or other complication factors that don't have anything to do with quality of life etc.

I might not put a car through that much surgery, nothing to do with affordability. I think there comes a point when the owner is prioritising their desire to keep the car over the cat’s welfare. But it depends entirely on the nature of what’s needed, the prognosis, risk, level of suffering etc.

"However I think your logic is flawed , expensive treatment that means a short time of discomfort leading to a full recovery is worth it.

What unfair is a prolonged period of treatment with a poor prognosis."

Exactly this. The prognosis sounds hopeful and like a full recovery is possible.

Plus the cat is also young so he may have many happy years ahead of him.

I am sorry to hear about your cat, I agree with your approach @PermanentTemporary

I agree with you, a good life and a painless death is the deal you make when you get a pet. Making them live with pain they don't understand is cruel to them, making yourself poor and experiencing hardship is cruel to you. Pets don't understand they are 'too young to die', that is a human belief.

My current cat came from a rescue. He was taken in by them with an untreated injury caused by a collar caught around his front leg. I never saw the injury, but it must have been horrendous going by the scar that runs right around under his arm pit ( he hates me even looking at it!) .at one time they were even considering amputation if it didn’t heal. He was kept at the rescue for well over six months while everything healed slowly, the wound is in such a place that it must have been very difficult to stop it re opening- he is a very active chap - so in addition it must have been very hard on him being caged for that amount of time. Obviously I paid the rescue fee, but it wouldn’t have covered a fraction of his surgery and care. I love him dearly, he is so full of character, but I do wonder how many other cats could have been rescued and rehomed for the price of his care. I am glad they did persevere with him, but I do have to say that I would never put a cat through such an ordeal if it was down to me.

Yanbu. I don't like it when pets are put through major operations and painful aftercare.
I always think it's being done for the owner. Not the pet.
It's selfish.

I agree, it's surprising.

From the little the OP has said, we know it's a young cat, the injuries are fixable and the cat would recover in a few weeks. The scenario isn't a Supervet-style lengthy and expensive harrowing journey of dubious merit. From the other threads I've read I would not have expected it.

I've come back to update because it could be upsetting for cat lovers to read this without knowing what happened.

Thank you all, genuinely, for your posts, whether critical or supportive (or both).

Particular thanks to the poster who suggested getting an alternative quote. I said to the vet that I wanted to discuss all options and that I did have a moral problem with spending huge amounts on one cat. In their turn they made it very clear that they were reluctant to PTS. I think having that open conversation helped. They went ahead with surgery more quickly and sent him home with us straight away to minimise the cost of staying in. He's currently in an opioid haze next to me on the bed and I'm reading all the post surgical care instructions and hoping for the best.

Keep us updated. Fingers crossed for your cat to make a good recovery.

Very pleased to hear your update.
I think it might have been me that you are referring to - if so, happy to have helped and hope all goes well.

I have had several cats so far, I don't insure them and they are loved, fed and housed for the duration of their lives.
They live lovely lives and ultimately I don't put them through any lengthy treatments but have them PTS when required.
There are so very many cats needing homes and once I've grieved the previous one I rehome another one.

My personal view...do not have a cat if you cannot afford insurance and to pay for vet treatments. I know its expensive. I am currently looking to adopt a cat after my old cat passed away, and so many cats in rescues because of "cost of living crisis". If you cannot afford a pet, don't have one!

Good luck OP. I hope for a good outcome.

I'm pleased to read your update and I hope your cat makes a full recovery.

To those saying they wouldn't put their animal through surgery or treatment, surely it depends on the age of the cat and the potential outcome. My cat had a fractured jaw which was wired. That to me isn't something I could have PTS for as he was only 11 and otherwise healthy. He had another 7 good years after that.

That's good news, thanks for letting us know. It's always best to have a discussion about treatment options. I hope he has a quick recovery.

I have every sympathy OP there have been numerous times in my 40 years of being owned by a cat or 6! When I’ve been unable to afford insurance or a huge vet bill - thankfully the decision has always been weighted in some way eg age of cat or poor prognosis
Then I lost a younger cat suddenly (he was insured) but too late to seek treatment - we were traumatised so the next kitty that came along got 5* insurance
At 4 months old he cost (the insurance company) 8k with broken pelvis and fractured spine - he’s 98% recovered and living life to the full - we were very lucky that we didn’t have to make that difficult decision this time

Just saw your update - happy to share help if needed - glad it worked out ok
We had an interesting and busy few months post surgery but it was worth it

Am in the middle of it. Should have stuck to my guns and asked for my cat to be put to sleep. Am tube feeding five times a day plus managing multiple drugs and cleaning wounds, obviously all round my job. The cat is suffering, though mostly high on opioid pain killers. I'm not very good at it, and as of tonight there's an infection at the wound for his feeding tube so I'm going to have to put him through going to the vet again. It's absolutely fucking shit.

I'm so sorry to read your update. You did what you thought was right at the time. I've been there. The vet thought my cat would recover from a kidney issue, but all that happened was that we dragged out his suffering for a few more days. I really wish that we had had him put to sleep. No one can foresee what will happen.

Even if I had the money spare I would think £10,000 too much. I would keep it in case I or my DC ever needed treatment. If he has been hit by a car and cannot survive without extensive medical intervention it is sad but ynbu.

Oh sorry, didn't see your update before responding.

We've been there but things turned around in a couple of weeks. Our cat had many good years so it was well worth it.

A good friend bankrupted herself to save her cat. The poor thing had to spend 6 months in a crate as it just couldn't go out and risk making the injury worse.

She regrets it. The cat suffered. Although it's now ludicrously old and still going strong