Cat Broke His Leg, Vet Wants $10,000

Saul Goodman on 26/04/2022 - 09:33
Last edited 28/04/2022 - 09:46

My cat broke his leg (tibia) on Saturday morning. Since then there has a been a lot of misleading information said to us from the hospital we took him to the same day. We were quoted an orignal price over the phone but that has now blown up to minimum $10000. They said they could do the surgery straight away but then after us paying a $4k deposit, they said they don't have the correct pin size. I do have vet insurance which will cover 70% but it's still going to be out of pocket a lot.

I'm just wondering has anyone had a cat or dog break their leg and how much did you have to pay?

UPDATES

Since some people mistook the whole meaning of this post I will clarify that I got him into our local vet within half an hour of the accident who did xrays and confirmed the break. Then I took him to this particular hospital immediately after because it was the only hospital that said they could do the surgery that day or next - but after doing their own xrays they said they didn't have the exact size pins/needles they needed for such a small cat. Not once have I said I am holding off the surgery and the only question I asked in my post was out of curiosity what other people had paid.

Surgery was Tuesday which all went well and we took him home Wednesday afternoon. He has a massive bandage, 3 pins coming out of his leg and has to wear a collar for the next 6-8 weeks.

Pets

Comments

  • Xistn on 26/04/2022 - 09:36
    +32

    Let your insurance sort it and I hope a speedy recovery for your feline.

  • payless69 on 26/04/2022 - 09:39
    +5

    That is for life number 10!

  • Jason Genova on 26/04/2022 - 09:41
    +69

    how much do you love the cat?

      • Boogerman on 27/04/2022 - 07:14
        +23

        False equivalence

          • TrulyUnicorn on 27/04/2022 - 14:18
            +38

            @fantombloo: being provocative doesn't make you smart lol. You just threw a couple whataboutism out as some kind of virtue signal. It can be a good thing someone is willing to pay thousands for their beloved cat. People can care about what Ukranians are going through. But barging into a thread about someone's cat just to remind a bunch of strangers about the moral argument against eating meat won't actually make them eat less meat, they'll just think your an (profanity).

            • Alderson on 27/04/2022 - 21:18
              +3

              @TrulyUnicorn: Can you really assume afoveht is virtue signalling? Due to this being an anonymous forum, afoveht doesn't really stand to gain anything personally by making this statement here. That would instead suggest to me that it is something they genuinely care about, and that they simply hope people will wake up to the 'moral and behavioural dissonance' (as they put it).

              Furthermore it sounds like afoveht is a vegan, which again means they are doing more than simply 'virtue signalling'

              • fantombloo on 27/04/2022 - 22:21
                +16

                @Alderson: All these charges are basically forms of (psychological) deflection and compensation. There is NEVER a good time to discuss things that people are uncomfortable with, especially when this discomfort is caused by illogical and contradicting notions - "I care about animals but I also want to eat their flesh and wear their skins and sleep on their feathers" - cognitive dissonance in its traditional meaning.

                For all we know these people are 50 times as virtuous as me, whatever that means, or the opposite, but that's not really what matters here - it's just their way to skirt the topic they don't want to discuss.

                In any event, vegans don't see veganism as virtuous - not any more than, say, not owning slaves or not being racist or not killing people - these are things we see as basic decencies, basic respect for individual rights. These are minimal moral obligations, not virtues. The only people that see these things as virtuous are those that think they are over and above minimal expectations. Any idea of virtue here is external.

                • hayne on 28/04/2022 - 01:27
                  +2

                  @fantombloo: @afoveht: OP is not saying "I care about animals" - he is saying he cares about his specific pet.

                  I'm sure there are people in your life you love. Just because you love a specific person, surely doesn't mean you love all human beings.

                  Otherwise, to extrapolate what you just said, then presumably this summarises your worldview: "I love human beings but I'm also comfortable going on a forum and imposing my vegan views on them knowing full well I'm going to upset and offend a good portion of them". And if that's the case, doesn't that make you a hypocrite?

                • bobolo on 28/04/2022 - 14:31
                  +5

                  @fantombloo: FWIW, I love eating animals, wearing their fur, and would never, ever spend $10k to fix my pet cat.

            • Scantu on 28/04/2022 - 23:26
              +2

              @TrulyUnicorn: All it takes is having one adverse to popular belief opinion and you see immediately how most people fall apart at the seams when you even slightly confront them.

          • The Wololo Wombat on 27/04/2022 - 17:24

            @fantombloo: Are you, per chance, a vegan?

          • Deezy88 on 29/04/2022 - 11:11

            @fantombloo: Nail on the head!

        • Scantu on 28/04/2022 - 23:24
          +1

          Nice I just looked up what False equivalence means and it totally says: "Use blindly to refute a point that is completely valid yet makes you uncomfortable with no further arguments!"

          • Boogerman on 29/04/2022 - 07:22
            -1

            @Scantu: Was that while sitting on the porcelain throne & researching facebook for Covid-19 'cures'?

            • Scantu on 30/04/2022 - 00:38
              +1

              @Boogerman: Bad insult, not accurate, not thematic, not even slightly relevant, try again

              • Boogerman on 30/04/2022 - 06:33
                -2

                @Scantu: Says the guys who needs to ‘look up’ false equivalence. LOL.

