My beloved kitten what would others have done

Some have said I should have had him put to sleep and I did consider it, however it seemed cruel as he is such a character, I do love my 2 cats. What ran up my bill was the fact that went to our local emergency private vet where I'm registered (I had just had him for working fleas etc previous day), they charge 130 just to look at them but I asked if I could transfer to the local Pdsa where I'm also a client and fundraiser. They agreed but didnt tell me the Pdsa is manned by another private vet, handed him in and they put him on drip then asked me for £275 for an over night stay . The next day they charged me £150 before the op, then another £350 when I took him home. I cannot praise their work any more as he is on the mend now. The thing that angers me is that I wasn't told that there were private vets on a weekend, they should have been more open about their prices. I should have been paying the reduced rate at Pdsa prices.
Also anyone saying that I should have not got an animal if I can't afford it is wrong, he may not have been I'll. Many old people have pets and rely on Pdsa. Think of the amount of unwanted animals if we all stopped using Pdsa. I could not get a photo tonight I will keep trying, he's coming out of his cage later so I will get one.
Btw, I am actually well below the income level for Pdsa help but I don'have a rented house, if you own property you are not eligible.

I think you always have to consider the worst case scenario when you get a pet and decide whether you can cope financially if/when they get ill or the insurance premiums to prevent a big vets bill. The PDSA is a fantastic charity but even with that you can still end up with large costs.

I’m glad your kitten is on the mend but you asked what others would have done and some of us would have had the kitten PTS, even though it would have been incredibly sad.

I hope your kitten continues to make a good recovery. I understand why you did it, and am sorry you had to pay so much.

I volunteer for Cats Protection, and I just wanted to say, if anyone is thinking of getting a cat/kitten, it is really advisable to go through CP. We charge £60 to adopt a cat.

For that fee, the cat will have been vet checked, and normally only rehomed when any medical problems have been sorted. It will have been neutered, and had its 2 inoculations. It will have been treated for fleas and worms. It also comes with 4 weeks free Petplan insurance. Also if the cat suddenly develops a problem soon after homing, we try and help.

I expect some other charities also offer similar. It is so much better for you and the cat, rather than buying a cat on social media etc.

This is a big worry for us too. We have adopted a 10 year old dog from rescue it seemed to us tat as she had been in kennels for 10 months waiting for a home we should welcome her into ours. When she arrived she had a bit of diarrhoea and was very thin. Off to the vets, watch and wait. 2 weeks later she had terrible diarrhoea and had lost more weight. We had to pay for blood tests, two examinations, and some medication and special food (£50 a bag!) we were told that if this didn't work we would be looking at more tests and an ultrasound scan. We breathed a huge sigh of relief when the first solid poo emerged! But seriously to insure her would be nearly £1k a year, it wouldn't cover her digestive problems now and private vets seem to be charging much more than they did a few years ago. Our beautiful new dog is the third older rescue dog we have adopted and we think this is the right thing to do, and all the old chaps have brought us great happiness, but it is frighteningly expensive if they get ill. Ethel, you did the right thing, and I hope your cat brings you happiness too. Please get her insured now, I only wish we could do that for our dog.

So sorry about your kitten, I dont know what I would have done to be honest. But you did what was right for you. I wish you many happy years with your cats.

I had a little dog very ill over a weekend, when only the referral vets were available. I knew they charged double what our vets charge and the vet who saw her went all through the likely costs of £6000.
I told her that my dog was insured up to £4000 but that I had no means of paying more than the excess.
My dog died during her operation and the lovely young vet had made the bill exactly what the insurance would cover.

You are a loving pet owner etheltbags you did what you thought is best and you’ve given your lovely kitty a chance of life, unfortunately pets are very expensive aren’t they, I hope your kitty’s health improves and your finances recover soon. A big pat on the back for helping her, not everyone would do it, you put your kitties health situation before your own welfare, to be honest I’m not really sure wha5 I would have done in your situation, we have insurance,

My little boy is now 3 weeks post op, he is doing fine , absolutely wicked, adventurous and naughty. All to be expected. I've got insurance now. I'm taking him for check up and vaccination next week. So glad I didn't get him PTS, however some people suggested that and I respect those views. If the problem happens again I would do it for his sake

I agree, crowd funding. I don't know how you set it up but if there are younger people within your family I'm sure they'll be able to help.
Just say the same things you put on here, people can donate small amounts but it all adds up to possibly a large amount.
Good luck, you deserve it for being so kind x

My baby is recovered now, despite some posters wishing I had put him to sleep.
My credit card will get paid off, I'm with a vet that has better facilities than the previous one . I don't expect the Pdsa to pay for my animals, because I own a house I have to pay the Pdsa, my total bill was slightly less than the private vets. I fund raised for Pdsa in the past and my older cat needed a dental treatment, estimate by Pdsa was 250.00 and my vet estimate was 240.00. I went to Pdsa as it fitted in with my work hours. Anyone paying Pdsa is helping fund the charity. I have had one free visit to Pdsa when I wason chemo and off work, I paid it all back asap. I do not get animals for the Pdsa to keep. I now have my baby insured so any future ops should be covered.

Nearly 20 years ago DD's dog had a badly dislocated leg. The total bill was £1200 and the whole family chipped in to help. When she had the dog cremated some years later she was given a little bag with screws from the leg, so at least she knew she'd got the right ashes back.