Just asking to know beforehand and not because of any particular current reason
What kind of fees can I expect if I need to visit a veterinarian for the cat? What has been the experience here on ailments and their cost?
I do need to find something in the neighborhood in advance of a problem
For several years, we had two cats. Annual check ups and shots cost me about $150. The female developed feline urinary disease (quite common, especially on a diet of standard commercial cat food) and had to be put on special cat food (Hills C/D). We got a a large bag (either 17 or 23 lbs, can't remember) about every two and a half months ($68), since we basically had to feed it to both cats (the boy would eat from the girl's bowl). However, per day, it was less expensive, as it was more nutritious than Purina and the like (which has all kinds of filler that causes digestive and urinary problems) and they ate less of it. We gave the a measured cup full a day and that was fine.
The female's urinary tract issue cost us about $150, for office visit, blood tests, and anti-biotics, plus prescription food (yes, prescription food). She was fine afterwards; but, trying to give an eyrdropper of medicine to a cat is a vaudeville routine, with much blood involved.
Our cats developed fleas, after the girl got outside. That cost us somewhere between $75 and 150 (can't really remember) for a treatment (a capsule that has a medicine that is absorbed through the skin) and injection to get the fleas to leave their fur and then caused them to be sterile, so they couldn't reproduce, reducing the colony to 0.
The worst health issue was the boy was diagnosed with chronic interstitial nephritis. Basically, the kidney tissues break down and the kidneys don't function properly, causing the animal to get sicker and sicker. It can be managed with prescription food (and nothing but that food) for years; but, ours didn't respond to the food. He had been very healthy and got high marks from the vet every year. Then, last summer, his weight was down 4 lbs! Blood tests revealed the condition and he was put on the food. Apart from the weight he seemed healthy. However, the food didn't stay the course and he was weaker by this past spring. He took a major downturn and wouldn't eat or urinate, so I took him to an emergency vet. A $150 worth of visit and subcutaneous fluid injections didn't help (and antibiotics to help his digestion). Within the week, he was wobbling even worse and mostly just curled up and slept. We made the decision to end his suffering. The injection cost $50, plus there was the office fee. I elected to have him cremated and have the ashes returned in a little wooden box, with a brass nameplate (all tolled, about $250). He sits on an end table, with a framed photo of him next to it.
These were our two cats, Girlie
and Mr Man (my little buddy)
Girlie had been a neighbor's cat, when my girlfriend lived elsewhere. It was neglected and allowed to run around outside, without proper care. It came over to my girlfriend's house and she took care of it. She finally told the neighbor she was keeping it, since the owner wasn't caring for it. The neighbor didn't have a problem with that. The cat adores my girlfriend, giving her "headbutts" and cuddling with her. My girlfriend suffers from clinical depression and anxiety and stroking the cat helps keep her calm and the cat enjoys the attention. She stays close by her side and responds to her call. With me, she will play, which mostly involves me trying to pet her and her swatting me with her paws. We play a game where I will scratch her fur, for about 15-20 seconds, then she swats at me and tries to bite. Then, I keep trying to touch her and she keeps trying to swat me, bite me, or a combination of both. Cats are a bit violent in their play.
When my girlfriend moved in, she wanted to get a companion for Girlie. She had a second cat, but, was forced to leave it in another's care and they neglected it. She found it dead, in their basement, it's claw caught in the upholstery of an old couch, stacked in a corner. The cat died, hanging there, in pain and hunger and no one noticed! She was traumatized. I was not a cat person. We had some cats when i was young; but, they were wild and wouldn't let you come near them. They ran off and disappeared and we never tried to replace them. I was reluctant to get a cat; but, I wanted to make my girlfriend happy and it was important to her. We went to the local Humane Society, to find a male kitten. This little black kitten, with big ears, was on the top of a pile of male kittens. He poked his head at my finger, when I put it through the bars of the cage. My girlfriend was getting an anxiety attack, from seeing all of the caged animals and people looking at them and said "That one," pointing at the kitten. We wanted to take him home right then; but, were told we needed to spend time with him, to ensure we were a good fit. We spent time alone with him, in a little room, with some toys. He chased around after the toys, crashing into the walls and then started pulling on my shoestrings; and, truth be told, my heartstrings. He was a playful little guy, with a ton of personality. We filled out the paperwork (I went out to tell the volunteer we wanted him, with shoestrings trailing behind me) and took him home the next day. Girlie didn't like him; but, after three days, mellowed out. They weren't exactly pals' but, they did play together (mostly consisting of chasing one another and her picking on him until they fought and he ran off, with her settling down into the warm spot he created). He adopted me and followed me everywhere, bringing his toys for me to toss, jumping up in my lap and computer desk (and on top of our old monitor, before we replaced it). He would try to steal food and would crawl under the covers to sleep or just play. He acted almost like a dog, which made him the perfect cat for me.
Every night, Mr Man would jump up on my chest, nudge me to pet and scratch him, then drop to his side so I could scratch his belly. Once he had his fill, he'd just get up and drop down. He'd be back in the morning, when the sun was up. If I was on my side, he would tap me until I would roll over, then nudge my hand to pet him and direct me to where. if I was sitting at the computer and he couldn't get up, he'd get on his back legs and use his front to tap my side. i'd move back and he would leap up to the desk. He greeted me when I came home and hung out with me when I watched movies.
When he was dying, he was too weak to come see me at night. Then, on the night before I took him to the vet, to bring an end to his suffering, he came to me, wobbling, and put his paws up on the bed. I gently lifted him up and sat him on my chest. He slowly slid to his side so I could scratch him. When he was done, I gently lifted him back down, so he could get some water and curl back up to sleep.
The next day, we brought him into the bedroom and placed him on the bed, to say goodbye to him. We were crying, looking at the poor weak, fragile little guy. He crawled onto my girlfriend's laptop (both cats liked to lay on the keyboard. We let him settle there and he moved his paws and must have set off a command key, which activated a music file. It was Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper." We had to laugh and hugged him. Even near death, he was entertaining. I took him, alone, to the vet and, after the drug was administered, held him in my arms, as his life slipped away. I had a mental image of Terry Pratchett's Death and the Death of Rats, from his Discworld novels, coming to claim him and him nuzzling Death's skeletal hand, and poking his curious nose at the Death of Rats. Then, I had an image of a female cat version of Neil Gaiman's Death coming to him, telling him it was time and trotting off with him. In my mind, I saw him bounce along and stop, looking back at me for a moment. Then, he turns and follows Death into a light. I know it was something I conjured up, as I didn't actually see it, just imagined it to feel better. Still, it was a comforting idea. After finishing with things at the vet, I stopped to pick up a few things at the store and looked down, as I was walking and saw that my shoelaces were trailing behind me. I had to smile for a moment.
I have a slideshow of him and Girlie on my screensaver and miss him every day. I even wrote a thank you to the Humane Society for their work. Their executive officer asked to share it with all of the staff and did so. She later contacted me to ask if she could share the story I gave her, about how we met the cat and his impact on our lives, with volunteers and in fundraising, and with prospective adopters. I was delighted to do so. He was the best friend I ever had, two or four-legged. He was my little buddy.
