No-Kill Finance

Yesterday I took Thor, my oldest cat, in to work to see the doctor.  It was bad news all around.

Thor has a condition known as hyperthyroidism, which requires medication twice daily.  The doctor thinks, on account of some suspicious bloodwork and the fact that his appetite has not been as insatiable as usual, that his thyroid may be acting up, in which case he would require more medication.  Or, she thinks, he may have troubles with his pancreas, which would require still more medication.  In the long view, I’m having to come to terms with the fact that Thor is in his declining years (hopefully years, rather than months).  This utterly breaks my heart, as he is (sorry, other three cats) my favorite animal in the universe.  In the short term, though, I’m feeling guilty for being so shallow as to dread the cost of his new health issues.

I haven’t yet done the research on exactly how much money this will all cost me…working in the industry, I get all prescribed medicine at cost value, but it still adds up.  Based on estimations (I don’t have a price book handy), my approximate monthly Thor medicine cost is presently:

The Thor In Question

• Thyroid medication:  $12.00
• Appetite stimulant:  $8.00
• Anti-emetic (anti-vomit) injections:  $25.00

…for a total of roughly $45.00 per month.  And now, we may be adding:

• 25% more thyroid medication:  $3.00
• Antacid:  $3.00
• Laxative:  $5.00
• Fluids for subcutaneous hydration:  $10.00

…for a total of roughly $66.00 per month.  And if it is his thyroid acting up, once it regulates he may start showing signs of kidney function issues (not uncommon in hyperthyroid cats…plus, he’s been drinking more water than usual lately), which would require special (read:  300% price increase) food.

Way down here in my tax bracket, it’s difficult to remember the purpose of owning pets when they’re costing so very much money.  But Thor?  Thor is amazing.  Absolutely worth it.  He has more personality than a fair number of people I’ve known, and shows more affection than literally any cat I’ve ever encountered in my four years of working with the little beasts.  Not to mention, as you can plainly see, he’s one of the more gorgeous creatures ever.

His ear is crumpled as the result of the removal of an abscess as a younger, more spry man.  His upper canines have been removed on account of periodontal disease, so his lower canines sometimes catch on his upper lip, giving him a snarled look.  His vision is poor so his pupils are always almost fully dilated, and he’s deaf so he always looks alertly around himself (usually to see if there’s a human in his vicinity that he could pester for food and/or petting).

He grew up on the streets of Chicago, and was cared for as a stray by an old man with a big dog (I think it was a Rottweiler, but I may be wrong about that).  The old man would leave food out for the stray cat (then unnamed), who gradually became friendlier and soon slept on the porch when the man was sitting outside.  Eventually, Thor became comfortable enough that he would sleep next to or on the dog, and soon became so attached that he would follow them on their walks.  Eventually, the dog passed away, and not long after, so did the man.  A friendly neighbor who was unable to care for the cat but unwilling to leave him on the streets without the comfortable support of the man, admitted him to our shelter (where he was named “Thor” by an employee wanting to give him a strong name…we found out a few days after selecting this moniker that the old man’s last name had been Thorsten…weird).

And eventually my ex-girlfriend and I adopted him.  I got custody in the break-up, and he has since followed me to three different homes.  He’s cost me enough money to teach me that pet ownership is nothing to take lightly, in terms of money.  If all four of our cats (three mine, one Katie’s…introductions forthcoming) were as sickly as Thor, I’d be in some serious trouble, and that’s something I hadn’t considered in adopting so many.  This is a good example of the poor foresight I have utilized in my life prior to my quest to fix my money situation…I focused too much on the short term, too little on the long term; too much on the emotional benefits and not enough on the financial burdens.

And it’s too late now; Thor is here to stay.  As I indicated in my first post, I’m somewhat crazy about my cats, and would not give any of them up for any financial hardship short of homelessness.  So, bring it on, little malfunctioning kitty thyroid; I can take your worst.  Because damn it, I’m in control of my money, not you.