Poor kitty has hurt foot quite badly although he is happy and jumping around and over fences as usual. Possibly broken toe or nail gone through. Hole and build up of pus according to vet. My wife wont tell me what vet estimated cost at but ive done search to get rough idea. Ouch........seems like up and down country vets can charge whatever they like . having reported it to vet you will now have rspca breathing down your neck if you dont follow through with treatment. Understand now why new vets keep opening everywhere. Unfortunately we are not eligible to use pdsa as outside their area. Faced with a vet bill that could cause financial hardship anyone know a good solicitor to deal with impending divorce !!! Wife not taken out pet insurance

Suggestions
Move house, give an eligible address to PDSA, give the cat away.

im told the vets in hoylake with rob mcnulty has a payment plan

Salmon..yes all sensible ideas along with euthanasia but not sure who for..me , the wife, or cat! Had thought about the "false address" but cat is chipped which would be a give away.

Madge: good shout might be worth asking our vet

Got the kids stumping up a few quid and looking into pet insurance.....

Maybe Richard Branson could start an NHS for pets.. free at point of service and paid for by taxes...

You could secretly eliminate the problem with the aid of a sack, a brick and some deep water!

(No. I don't mean the vet!)

Think this a problem nowadays, and I'm very much one of the guilty ones who have I shudder to think paid a fortune with vets. My little dog had a hernia corrected amongst other things , teeth taken out, and then at thirteen developed diabetes and went blind and deaf. So attached I didn't want the let him go , in retrospect wish I had because I think he suffered.He collapsed in the end and they still wanted to do tests and try this and that. I had to make the dicision to let him go.i was traumatised with it one of the reasons I could never have another dog, couldn't go through that again..It did make me think of the old days when I was a kid , then they we're definitely just pets and if they got ill well you did what you could but that was it they just died. Don't know whether that was good or bad but no one could afford vets bills!

You trying to sink the invoice?

I can't help thinking we have our priorities quite wrong when I see the 'Supervet' on telly deploying MRI scanners ( Around £250,000 a smack plus maintenance, running cost and experts to run it) and 3d printing new custom hip joints, etc. and then installing them with a team of nurses and anaesthetists in a superbly equipped operating theatre - into a cat.

It must all cost tens of thousands of pounds, yet there are babies dying in the world for want of clean water or the simple sugar and salt solution needed to stop then dying of dehydration etc.

I've nothing against animals and think they should be treated with kindness, but going to this length with them is obscene.

People are far more important. When you take on a pet, you should be aware that it will die long before you do, or injure itself through misadventure. If you can't live with that, don't take on a pet! Before you spend ten grand on a moggie, have a little think how it might be better spent!

I know exactly where you are coming from and I struggle with what is right or wrong when it comes to how money is spent.

There are medical positives that come out of using high tech equipment for animals, these include the more freedom to try experimental techniques and increased sales of the equipment reducing costs. It is better that experimental surgery is done on patients that need it rather than breeding animals purely to experiment on.

On the other hand, someone spending £xxk on a car or a 96" TV where that money could be spent on making human lives better is equally as relevant as spending that sort of money on a pet.

Then there is the question of whether human life is more important than animal life, this is a form of self-centred greed as well.

Its a complex issue.

I think the difference is that spending huge amounts on a car or a telly is spending money on yourself. Putting yourself first, if you like, which everyone does to some extent.

But spending huge amounts on animals is clearly putting animals needs before human ones. Those people are saying my cat is more important than people.This seems far worse to me.

Whilst I don't claim animals welfare is unimportant, I don't believe they are as important as people. Also, it can lead to lunacies in terms of the conditions under which they are looked after. Animals are NOT humans and their needs and aims are NOT the same as human ones. Cats, for instance, are hunting animals. To them, hunting is as important, and they are incapable of realising that a steady diet from a human means they don't need to hunt. 'House cats' - unfortunate creatures kept inside day and night, are therefore likely to be pretty miserable creatures, constantly worried about the fact they cannot look after themselves. They are probably less contented than feral cats!

