My beloved kitten what would others have done

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.

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.

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 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

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,

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

How about a crowd funding site?

Hello ethel I am so sorry your little kitten has been so poorly. You did what you felt you had to do that is the important thing. Don't beat yourself up about it. I realise that this puts you in a difficult position financially but you will get through this, these things have a way of working themselves out. I know I have been there in the past. Perhaps see if you can transfer your balance on your credit card.

Good luck and hope little kitten continues to get better xx

I would have very reluctantly had the kitten PTS. It would have been heartbreaking but the thought of that amount of debt on a low income would terrify me, as would asking family for food. I would have then got a new kitten with pet insurance if I was able to afford the monthly premiums and excess.

I agree with Merlotgran and lemongrove.

The kitten sadly should have been put to sleep. Racking up huge debts for a new kitten would horrify me. What if it needs more treatment soon, how will that be paid for? P.D.S.A. should not be relied on to treat animals that you basically can not afford to own.

ethel..you did what was right for you that’s the main thing.
Much as I really like cats ( and have had them all my life) I would have allowed the vet to put him to sleep.Such eye watering debts wouldn’t have been right for me.

I'd have spent the money, like you, and given the poor little thing a chance. When we get an animal we take on responsibility for their welfare but we also give them a place in our hearts and feel obliged to do what we can to help them.

We have a cat which we adopted from another family member who couldn't keep him. Within weeks he cost us £300 for dental work and later he needed an expensive operation. We had a very limited income at the time and virtually no savings - no safety net if the car needed repolacing etc. But I don't regret the vet's fees because he's the loveliest, most affectionate cat you could wish for and we've given him a second chance in life.

ethelbags1 so sorry to hear about this. Hope your cat is still improving and growing stronger. Have you thought about talking to the Cats Protection League? They have a help line and although they may not be able to help with your financial situation they may give you advice about care and just talk you through things.You could always help them out later by volunteering. Hope you are feeling a bit better.

I would have done the same as you,ethelbags, and like you I would be worried sick about what will go wrong next!

I try to put a little money aside every week. Sometimes only £1, but it still goes into a jam jar hidden away where I don't see it all the time.

We certainly don't have millions in the bank, but I did make a budget of all household expenses, insurance etc. and ran it past the bank, so a certain amount of money goes into my direct debit account each month.

I realise this is harder to manage when you don't have a fixed monthly salary, but perhaps talking to a financial advisor would help.

Don't vets have some sort of credit arrangement? The RSPCA is very quick to prosecute people who don't have their pets treated when sick, but so many cannot afford vets bills (There isn't a PDSA in every district).
My local vet charges £35 just to see you, which means people will put off a visit and try to treat an animal themselves. However, you can arrange credit if you ask when you first make an appointment.

I know I'm going to be unpopular but I would have had the kitten PTS.

Heartbreaking at the time but not as bad as worry and sleepless nights caused by being in debt. Credit cards can be a nightmare to pay off unless you can pay well over the minimum amount each month. Difficult if you are on a zero hours contract.

Sometimes our heads have to overrule our hearts.

However, I'm glad your kitten seems to be recovering and I hope you don't have any follow up bills to deal with.

Oh poor you and poor kitty - yes we do what we can for our animals, and at least we can put them out of their misery should the need arise and they are suffering.

As regards the debt maybe get some advice from the CAB or online via National Debtline (you can chat to a live person on there!) as I know what sort of an effect that can have on both your physical and mental health!

Sussexborn, I’m sure my friend was charged £140 just for being seen when she took their dog to PDSA, because she wasn’t on any benefits.
I might have imagined that though.
I hope your wee kitten continues to improve.

Do you have a PDSA vet in your area? They treat animals and only ask for whatever donation you can afford. It may help with future care.

When my DD got her first puppy I advised her to put the equivalent of insurance premiums into a savings account - so far they have nearly £1000 in there. Obviously not enough for a major incident but not bad. Do other people have a moral quandry over people being quoted well into 5 figures for joint replacements etc for their pet when there are foodbanks in every town and genuine hardship in our towns and cities?