Egads... tired... gah.

[mousme]

Today was a looooooooooooooong day.

Brought the car to the parental units, went to band practice. Started work on the new Soopar Seekrit Prodjikt while having tea with toughlovemuse and luvenditti. Had a latent-ish migraine all day, which didn't help.

Tea was lovely, until poor Jake, toughlovemuse's elderly Russian blue cat, got quite ill under our noses. An hour later, maybe even less than that, we were all (that is me, luvenditti, toughlovemuse and chibipunkdemon) at the all-night emergency vet's with the kitty in tow (kitty was *not* happy about being in the carrier), waiting to see a vet. luvenditti and I went in search of food, and we spent the next five hours or so in the waiting room.

It took four hours before Jake got in to see the vet. luvenditti lucked out by finding a deck of cards lying on a table, so we whiled away the hours chatting about bad movies and playing Crazy Eights and Gin Rummy. We played one game of "Go Fish" which chibipunkdemon won after two rounds. We decided Go Fish wasn't as fun now as when we were seven years old, and went back to Crazy Eights.

Jake is spending the night at the vet's, so that they can get some fluids in him and run some tests.

To the people on my flist who do that sort of thing: I think lighting a candle/thinking good thoughts/saying a prayer for Jake would be very appreciated. He's a good cat. :)


I'm going to bed now. Long, long day.

Comments

[mousme.livejournal.com]

What the hell is it about vets and money? You weren't around for the Saga of the World's Most Expensive Ear Infection, but suffice it to say that my vet (not the usual one, the partner) managed to reduce me to tears by telling me I was a heartless bitch who clearly didn't care if her cat was suffering, all because I told them that the operation they wanted to perform on Gretzky would cost me three weeks' salary, and I just. didn't. have. the. money.

So, I feel your pain.

[tcaptain.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah....

My conversation sounded like I was talking to a really creepy five year old, she just wouldn't budge:

Vet: We don't know what's wrong with your cat, we'd like to run (incredibly expensive 500 test) and it could go as high as an addition 1200 dollars for treatement if we find (list options here)

Me: Well I've already spent the last 350 dollars I had coming here and getting THOSE tests. Can we come to some sort of payment arrangement or credit plan?

Vet: We don't do that, sorry.

Me: *incredibly guilty sad sigh* Well I guess I'll take him home then

Vet: But your pet could die!

Me: I don't have the money.

Vet: but he could DIE!

Me: I don't have the money...you don't take credit arrangements...what part of that don't you get??

Vet: If you take him home sir, he COULD be dead by morning.

Me: "Could"? I thought you said you didn't know what was wrong?

Vet: Well that's why we need (incredibly expensive test) to find out if he does?

Me: And if he doesn't?

Vet: Well I would suggest another (incredibly expensive test) to be sure

Me: I. DO. NOT. HAVE. THE. MONEY.

Vet: But your pet could DIE! (strident now)

Me: Are you saying "could" as in, its LIKELY he's going to die? Or "could" as in "well its possible that a large piece of furniture MIGHT fall on him and kill him or a meteorite could crash through the ceiling"

Vet: I can't answer that.

Me: Why not?

Vet: Well I mean everything's a possibility...

Me: I'm outta here.

Sure enough, Iago was fine by morning...I did sleep a sleepless night harassing him and watching him...but he was fine. My mother used the incident as a lecture on fiscal responsibility (like I SHOULD keep several thousand dollars on hand at all times...wish I could).

Ugh.

All over that place are brochures outlining WHY vet costs MUST be high...I found that a little trite. I'm certainly not against vets being paid and for treatments to be paid of course...but I think sometimes they go a little far into the guilt factor and I get the feeling some are not against unscrupulously "running up the bill". My regular vet's always been really good, but sadly they aren't open 24 hours.

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Huh. Jake got much better service than that, and it looks like they've since removed a lot of the brochures. I'm also very surprised that they didn't want to accommodate a payment plan (not that Iago needed it, thankfully), because they had posters and brochures lying around dealing with precisely that.

Maybe they got enough complaints that they changed their tune. ;)

[tcaptain.livejournal.com]

I certainly hope :)

I definitely would not be against a reasonable payment plan if I thought my cats needed care. I'm glad that it sounds like they might be changing things. I just hope I don't have to go there again :)

I looked into the pet health insurance, but I found the premiums quite pricy. I might look at that again now, thinking about it. Iago is getting old, he's 9..which isn't decrepit, but certainly middle-aged. Smoky's not far behind.