The Cost of a Sick Kitten

When our animals become ill, the price is high. We worry and wonder what we can do to help them and if they get better. Veterinarians know how hard it is on pet lovers to feel helpless when their animals don’t seem to get better.

We all work very hard to find solutions and treatments. However, sometimes all our best efforts are not enough. This can be hard on the heard. It can also be hard on your bank account. If you one of those wonderful people that is willing to open your heart to a cat and then pay whatever the cost to help her overcome a surprise illness, you should certainly consider pet insurance. It may not lessen the pain, but it can help the damage done to your savings. I just received an email from a couple that spent a tremendous amount of money trying to cure their cat of her ills.

Steve Schechter from Cleveland, Ohio writes of a LaPerm kitten that he and his wife purchased from a registered breeder and their heartbreaking experience of battling the kitten’s illnesses. From the beginning they had been told that the kitten had a minor eye infection and couldn’t be shipped until the vet cleared her. When the breeder offered to send her to them for no more than the shipping costs, perhaps they should have been wary.

Although the kitten had been signed off as healthy, she arrived covered in fleas and with a fungal infection in her ears. Her breathing was labored and she was obviously not healthy at all. The Schechters fell in love with her immediately, naming her Dora and did whatever they could to get her better.

Over a series of months the couple spent more than $5,000 on this precious cat. Steve writes that Dora was the most amazing cat they had ever had. She was smart, retrieving toys like a dog and actively playing with them. They wanted so badly to nurse her back to health.

She had exploratory surgery to check for polyps in her nose that make be causing the breathing problem. She also had fluid removed from her ear which was causing her to snort while breathing. Although her breathing improved, but began to deteriorate again soon after the expensive operation. She was diagnosed with a chronic respiratory condition that could not be treated and would only get worse. Rather than let Dora suffer, the family followed the recommendations of their vet and had her put to sleep.

The breeder and the vet the initially cleared her health would not take responsibility for the costs of her care. Not only did the Schechters lose their cat, but they spent a great deal of money trying to get her healthy. Steve says, “Had we taken pet insurance, we might have saved ourselves a very expensive and emotionally painful experience.” They hope that perhaps others will learn from their experience.

Is Pet Insurance Right for you?

The best pet insurance offers coverage that’s broad enough for whatever care your pet needs and with enough options to get the perfect coverage for you and your pet.

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