Also, I think one has to recognise that pets tend not to live very long. You have to be prepared for losing them if you take one on, and look carefully at whether joint replacements for an arthritic ten-year-old dog is going to benefit you or it much. You have to be suspicious of the motives of a vet who proposes this at the cost of thousands too.

Interesting posts guys. Afraid the cuddly bunny brainwashing has got to most of us.. Beatrix Potter started it.. Makes it so much harder to pop Peter Rabbit in the pot for lunch. Think your close EX. My parents had cats for years oldest one achieved about 18 with a few manky ears etc. and then left to die in piece without the vets needle and buried in the garden. Might be interesting to see what the vet would say if i just said sorry cant afford to pay that so would you put it to sleep (its a healthy happy cat with a small cut on its paw that looks to be healing )

Amazing how humans consider themselves so self-important. We are only a another mammal!

Our only claim to fame is our supposed intellect but you only have to pick a newspaper up to show how poor our intellect is. The world is a mess thanks to our wonderful intellect.

We aren't the biggest.
We aren't the smartest.
We aren't the best hunter.
We aren't the best biological parasite.
We haven't got the best eyesight.
We haven't got the best hearing.
We haven't the best sense of smell.
We haven't got the best sense of taste.
We haven't got the best sense of touch.
We haven't got the best balance.
We aren't the strongest.
We aren't the fastest runners.
We haven't got the best stamina.
We aren't the most energy efficient.
We aren't the most resilient to weather (hot, cold, wet etc).
We can't fly.
We aren't the best swimmers.
We haven't got the best immune systems.
We aren't the most prolific breeders.
We aren't the most loyal.

In fact our only claim to fame is that we are the best destroyers.

Now who is more important? Can you give a hierarchy of importance for all types of mammals?

It all just comes down to personal preferences doesnt it . Thousands are spent on vanity climbing expeditions ,breaking land sea speed records , stud racing horses , buying footballers ,original paintings .No-one says " stop all those things immediately because its scandalous and immoral whilst millions have no fresh water to drink"

On a more individual level , similar thing ,most that can afford it (even some that cant!) dont think twice about buying unecessary clothes, change of furniture and accessories, eating out ,sports matches, theatre going , boozing , going out for a casual drive on expensive fuel etc etc and we dont go round accusing each other of acting in an outrageous manner wasting money which could be donated to Water Aid.

Quote Ex "I think the difference is that spending huge amounts on a car or a telly is spending money on yourself. Putting yourself first, if you like, which everyone does to some extent.
But spending huge amounts on animals is clearly putting animals needs before human ones "

Dont agree with all of that Ex. Having pets is just a different way some people enjoy themselves , and when their pet goes wrong , they want it fixed because yes THEY dont enjoy seeing something suffering but they also choose to keep a creature by them , that gives them enjoyment, pleasure, company , a reason for living in some cases .Their pleasure is with THAT particular animal . So they arent entirely putting the animals needs before their own are they because they could easily put the animal to sleep and the animal wouldnt know any different . So, maintaining pets is just an alternative pleasure choice and pet owners who shell out cannot be criticized any more than anybody else .

In fact , add to that all the stuff DD said about medical positives , then it seems to me it could be argued that the people who choose to fund their pets good health with their hard earned cash have the moral edge over those who fund the alternative pleasures I outlined which are purely hedonistic

Looking at your last post fish , Im not sure why euthansia is even on the cards if the injury is minor , and mending ? If the latter is the case, why would anyone insist you continue with a vet . Couldnt you just treat it at home keeping it pus clear, and maybe look on google regarding poultices for drawing out pus on cat sores . Tumeric comes to mind,and Manuka honey too, but youd have to research their use to see if appropriate and use bandages to prevent over ingestion I guess . You can always return to plan B if cat doesnt properly recover. Also if you do use a vet dont forget its sometimes cheaper to get a prescription and buy over the internet.

