Pay It Forwad feeler thread.

[Leviathan]

Done and done!!!!

Our secret donor paid the bill and the cat is booked in 1st thing tomorrow morning for surgery. The vet is coming in on her day off to do it.

The hospital said they will cover any costs over the $250 that was donated. A shout out to Dr. B at Cobequid Animal Hospital in Sackville for doing this.

When I popped into the hospital to check on the appointment, etc, the women at the counter told me the donor was just in to pay the $$. She started crying as she told me. She said it made her year. She said something else about the donor, but I can't say, as it may give their identity away.

She also said she had the pleasure of calling the girl and telling her that her cat is going to be fixed. I guess the girl cried and cried - very grateful. Just imagine, she was sitting there, worried about her cat and what was going to happen to it and BAM!, out of the blue, the vet calls and says someone has paid to have the cat fixed and to bring it in first thing tomorrow morning. Imagine the surprise/happiness!!

I'm gonna pop over tomorrow when the cat is being picked up and see if I can grab a pic to post here.

......oh, and the person who did this incredible deed does not want to be identified. If you want to know who it is, they said I can tell in PM's, but it can't be posted.

[Hiltzy]

awesome news....very nice of you to arrange this all as well Levi.

[Leviathan]

awesome news....very nice of you to arrange this all as well Levi.

That cat was in dire need of help. I had to try to help. It is the right thing to do. I like doing the right thing.

Knowing kitty (and owner) are going to be so happy makes me happy.

[Cheddar]

I applaud everything but what bugs me is if this cat had not gotten sick, would she not have had it spayed? And if she was going to, why wasn't this in the budget when getting the cat? Its like buying a house and not budgeting for water or electricity.

[Leviathan]

I wasn't there to judge the owner and their money-planning abilities - I just wanted the cat to feel better.

I don't think she figured her cat would develop the infection it did - making the cost go from $250 to $550.

[Cheddar]

You're missing my point. I agree, it wasn't the cats fault and I'm all for ending its suffering. Couldn't agree with you more, and I applaud the person who donated the money.

BUT

If someone isn't a breeder they should spay and neuter their pets?
If she had the $250 for when the cat was healthy, why did someone else have to pay the $250?
And if she didn't have the $250 for something that should be a given expense when getting an animal, she shouldn't have got the cat until she could afford it.

I FULLY APPLAUD THE KINDNESS OF SOMEONE STEPPING UP TO HELP THE CAT, but can't help but question the owner's actions as to how this situation came to be in the first place. Maybe she rescued the cat two nights ago from the street and that's pretty good justification right there. However as I didn't pay its not something that affects me at all, but its still a question that popped into my head.

[Leviathan]

None of that crossed my mind.

[Matt30]

I applaud everything but what bugs me is if this cat had not gotten sick, would she not have had it spayed? And if she was going to, why wasn't this in the budget when getting the cat? Its like buying a house and not budgeting for water or electricity.

Just applaud it and leave it at that. No need to over-think and analyze every detail. She isnt the only one who's been in that position, just luckily for her this time somebody came thru, its not like this happens all the time, people are always buying shit they cant afford

[Leviathan]

Was just over the animal hospital to try and grab a pic when the owners came to pick the cat up, but the kitty is staying overnight - must have been a pretty messy operation.

But, the cat did fine and looks to have lots of years ahead (the cat is 6).

[ANGELL]

You're missing my point. I agree, it wasn't the cats fault and I'm all for ending its suffering. Couldn't agree with you more, and I applaud the person who donated the money.

BUT

If someone isn't a breeder they should spay and neuter their pets?
If she had the $250 for when the cat was healthy, why did someone else have to pay the $250?
And if she didn't have the $250 for something that should be a given expense when getting an animal, she shouldn't have got the cat until she could afford it.

I FULLY APPLAUD THE KINDNESS OF SOMEONE STEPPING UP TO HELP THE CAT, but can't help but question the owner's actions as to how this situation came to be in the first place. Maybe she rescued the cat two nights ago from the street and that's pretty good justification right there. However as I didn't pay its not something that affects me at all, but its still a question that popped into my head.

people come on hard times and shit happens. Why would she get the cat fixed if she didn't have to? 99% of all cats are given away because no one will pay for them so why would a breeder get it fixed. I own a dog and I don't have a seperate bank account for if something bad happens to her maybe people do, you just roll the dice. Maybe she could pay maybe she couldn't but this was a time sensitive matter so something had to be done. I know there was a time in my life that if my pet needed a $250 life or death surgery I couldn't afford it, and if that had happened it would haunt me for the rest of my life. I know its your opinion and this is the internet but way to get off topic and bring this thread down. This isn't a thread for Captian obvious. I still heart ya

[Cheddar]

Like I said, there could be many reasons, its just a question that came up in my mind. Personally I think that spaying or neutering your pet should be a given unless you are a breeder and the way I read Leviathan's initial post was that this illness would not occur in a cat that was spayed.There would be a lot less unwanted animals in the world if everyone did that and perhaps that is why I think what I do in this situation. Emergencies happen but to me this was not a case like buying a car and having the alternator unexpectedly die, it was more like buying a car and not being able to afford gas, for lack of a better comparison.

I can keep trying to try and justify my train of thought on this, but people are going to keep thinking I am against helping someone out, or that I want her drawn and quartered, so really there's no point. It was a question that came up into my head after Leviathan's first, very descriptive post, and that's all.

[tribeachpunk]

[N / A]

Any update?

