Saturday, October 25, 2008
I Created Hell for Myself Last Thursday
I created a hell for myself the other day. I voted early for the November 4th elections. As I was leaving the voting station, I accidently backed my car into a railing for the disabled. It was an easy thing to do since the railing was lower than my car. It was the way the parking lot was designed and the placement of the rail because others had hit the end of the railing as well. A couple had just finished voting and the lady looked at the damage and said truthfully that the damage could have been worse. I remarked that it can always be worse. The damage was quite minor, but likely significant enough to exceed my insurance deductible. I haven't gotten an estimate yet. I will likely wait until I go back to West Texas and see what my brother-in-law thinks, but it's almost not worth repairing. But that is not the point. The point is that I got upset over the experience. It got worse. I took my two cats in for preoperative exams. I want to get their teeth cleaned to prevent any problems down the road. It cost me $500 just for the exams. One of my cats has a heart murmur. She had to have an X-ray, and both had to have blood tests. I was taken aback by the sticker shock of it all. I'll have to pay another $500 for the teeth cleaning. So, I had a second shock that day. What bothers me was that I was not more calm and more rational. It bothered me that I damaged my car even though the damage was essentially cosmetic. Then I was bothered by the expense of being responsible for my pets. Most people would give up the exams and the teeth cleanings because of the expense, but then at some point, my cats would suffer the consequences. I don't like to see animals suffer, especially pets. I do wonder though, how many kids I could help in a Sally Struthers country for $1000. Oh, the ways we perpetuate Hell on Earth.
Labels: Hell on Earth
Comments:
<< Home
All sounds expensive John.
I remember the days when we got a kitten from a litter for free. Those kittens not chosen by someone would be put down.
Cats cost nothing dat to day except the cat food they ate.
We took a cat to the vet if it was suffering but there was no regular maintenance like teeth cleaning or shots.
Now my wife takes our 10yo dogs to the vet each year for shots. I tell her that few other owners would be doing that every year and for middle aged dogs.
Whats right and whats wrong is a difficult question.
Pete
I remember the days when we got a kitten from a litter for free. Those kittens not chosen by someone would be put down.
Cats cost nothing dat to day except the cat food they ate.
We took a cat to the vet if it was suffering but there was no regular maintenance like teeth cleaning or shots.
Now my wife takes our 10yo dogs to the vet each year for shots. I tell her that few other owners would be doing that every year and for middle aged dogs.
Whats right and whats wrong is a difficult question.
Pete
Pete,
I haven't been keeping their vaccinations up regularly since they are indoor cats. Also, my old cat developed a sarcoma at the injection site and it had to be removed. Not all vets advocate yearly injections, but the laws do due to rabies. The vets now inject each vaccine at a different spot and note the location to see which vaccine is causing the sarcomas, although if it is a combination of vaccines (they are usually just attenuated viruses) causing the problem, the new methodolgy will eliminate the problem rather than uncover it. I used to get mad at one of them for chewing my cables, but her teeth were in better shape than the one who doesn't chew cables. I can buy a lot of cabling for chewing for $500. There's probably an idea for business there - a flexible tube that a cat or dog can chew that basically works like dental floss for one's pet, though dogs do have chew bones.
John
Post a Comment
I haven't been keeping their vaccinations up regularly since they are indoor cats. Also, my old cat developed a sarcoma at the injection site and it had to be removed. Not all vets advocate yearly injections, but the laws do due to rabies. The vets now inject each vaccine at a different spot and note the location to see which vaccine is causing the sarcomas, although if it is a combination of vaccines (they are usually just attenuated viruses) causing the problem, the new methodolgy will eliminate the problem rather than uncover it. I used to get mad at one of them for chewing my cables, but her teeth were in better shape than the one who doesn't chew cables. I can buy a lot of cabling for chewing for $500. There's probably an idea for business there - a flexible tube that a cat or dog can chew that basically works like dental floss for one's pet, though dogs do have chew bones.
John
<< Home
