Getting a cat
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| Fri, 08-12-2005 - 9:33am |
I haven't been posting much, because I've been very focused on my cat research. We've decided to adopt the 10-year-old ocicat we've been looking at, and we're very excited. I think he's going to be a great match for us, and we can't wait to bring him home.
I know it's an additional financial burden, but I think he will enrich our lives in so many ways, and we are stable financially right now, so it won't be a strain. I've budgeted it out, and am considering pet health insurance, in case of major, expensive emergencies. Have any of you pet owners any experience with the pet health insurance? Is it worth it? What is your opinion of it?
Thanks so much for all the feedback. And I promise I'll be back and posting soon, when things calm down around here a bit.
Blessings,
Heather

Cheaper litter is fine. JMHO, sometimes cheap food, especially for an older animal, may translate to larger vet bills. Also, don't buy too large a bag of catfood (even though it is cheaper) because it will get rancid/lose nutritional value if left open for too long.
I think there are two approaches to pet insurance. If you decide to not get it, why not start an emergency fund for the cat? Just put away the amount of money equivalent to insurance premium each month. If there are some major vet expenses down the road, you will be more prepared. If you cat live a happy, long life and die old age in the future, you can use that money for snow flaking or whatever.
congrats on the decision of adopting an older cat. I've had my cat since she was 1 month old. She's now 11 years old and very healthy. I've been told cats can live until they are 18-20 years old.
Find out what type and brand of food the cat is eating. If it were me, once I have the cat, I would take her to a vet for a physical. You would find good cat litter on sale at Petco (if you have one in your state). Also, Costco has good price on cat litter but it's a big size. I don't like dark color litter. The reason is that you want a light color one, to be able to see if the cat pees blood and/or if there is blood in the stool as well.
Good luck.
MYM
Thanks, everyone, for the replies and advice! I can especially use the tips on getting cheap litter, and I will definitely be taking him for a well-cat visit at the vet when he arrives--I'm in the process of seeking a great vet now.
As for the food, Pirate has a sensitive stomach, and I have been in touch with a number of championship ocicat breeders, as well as some veterinarians, and I've been reading books about natural cat care and nutrition for older cats, and we are planning to try Pirate on a home-made diet consisting of ground meats, bones, organs, eggs, and an all-natural vitamin/mineral supplement. It is purported to help a great deal, and may even cure his stomach problem. If not, it will still be the healthiest thing we can do for him, and should contribute to many more years of good health. And since I'm really good at shopping for meat, it will probably be not very much more expensive than dry cat food--I'll buy whole chickens and chicken quarters on sale for between 18 cents and 69 cents a pound, and organ meats are usually quite inexpensive. The vitamin/mineral supplement will be the most expensive, but I can buy the individual ingredients (kelp, lecithin, etc.) and mix them myself and it's not too bad.
I definitely agree that the right diet can save money in the long run on vet bills.
And I like the idea of setting money aside in a fund instead of purchasing insurance. It's a good point--the previous owner has all his medical records, and he has had no health problems other than the stomach, which is not expected to get worse and does not require treatment. So he's not likely to have a lot of problems in the future either, although of course aging cats have their own issues. But still, I think setting the money aside is the wiser course. And if we never have to use the money, all the better--we can use it for something else.
Thanks again for the thoughts and advice. I'm very excited.
Heather
Congrats on your new catling. I have never gotten pet insurance but if I were to live life over again, I would. We ended up spending 15,000.00 on two different (years apart) emergency illnesses for our dog. So the insurance would have been a good idea. I don't know tho if you can get insurance for an older pet or what the price would be.
We also have an older cat (18 years) who is now on Rx for an overactive thyroid -- common I guess in older cats. Long story short -- he was taking a pill in the a.m. and one at nite -- each pill costing (I'm not kidding) $1.05. We finally got the vet to write a prescription for the med and get it from Canada for $0.23 per pill. (Same pill manufacturer too!). Just something to keep in mind if you end up needing meds.
Good luck,
Megan
Thanks for the information. I got some quotes on insurance, and they do insure older cats, and it's not that much really. The cheapest plans start at $10 a month, but they have maximum limits of under $5,000--so the really expensive treatments still wouldn't be covered. The most expensive plan I've seen was about $45 a month, and it included coverage for regular check-ups and shots. Something in between seems to make sense to me--something that covers catastrophic illness up to a couple grand, but with a deductible of, say, $500 or $1000, and no coverage for routine care.
I'll look into it some more. I'd be interested in whether anyone knows who the good insurance companies are for pets.
Thanks again for your help and thoughts,
Heather