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| Our dear, sweet Simba died far too young. |
Would you spend $15,000 on vet bills for a cat? I’ve spent that much twice, once on a single cat plus $12,000 and $3,000 on two others.
Many—O-kay, most—people think I’m nuts for shelling out that much money just for a cat. After all, cats aren’t people. They are only things. You can find them everywhere and anywhere. Find one and when it bugs you, dump it then get another. That is the attitude of some people. It’s not mine.
Simba, my first $15,000 kitty, was a rescue. He had an upper respiratory infection that became substantially worse when he was boarded while I went on a house hunting trip. Over time, that infection blossomed to the point where he became a full-time patient at a veterinary facility in Santa Barbara. He stayed there for the last two months of his life, returning home for less than an hour before suffering a seizure.
Despite the vet’s best efforts, Simba was diagnosed with feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), which is 100 percent fatal. Once the diagnosis was made, we had him humanely put down. Simba’s final moments were spent in the arms of my wife.
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| Tuxie is recovering from his ailments. |
Recently, Tuxie, a black and white tomcat that was left on our property by the former owners, developed some nasty infections of his own. He spent several weeks at the Loomis Basin Veterinary Clinic near Rocklin before coming home. I would get up every four hours to feed him through a tube.
Comet, our “little red man,” has had his own problems stemming from bad teeth. Through trickery, I’ve been able to get some antibiotics into him and he also seems to be recovering. Even the vet techs say he is the worst cat they’ve ever seen in trying to get pills into him, so trickery is the only way to go.
Now you know the “what” behind my blowing through a big wad of cash, with bills I’m still paying and will be for years yet. But you don’t know the “why.”
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| Comet likes his undercover naps. |
Why did I spend this money and devote this much time and effort to some cats?
I did it for one simple reason that is as obvious to other devoted pet owners as my big nose is to everyone else: my pets are not possessions. They are family.
Every dog and cat—including the two outdoor ferals I have yet to tame—I have is just as much a part of my family as my daughter and grandson. Would you deny your child needed medical aid because of the cost? Probably not. The late and lamented Simba and the two survivors, Tuxie and Comet, all experienced that first-hand.
This leaves me with one question for you: How much is love worth?
