Pepper Cat

How could anyone spend a few thousand dollars on a cat? Let me tell you it happens in degrees. I never in a million years thought I'd be one of those people who could do it but...

When I got home from a weeklong conference I felt a lump under our cat Pepper's chin. I took him to our vet. Stan is very gentle, never an alarmist, he said surgery. Really? This is far more serious than I thought it would be bummer. Okay, how much? Pre-op, blood work, meds probably $700. The first degree. Well, I think he's worth it. Oh he is Stan agreed. We scheduled surgery. Rod, my husband was more convinced it was worth it than I.

Wednesday Pepper had surgery. It did not go well and by midnight we had had three calls from the vet. Pepper was transferred to a pet emergency hospital and had a trach tube in his throat. Now, I'm not thinking cost (it literally didn’t enter my mind there was a price to pay for all this) I'm thinking save my cat.

Thursday was a better day. Rod visited Pepper on the way to work. Zach and I went after school. Pepper still can't come home, they told me. Oh. Okay. I’d be scared to have at home right now, but what will this cost? They asked for a deposit to continue care . . . $1700. This will cover the emergency trach last night and an estimate for the next 24 hours. Oh. Sure, I guess. We are still waiting to hear if Pepper’s lump is cancer or not. So yeah, I guess keep him alive till we know. Another degree.

Friday morning. The previous night was a bad one. He needs a blood transfusion. Really. You can do that in cats? How much? Type and cross match and the blood, $600. Type and cross match isn’t that something they say on tv? This is getting strange? How far will I go? Pepper needs this, it will really help. The vets were all very understanding of the financial and emotional stresses yet we still had to decide. Okay do it. The money has gotten out of hand but this will be the fix that turns the corner I am sure. Hope. Another degree.

Next we find out Pepper does not have cancer. It might have been easier to stop here. He’s terminal so we can put him down. However we've gone this far and he’s getting better. Lots of discussion with vets, techs, and our family of three. We decide to go forward. It will be a $2000 deposit this time. Another degree. Okay. I have become someone who is spending thousands on an animal. Petting Pepper in his hospital cage I can’t bring my self to say “Stop it’s time to quit.” It’s too late we’ve done too much to save him.

Saturday morning we get a call and Pepper is doing much better, still a few worries but he'll probably go home by Sunday. There is another estimate of cost and this time it is only a 3-digit number for 24 hours, compared to the previous days it seems so small. We pay. Another degree.

In the midst of all the phone calls and honest questions of cost I told our vet, Stan, I am not sure how to decide to continue, "We've already spent nearly $4000." He was surprised by the expense and said he was so sorry. Later he called to tell me he and the surgeon at his office have decided to refund our $550 for the original surgery so we can use that money to continue Pepper's care at the pet hospital. I was overwhelmed by his generosity. This must be a vote of confidence, Pepper is bound to pull through now.

So that is how it happens, by degrees, slowly making quick decisions that add up to thousands of dollars. Pepper came home Saturday evening and is recovering. It will be weeks till he is himself again. There is a silver lining on the money issue. Our tax refund is larger than usual (because of job changes) and it will all be spent on the Furry One. We're okay with that, surprised and certainly would have liked to use the money for something else but it is in fact money well spent. Who knew I would ever say that.

I try to find the “ah-ha moments” about events in my life. Sometimes the event is simple, a splashy sunset and the “ah-ha” is plain: Life is good. Nature is amazing. God loves me. The events of this week had me pondering. I don’t believe all this happened to teach me a lesson, nonetheless I look for an “ah-ha.” We went to extraordinary lengths (financial and emotional) to save a cat. Many would not agree with our choices. In fact just a week ago I wouldn’t have agreed with my choices. Here’s the thing, our efforts were completely out of proportion for an animal, it was outrageous but we did it anyway, we love him. I took the thought one degree further. God’s love for us is outrageous, he died for us. Being crucified was completely out of proportion, we didn’t deserve it but he did it anyway, he loves us.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16

Posted 4/25/2006 @ 7:32 PM | Weekly Thoughts