# How much would you spend on medical bills for your cat, before letting it die? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 14, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355 "2011-02-14T20:55:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355/21 "2011-02-14T21:45:02Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > I think you and I are in agreement. Especially when you can get a free one any day of the week, in pretty much in any community in the country. So to follow your previous example, if you could walk into a shelter and get a free grandma any day of the week you’d be cool with not taking your current one to the doctor when she is sick because it is cheaper just to let her die? ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355/22 "2011-02-14T21:45:52Z")
> [@pbbth](#): > > So to follow your previous example, if you could walk into a shelter and get a free grandma any day of the week you’d be cool with not taking your current one to the doctor when she is sick because it is cheaper just to let her die? No, because I do distinguish between people and animals. You already said you don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355/23 "2011-02-14T21:47:04Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > **Purplehorseshoe** , in the other thread **Omar** tells a troubled cat owner their domestic was less valuable than a barn cat, because at least it earns its keep. > > In other words, I’m not convinced yet about the objectivity behind which this thread was started. This. I haven been able to vote because of an acute attack of extreme eyerolling. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355/24 "2011-02-14T21:47:44Z")
When I read the title $500 is the amount that popped into my mind. I am not willing to destroy my life to keep my dog alive and $500 is about the amount that I can spend with out a major interruption in my life. Of course one of the reasons that I prefer larger dogs in the shorter life spans so I get to bond with and enjoy many different dogs. My dog right now is 3 and should live to be 12-15 and while I enjoy all of my time with him if got hit by a car and I needed to pay a grand to allow him to live his full life span there is no way I could justify it. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355/25 "2011-02-14T21:49:23Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Are you saying that it’s unfortunate that cat’s don’t? No. Translators might be useful, though. (Frankly, I’d prefer that Americans had the ability to choose for themselves the option of euthanasia. I spoke with one of the veterinarians about her experience of seeing a beloved uncle, suffering with cancer, strapped down to his hospital bed because he had been trying to remove the machines keeping him alive.) ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355/26 "2011-02-14T21:49:58Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > This. > > I haven been able to vote because of an acute attack of extreme eyerolling. Is it eyerolling because my opinion on the value of pet cats doesn’t match up to yours? ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355/27 "2011-02-14T21:50:06Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > As you wrote this sentence, grammatically, “they” = “random human ethnicities.” Are you telling me the ethnicity of the hypothetical grandmother is relevant? Surely you’re not, but I don’t know how else to read your posts. > > (Sorry for the double-post. You may slap my wrist now.) I’m thinking Omar put in the Middle-eastern thing to make it more the equivalent of the cat (not being able to understand English). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355/28 "2011-02-14T21:51:30Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > So, assuming the cat lives for 15 years, and an interest rate of 7% over the next 5 years, your saying that a cat’s not worth $5,000 (PV of 60 months of $100 at 7%). > > I think you and I are in agreement. Especially when you can get a free one any day of the week, in pretty much in any community in the country. Nope, that’s not what I’m saying. If that $100 a month made my cat happier and healthier and he didn’t hate taking it, then I might do it. I’m saying it’s all about the situation. BTW, if my mother had late stage Alzheimer’s she wouldn’t have cancer, because we would have already found a humane way to let her die. She demanded that after she watched her father die of it for over 10 years. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355/29 "2011-02-14T21:53:15Z")
It entirely depends upon the prognosis, based upon that critical thing being missing from the OP, there is no use in registering a vote. If the cat will recover and live a long and happy life, quite a bit. If the cat will only get a small extension of painfilled and miserable living, then one has to put the pet down. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355/30 "2011-02-14T21:55:59Z")
What does her being Middle Eastern have to do with it? ---
**Author:** ![gravitycrash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@gravitycrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gravitycrash)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355/31 "2011-02-14T22:05:00Z")
As others have said, it would depend on the age of fluffy. 5 years or less? I could see forking over a 1000 or more. Cats are people too. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355/32 "2011-02-14T22:06:29Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I’m thinking Omar put in the Middle-eastern thing to make it more the equivalent of the cat (not being able to understand English). Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355/33 "2011-02-14T22:08:05Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > What does her being Middle Eastern have to do with it? She doesn’t speak english, like pbbth’s cat. ---
**Author:** ![lizardling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355/34 "2011-02-14T22:09:26Z")
While I can understand wanting to get some insight into your point of view, I started that other thread looking for some reassurance. Not being told that my pet has less value than a barn cat because it’s an indoors cat. And then being more or less implicitly judged by your starting this poll, which I didn’t see until I checked to see what else you had posted in your time on this board. You’re not going to get any enlightenment from this poll. Just that different people put different values on things and the animals that they happen to live with. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355/35 "2011-02-14T22:09:51Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > It entirely depends upon the prognosis, based upon that critical thing being missing from the OP, there is no use in registering a vote. > > If the cat will recover and live a long and happy life, quite a bit. > > If the cat will only get a small extension of painfilled and miserable living, then one has to put the pet down. I can understand why you chose not to vote. For others the prognosis component is not relevant ( or not as relevant), and it becomes more of a financial decision. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355/36 "2011-02-14T22:12:43Z")
> [@lizardling](#): > > And then being more or less implicitly judged by your starting this poll, which I didn’t see until I checked to see what else you had posted in your time on this board. I’m sorry. I’m not judging your opinion or point of view, just expressing one that is different. ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355/37 "2011-02-14T22:13:56Z")
It would depend, always does. I voted up to $500. I would spend WAY more on a dog than a cat as it’s a very different investment. I’ve always thought chemo for cats and dogs was a bit ridiculous. Of course, If I could afford it, I would spend until quality of life was a question. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355/38 "2011-02-14T22:19:55Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > She doesn’t speak english, like pbbth’s cat. Except that we can translate from English into other languages when it comes to humans and we can’t with cats, so I’m still not sure why you brought that up at all. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355/39 "2011-02-14T22:21:48Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Except that we can translate from English into other languages when it comes to humans and we can’t with cats, so I’m still not sure why you brought that up at all. You’re overthinking and attempting to apply some nefarious racist point of view to my post that doesn’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![lizardling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355/40 "2011-02-14T22:22:17Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > I’m sorry. I’m not judging your opinion or point of view, just expressing one that is different. That’s fine, but next time, it would be helpful to have a little more empathy. I wouldn’t tell someone who was stressed over something that was important to them that they could just toss it and replace it for free, to use a comment from your OP. Most of my issue is the way that you chose to express that view, which was rather inappropriate in its timing to say the least. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-spend-on-medical-bills-for-your-cat-before-letting-it-die/571355.md?page=3)