I don't have pets. I have a large 4-legged family. Therein lies the answer to your question. I take care of my family.

Laurie

Why wouldn't you?

I see the question as a not so subtle criticism of life choices and values. So the obvious response: Why would you spend so much on a ...flat screen TV, vacation/trip, clothes, fancy car...fill in the blank... is also a criticism of life choices and values. Best to laugh and let them wonder - because you won't likely change their values.

Some people just will not spend money on their pets, and eunthanasia for anything more than a few hundred bucks is their 'solution.' I don't agree with extending my pets lives for just my own benefit, but I will spend just about anything (and have this year!) to get them out of pain, healthy again and to improve their quality of life.

Some people definitely have trouble understanding it, that's for sure. When my kitty went through liver failure last summer, I could tell my boss and co-workers thought I was crazy for being so upset over "just a cat", and I certainly didn't tell them it cost over $4k to get her fully healed. It was totally worth it, though. While it would have been nice to have the money, when I look at her lying in my lap, or sprawled out on the bed looking so content and healthy, I know we made the right choice.

There are plenty of charities for children, helping immediate family, 2-legged AND 4-legged is much more important. We've spent tons of money on our animals this year, because it was necessary, and as far as I am concerned, it was money well spent, regardless of other peoples' opinions. After all, it is OUR money, not theirs.

Why does anyone care how you choose to spend your money?
Sometimes we need a friend, and what we get is a busy body. Just because a person has a need to confide doesn't mean that he or she needs a judge - we just need a friend to hear us. Some people just don't get that.

Sammy

It's no one else's business how you choose to spend your money.

People don't ask this only when you spend money on vet bills, but also when you buy toys for your furbabies.

When I'm asked this question now, I just smile and say "They're my babies". More questions usually follow. If I'm particularly irritated, I remind them that it's my money too. Shuts them up everytime.

Pranjal, those people are just rude. Even if they don't approve of how you spend your money, they should have the courtesy to realize it's none of their business. I would be hard-pressed to even be polite to people like that.

I just dropped a bit over $1k for a long holiday weekend stay at the vet for my kitty who had a urinary tract blockage and brought him to his regular vet to have the pu surgery done and the estimate is $500-800, so I'm looking at $1500-2k for this "incident." It was worth every penny and my beautiful kitty will bring me MUCH more joy than whatever else that money could have been spent on. Unless someone gives every spare cent not absolutely needed for the basics of life to charity, they have no right to judge where you spend your money - and even then, until they start paying my bills and living with my conscience, they can forget thinking their opinion matters one bit to me.

I find it gets worse the more pets you have too. People seem to be more accepting of people putting money into one animal, but not 3 or 4. It's like they think you budget and go "Okay, I will only spend 5000 dollars on petstuff in the next 15 years" and then if you have mutiple animals you must split that money up accordingly, or have them put down. I will pay whatever it takes to keep my furkids happy and healthy, within reason.

Having 4 does make it more difficult, we're just lucky that so far there is nothing seriously wrong with any of them, let alone all of them at once.

People with their giant tvs, stereo systems, etc etc. I have all that too. But everytime I purchased any of it, I made sure I was willing and able to either have the same amount of money set aside, or willing and able to get rid of it all at the drop of a hat, if it would save my pets.

Some people gamble, others collect stamps, art or fancy cars. Smoking and drinking cost money too. We all have interests and things we want to spend our money on. Some of us enjoy our pets--they give us great pleasure--and we don't mind taking the best care of them we can.

I echo all of the above. Our pets have always been our family, after we raised and educated 4 children. I don't buy pedigreed pets but they are worth more than that to us. When you work for your money you have the right to spend it as you wish. Pets give more back than they take, even my $2000 semiferal cat who seldom cuddles is worth every penny. She keeps me company day and night, just out of touch and sometimes out of sight and throws her silky body around my legs when she wants to be play hide, race and seek. She makes me laugh and I don't come home to an empty house. I see many throw their money away in ways I wouldn't dream of but i figure that's their business.

I've had this question asked ever since we adopted our furkid. As usually by the same person. The last time was in July when he needed an ear operation. None of the antibiotics would work and our only choice was total ear ablation. It was said to me 'wouldn't it be cheaper to put him down?' I answered, I wouldn't do that to a child.
Non-pet people don't understand what having a pet means. It's a life long commitment.