Regarding some vets and some charging, Id put them in the same catagory as loan sharks. I think they need some sort of better regulation .Theres profit , and there's profiteering

The question in your last post DD is too hard to answer lol - which is your whole point , I know.

Bottom line is.....Think before you take any pet on .Yes there will be vet bills and the buying of food ,flea treatments ,worm tablets etc.It cost a fortune.

@Fish ,I think your cat had a abscess on its paw for puss to come out he/she must have been in a lot of pain.Although through time it would have burst itself and the cat would have cleaned it too .

If my pet gets a cut I wash it in lukewarm water & sea salt dry it then put sudocrem on it.If it got worse then it's the vet,I spent a lot of money on Misty in the last couple of years but I would of gone without for her.I did get a lot of her medication online but it was the toe removal & aftercare that cost but it was worth it so she could walk without pain & to have her happy again even if it was only for a few months.

sudocrem i used on my house rabbit rabbit works wonders Star x

Grim indeed. Not as grim as the NHS being privatised under our noses. Humans will be treated the same as this poor kittty upon full 'roll-out'

The fee is your responsibility- are you saying that you would prefer the vet to put the cat to sleep rather than pay for its treatment for a 'small cut'?

My vet was fine paid so much every time I went,didn't have to pay the whole lot at once

Venice..Too scared to have a go at treating it myself now that its on the vets radar. Read stories of vets tipping RSPCA off when animals not brought back to vet for treatment.

Good news its toe didnt need amputating. back from vets after anaesthetic and wound clean and stitches and plastic funnel round its neck...no he hasnt .just got it off...going to be a game for next 10 days . Wife wouldnt tell me the bill but a quick look at bank statement was bad but not as bad as expected. Had already primed my mortgage company they might not get paid this month.thankfully not that much..maybe a couple of evenings her walking Corporation Road !!!

People forget that pets are not people. It isn't even respectful to treat them as such. We have a dog and I am very fond of her, but I know she will die in a few years and am prepared for it. I will miss her ways of course but no way would I mistake our relationship as one between two humans.

One of the big differences between us is that I can recognise that painful or medical treatment is for my own good and hopefully will result in a cure. She cannot, and for that reason, I think death is often the kinder option. I certainly wouldn't put her through the pain and distress of a hip replacement for instance.

Dogs are so much more adaptable than us, have you seen how many blind or three legged dogs have as much fun running around woods as any other.


And how would you justify that treatment to a human baby and yet not your pet?

Glad it wasnt as bad as you anticipated fish - I honestly dont think you need to worry about vets reporting you for such minor things though .Also think its fine to treat minor external ailments in pets to start with , and then resort to vet if remedy doesnt work.

How does "we aren't best hunter" reconcile with "we are the best destroyer"?
To reply to most of these, we have adapted our way of living to allow for the deficiencies and our senses are adequate for our needs. We have developed machines to help us with stamina,to move faster, to move over water and to fly. We have developed medicines to help our immune systems. We invented clothes to give us resilience to weather.

Because destruction has little to do with hunting and hunting has little to do with destruction. It is far easier for us to destroy another creature than capture it, something that could be argued is the opposite for most other creatures. We intentionally destroy things without even knowing it (as an individual) exists.



I think the human race as a whole can hardly be described as having everything "adequate for its needs", there is an enormous amount of unnecessary pain and suffering out there.

We invented clothes that destroyed our natural protection from the weather then to top that we made it rude/obscene/illegal to not wear them. Between those two thing we have partly destroyed ourselves physically and psychopathically. What is the advantage of HAVING to wear clothes? We aren't the only creatures that make and wear clothes.

Despite denial for hundreds of years, there are numerous other creatures that create tools and even use medicines.

We think we are fast? There are some creatures that proportional to their size can move at what would be 1300 mph in a human.

We could be creative without being destructive but we have a dominant destructive streak (call it greed/jealousy or whatever you like) that will always hold us back.