“My cat comes first, and worse if I get into debt”: Their pet ruins them

We know it well: committing to welcome a dog, a cat, a hamster or even a goldfish is not a decision to be taken lightly. Because, in addition to providing these little creatures with the attention and love they need on a daily basis, we will also have to spend money on their well-being.

And not just a little. According to an Ifop survey carried out in November 2022 for the specialized media Woopets, the French would spend 59 euros a month to feed their faithful companion, which is equivalent to 708 euros a year. To this expense are added other costs such as veterinary care, toys and accessories, insurance, babysitting. This increases the bill to €943. This is 125 euros more than in 2020.

But for some the rates are even higher. This is the case of our three readers who, in the name of the love they have for their animals, have seen their expenses increase considerably, especially due to veterinary expenses. They tell us.

Read also: Do our pets say something about our personality?

Clémentine: “I spent more than 2,000 euros in veterinary expenses to save one of my cats”

I have been living with my two cats, Isis and Akhenaten (Mimi and Kéké, in everyday life) for almost 17 years. So I’ve shared more than half of my life with them.

They are brother and sister, from the same litter of a stray cat that gave birth in our garden. I was 11 at the time and took great care of them, even before we decided to adopt them. I quickly became their second “mom”, so to speak.

Despite the trifles and meows that sometimes keep me from sleeping, my cats also bring me lots of love and affection. I am the only person they truly trust and love. In 17 years, we formed a very strong bond, we need each other’s presence: when they are away for more than a weekend, they are quite unhappy and feel a real loss. It’s cute and annoying at the same time.

I would say that the most precious thing for me is to save them from the street: their mother died too early for them to look after themselves. I cuddle them and they give me so much love. I think if we hadn’t taken them in, they wouldn’t have survived more than a few years. It gives me great comfort to see them relaxing in the warmth at home, in a comfortable and safe environment.

The main expenses that concern them are clearly croquettes and medicines ! For a long time I have been giving them croquettes at the vet, which easily cost 40 euros a month, and they both have a permanent kidney cure, which costs me about 30 euros a month. Child care and veterinary costs remain occasional.

But when Isis became seriously ill 2 years ago, In less than 2 months I spent more than €2,000 in veterinary expenses to save her. Too bad about the savings, I really wanted to save my cat, who had very little chance of getting away with it – but we did it, and she’s doing great today. Even when everything goes well, I calculate a cost of about 1,000 euros a year for the two of them: food, hygiene, medicines, annual visit to the vet.

When it comes to taking care of them, I no longer count, I care too much about them, too bad if this deprives me of the money I had intended for something else. I know that with this 2,000 euro veto, I could have afforded a nice vacation, but I have only one Isis. The holidays, I will have more.

Ariane: “I had to ask my family and friends for help several times for treatment”

My cat is a tricolor female named Phoebe. She eventually responds less and less, because her hearing isn’t what it used to be. At 17 she doesn’t even open a bag of croquettes to wake her up anymore. She was six months old when I took her to the SPA.

Phoebe has been through all the ups and downs of my life, experienced all my moves. She is a very calm cat, she likes it calm but nevertheless she has managed to adapt without getting too angry with me… She communicates a lot and has quite a wide range of meows so I can easily understand her disappointment and she is very often expressing them loud and clear.

Up to the age of 12, it didn’t cost muchno illness, no particular diet, just a few minor accidents due to great clumsiness: a dislocated kneecap (he had missed climbing down the ladder to my daughter’s bed) and a broken canine (falling off the bed onto the desk).

But since 5 years it has become complicated. So he has kidney failure I have to buy him some special croquettes that are too expensive (between 45 and 50 € for 4 kg for about 3 months). We must also count the visits, once or twice a year, to the vet, which range from 60 to 120 €. Which is also not reckless, but be now at the RSAI had to borrow multiple times from friends or family for treatment.

Now she is followed in the same veterinary clinic and I always specify my economic situation, which saves me many unnecessary tests given her age, they are quite accommodating.

It is true that there are times when I avoided taking her when she should have been receiving certain treatments. And it still happens today. I should get him to see his eyes again, but my current finances won’t allow it. Instead I buy saline and for fleas I comb it out. He hates it, but I save on flea products that cost a fortune.

For the rest of the expenses he no longer plays, he has no basket or scratching post. I live in a house with a garden, she is satisfied with short walks and sleeps in the sun.

The future promises to be painful because indeed, more will be needed, and above all it is closer to chrysanthemums than to baptismal sugared almonds… And it will make me sink into enormous sadness. I am aware of it. The costs in relation to the well-being that I get from having a cat absolutely do not count in the budget. I know that I would always find money to be able to share my life with them, for as long and in the best possible way.

Margaux: “Having a sick animal is a real mental load”

I adopted my cat Gyoza through a charity in May 2021. My hamster had just passed away and with my boyfriend at the time we thought it was the right time to get another companion.

She’s an adorable cat, my life partner, almost like a little girl. She brings me real comfort, emotional support. In the evening he waits for me when I get home from work to cuddle me.

But the problem is that she is sick. He has coryza (a frequent and extremely contagious respiratory disease, incurable, ed), which I didn’t know about when I adopted her. Not a month has gone by since I got her that she hasn’t gotten sick.

I had budgeted for kibble, litter, all those basic expenses that initially should have cost me around €40 a month. But in addition to this there are very high and above all recurring veterinary costs. I don’t have the exact details of how much I’ve spent on Gyoza since adopting her, but we must not be far from €3,500.

During her first year, I took her to the vet at least once every two weeks. At 60€ per visit, excluding drugs (on average from 100 to 200€), I’ll let you do the math! There were also X-rays, neurological examinations (€700), dental procedures (€600), complications following the operation (€200)…

At first there were two of us so we shared the expenses. But since June 2022 I have had to pay for everything myself because I separated from my boyfriend. And since, I’m exposed all the timeI can’t get back on my feet. It’s really heavy.

The worst consequence of his coryza was gingivitis: Gyoza’s teeth were loosening, he couldn’t eat, he was in pain. I tried the treatments for 6 months before having her operated on. I then opened a kitten, because I could not bear all these costs by myself. This netted me €450, so I only had to pay €250 out of my own pocket. I was very touched that my relatives and friends helped me finance this operation, which she badly needed.

Unfortunately, I had to make sacrifices for my cat’s well-being. While I gave him veterinary croquettes, I ended up buying him cheaper kibble. He has had an allergy for some time, he scratches compulsively until he bleeds, but I haven’t paid for the visits to find out the origin of his allergy. It makes me feel very guilty.

I also had to make cuts to my well-being. I have no money saved up now. I pray no problem happen to me because I will not be able to cope financially.

The future worries me a lot. Gyoza is only 2 years old, I tell myself that living like this for another 17 years will be very complicated. Having a sick pet is a real mental load, as can a child. As soon as he meows, I’m afraid to discover a new problem, a new infection. I am worried all the time.

But I love him, he’s my cat. Many people don’t understand that I spend so much on her. You come before everything else, and it’s a pity if I go into debt.

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