I was at a horse show once with my mare, Mira and some people came up to me and offered me forty-five thousand dollars for Mira. This was in the 70's(you could build a house for that then) my so got really excited. We had just moved to the country and were living in a 28ft travel trailer. He said we are finally making money on one of the horses, I just stared crying. I realized that the first thing I would do with the money is to find another Mira. She was with me already, she died in 1999 at the age of 30. I still have her son who is 29 and was born in my arms. Money is just money...love is love....animals are forever.

True, the more pets you have, the more people say such rude things. In fact there are some who say .. enough cats, Pranjal, you should have a baby now! LOL

God bless you all.

Pranjal

LOL pran! That's my arguement for the boyfriend. We have 5 animals, I take care of 3 kids, would we really even notice at this point if we had our own?? LOL for some reason he doesn't buy it!

Well, we have 11 cats and 2 dogs, and we also have two kids. Without a doubt, the critters are MUCH easier. ;o)

You think it is bad with cats, dogs, horses, birds....try fish. We have 3 cats and 2 birds, they have cost us dollars over the years but the repayment has been immeasurable. We also have koi and over the years from time to time they have also needed healthcare, shots (administered by me but the meds came from the vet), or set up in a hospital tank.....and that is in addition to the $$ paid for them which is not cheap.

would we really even notice at this point if we had our own?? LOL Munkos. Petra, yes I bet our furbabies are much easier!

Lynn, I know what you're talking about, I've seen fish kept at the vet's, they need good care, and the bills do run high. Unfortunately, there are people who think fish are 'lower' than dogs/cats/horses/birds. Then it's like 'oh, OK, if it were a cat or dog, spending that much would be fine, but for a fish? So to them, fish are 'replaceable'.

It all comes down to the same thing - they just don't understand the love we have for our babies.

One look into those loving, trusting eyes and how could you not spend whatever it takes to keep them (or get them) painfree and healthy.
I feel sorry for people who have never had a special bond with a pet. They just don't know what they are missing.

Pranjal, the kids are legal adults, and the furries are still easier. ;o)

I've actually never been asked that but I think if I were I'd respond "because I don't have any kids". I suspect that would leave a person without much to say. I wonder why people I know spend so much money on their kids, buying them everything they could possibly want, but I certainly would never ask them this question. Some people are just rude and inconsiderate.

Hmm...Is it weird that I am not planning to tell a single soul "in real life" how much my new kitty's latest veterinary adventure is going to wind up costing? I finally moved to a place where I can have cats, got Lucy two weeks ago, and I got suckered into the unnamed one last week. Between pet deposits, adoption fees, a spay, routine post-adoption vet visits, emergency vet visit for a bad suture reaction/spay incision issues, more vet visits to follow up for that, middle-aged diagnostics and meds/visits for a bad URI in the new kitty, I'm already out somewhere around $2k or so? I am kind of scared to add it up, so I won't.

My Lucy is now at the emergency vet for a possible intestinal obstruction. We're still hoping not to have to do surgery, but my estimate just for hospitalization, multiple x-rays, etc. over 24-48 hours is $1-2k. Ouch. Surgery is another ~$2k. Double ouch.

To be quite honest, I've never been in a position to have to spend this much on my pets all at once (I also happen to live in a much higher cost area now). I was "fortunate" enough to have only long-term/chronic issues with some of my previous pets, but nothing major and acute. This wouldn't be *so* crazy if I hadn't already blown through so much just in the initial expenses of getting the cats and dealing with the relatively minor medical issues they came with. Two weeks into new cat ownership, and I might be out $6,000. I need to stop typing. Seeing the numbers again is freaking me out.

Anywho...this is a young cat. An intestinal obstruction is unlikely to shorten her life span, so I just don't feel like worrying about the massive credit card debt I'm getting myself into (again! I was doing so well!) I just keep telling myself it's not that much if I average it out over her expected life span. Right? Right? Someone tell me I'm not completely insane. I'm getting pet insurance after this, though. A hundred or so bucks a year for peace of mind is worth it after this.

When Sawyer had his medical year from heck last year, I actually had an individual ask this very question. My reply was to the effect: You mean you wouldn't? And I made sure to give "that look" of total disgust that said they either must be kidding or were absolutely horrible. Never had that . . . or any . . . conversation with that person again. Their loss!! People who don't get it, don't get it and never will.