[Leviathan]

I was at the vet Friday after work.

The cat (Dusty is her name) had surgery Thursday morning and was sent home Friday at lunch time. The vet said her ovaries had twisted due to the infection. She got them removed just in time.

I missed getting a pic of the cat (was at lunch when they picked up the cat), but the owner and cat have to come back next Monday to get the stitches out, so the vet said she would call me so I could pop over (I work right across the street) or she would take a pic and email it to me.

Will post pic as soon as I get it.

[Bean]

Great news! Glad the surgery was a success!!! Happy kitty!

[ouird]

I applaud everything but what bugs me is if this cat had not gotten sick, would she not have had it spayed? And if she was going to, why wasn't this in the budget when getting the cat? Its like buying a house and not budgeting for water or electricity.

Dude, you dont know that persons situation. Maybe they had the money, and something else unforeseen happened, and wasn't able to pay for both issues. You need to back the FUCK off until you know the ENTIRE situation.


Whoever donated the money, I truly hope many good things come your way.

[Cheddar]

Back the fuck off? One would think if it hadn't been discussed on a week maybe one had already dropped it.

[Leviathan]

I applaud everything but what bugs me is if this cat had not gotten sick, would she not have had it spayed? And if she was going to, why wasn't this in the budget when getting the cat? Its like buying a house and not budgeting for water or electricity.

I'll address these, albeit slightly untimely , concerns.

Yes, this disease only infects cats that are not fixed. It is rare in cats because they have less progesterone than dogs, where it is way more common. It also is found in rabbits, ferrets, rat, hamsters, etc. - and also effects female humans. The cat must have repeated heat cycles so the cervix opens and closes so much that cysts may form and the cervix stays open and infection creeps in (......I know, you so love reading this! ). It usually happens in middle-aged cats - it can happen to a dog at any age. If a cat gets Pyometra, chances are it is an indoor cat.

So, if all domestic female cats (and other animals) were fixed this disease would be moot. And yes, breeders who intentionally do not get their animals fixed have to be very leery of this disease. It can be quite expensive to control this disease without a spay, which some breeders are forced to do if they want to keep the animal able to breed.

As you mentioned, in a perfect world, all these stray cats roaming around (and pets too) would be fixed. It really would make things better. As for indoor animals, getting them fixed isn't as big a priority.

Now, here is the problem in comparing cat ownership to owing a car or a house. First, most of the time, a house or a car is not something that is "dropped in our lap". You have time to plan/expect what comes with ownership. I don't know the %, but lots of people become cat owners on a whim. "It's a cat", they think....."I got this". In most peoples' eyes, taking on a cat isn't like taking on car/house payments. Most think you buy a litter box, get some litter, gets some bowls and food and you are good to go. Essentially, if the cat has all it's needles, this is pretty much true.......at first. When you are doing someone a favor or you find a cat, nobody tells you the cost of the things that are usually covered when you buy from a store/breeder/SPCA, etc.

Lets say a responsible owner factors in the costs of getting the cat fixed (it really should be a priority if you are not breeding and the animal is going outdoors). They may not factor in the cost of scratching posts, nail trimmings/caps/de-clawing. What about worms....ya need medicine. Fleas? Oh, yea. Eye infections (happens a lot)? You need needles/shots. Usually the first visit to the vet cost between $50-100....just to walk in the door. This is the vet consultation fee. You pay this every time you take your animal in. Now, the needles can run anywhere between $50-150, depending where you go. So, now you are up to between $100-200 bucks right off the git. Eye medicine/flea stuff, etc. is usually $25-75 bucks a pop. Toys, treats, etc., etc., etc. Damn, where did my "getting the cat fixed" money go? This was not in the pamphlet!!!

So, now you have a cat. Maybe you took it as a favor; maybe you wanted one and went to a breeder/store/SPCA, etc.; maybe you found one outside crying; bottom line is, getting a cat is easy - that is why so many people have them. Because they are so easy to get, that opens the door to many ignorant owners. Ignorant to the things I mentioned above and ignorant to the $$$$$$$ it costs to own a pet correctly. This is why there are so many unfixed cats.

The people who let their animals roam free, unfixed, are the biggest problem. If you keep your animal inside, that is at least the first step in stopping unwanted animals.

As a multiple cat owner, I can tell you, having indoor female cats, ya figure you probably don't need to get them fixed (same for indoor dogs). They can't get pregnant, so why do we need to fix them, right? No harm in letting them remain natural, so long as it don't hurt anyone. This is probably the mind-set of many owners of indoor pets (and probably what the girl in this situation was thinking). An indoor pet owner doesn't put an urgency on getting their animal fixed. It's more of a "when I get some extra cash" situation. Trust me, if you don't get your indoor cat/dog fixed, you will be looking for that "when I get some extra cash" situation to come about fast. Living with an animal in heat is VERY unpleasant. If you own an indoor cat that isn't fix, you pay for it one way or the other.


I think this might explain why this girl didn't expect to have to come up with $500 or so out of the blue. She had an indoor cat she probably planned on getting fixed at some point.....no major rush; but, as with me, she probably had no clue what Pyometra was until her cat got it and one really can't wait around for extra money to show up in this case, or the cat dies. Armed with this knowledge, as soon as I heard this cats situation, I knew I needed to try and help.


Again, these damn things need to come with a pamphlet!!

[Matt30]

I'm not readin all that. Who donated the money?

[Mr. "D"]

That's pretty awesome what you and the money donor did for that cat Levi. You both are good people.