                • Scantu on 30/04/2022 - 19:20

                  @Boogerman: I'm sorry that doesn't cut it either it's lame and not good

      • mikekiwimike on 27/04/2022 - 08:02
        +2

        I wouldn't spend the $1 to have an animal processed for consumption, I expect that to be a part of the cost of the Steak I buy. When I head out fishing though, I do pay much more in petrol, bait and running costs. Either way I would pay to eat or to save.

        • cameldownunder on 27/04/2022 - 22:18

          You catching much ? If i would put a price tag on a Kg of fish I catch, it probably would be in the thousands ( I know, I am a lousy fisherman )

      • Not SkyNet on 27/04/2022 - 08:22
        +10

        Wow do you go looking for threads to try and throw your ideals around. Did the OP say they were going to get their cat's leg fixed and then ducking to KFC for a feed? No they asked for peoples opinion on helping their furry friend not for you to come in on your high horse thinking you are better then others (spoiler .. you are not ).

        Now in future how about you stay in your lane and only give opinions when asked for them I think a lot of people would appreciate that . and guess what because you wanted to stir stuff up; for lunch I'm going to go get a nice ribeye steak to enjoy , I will give my offcuts to my cats who will also love it and I would pay what was needed to keep them happy also , note they are indoor cats so have never been outside to hunt and never will before you try and jump on that bandwagon too of attacking them also.

        • thwarted on 27/04/2022 - 13:32
          +2

          What? Why are you telling someone "..stay in your lane and only give opinions when asked.."

          Sounds very close-minded and entitled to me.

          Not sure that you'd be the type of person to have an engaging conversation with.

          Cheerio.

          • Not SkyNet on 27/04/2022 - 16:53
            +4

            @thwarted: I happily chat and debate items that I don't agree with but i will not give the time of day to anyone who uses someone else traumatic event to try and preach their ideals.

            They could have created their own post if they liked and discussed it there but to try and do it on someone else's post where they never even said anything about eating animals (the OP could even be a vegan for all we know) is the wrong place and people are showing that with their downvotes.

            • s1Lence on 29/04/2022 - 16:51

              @Not SkyNet: More like people are showing their mob mentality and trying to hush the guy bringing their wrongdoings and hypocrisy to light. Reminds me of when a group of religious people are having a conversation and if an atheist mentions anything outside of their beliefs they'd do the same thing as you guys and say shit like "not the time/place" or "only give opinions when asked for", that's just not how online forums work

              • Not SkyNet on 04/05/2022 - 08:09

                @s1Lence: Oh you mean like when the conversation has nothing to do with a topic and they blurt out something to make the conversation about what they want and their ideals? Yep agree that is fully annoying and typical of people who think they have the right to take over a conversation and say stuff like " MY dog/cat is vegan too as that is how it should be !!" .

                People who preach their ideals when it is not even related to the conversation just like to hear themselves speak and pretend to be holier then thou.
                And your analogy does not work if religious people are talking about cake, does that give the atheist the right to walk up and say "I don't believe in your God"? no it does not, it just makes them an annoying individual. Same goes if it a bunch of atheists talking and a religious person walks up and tries the same thing.
                There is a time and a place for debating and this person picked the wrong place to do it.

                • s1Lence on 04/05/2022 - 12:17

                  @Not SkyNet: It clearly has something to do with the topic which is why he mentioned it, if you can't see the relevance of his comment to this thread that's your fault not his.

                  • Not SkyNet on 04/05/2022 - 15:02

                    @s1Lence: no their point was not related other then to try and make an statement while someone was talking about the stress from a beloved pet being injured,
                    People that do this are the type of person that also think it is fine to voice their beliefs at a funeral of someone you do not agree with.

                    Anyone one can make something sound related via six degrees of separation it does not mean that you should.

                • thwarted on 05/05/2022 - 15:34
                  -1

                  @Not SkyNet: hmmm skynet, you're still sounding close minded and entitled…. also now a bit pig-headed, but go for it buddy. Just try not to get too angry in the process.

                  • Not SkyNet on 06/05/2022 - 09:04
                    -1

                    @thwarted: Really?? ok those words hurt, I guess I will have to stop calling out entitled people who think their beliefs are better and want to try and jump on soapboxes where they shouldn't.

                    Nah just kidding as you can see you can call me whatever you want, I will still call people out on their bull crap disguised as their "virtuous view".
                    Like I said before people are happy to debate stuff but do it in the right place.
                    Also you can think what you think about me I will live with it, I grew up in the country and accept others will not have the same views as me which they have all right to but i will not take it personally.

                    Have a great day :)

      • JelIyfish on 27/04/2022 - 10:30
        +8

        If I reading this correctly you are suggesting to eat the cat?

      • Alderson on 27/04/2022 - 11:23
        +9

        You're getting a lot of downvotes, but I think you make a pretty solid observation and perhaps we just don't like being called out like this.

        I'd be very interested to see people's counterarguments. Clearly plenty of people dislike your statement, but no one seems to be able to articulate why it is wrong…

        • Not SkyNet on 27/04/2022 - 11:51
          +8

          It was wrong as it was not the place to voice it, the OP was stressed about the cats injury and the cost, and that other person decided "I'm gonna make a soapbox and get on it and voice my opinions here". everyone is free to have their own opinion but there is a time and a place.
          Hell they could have even created their own post if they liked and discussed it there but to try and do it on someone else's post where they never even said anything about eating animals (the OP could even be a vegan for all we know) is the wrong place and people are showing that with their downvotes.

        • fantombloo on 27/04/2022 - 11:57
          -3

          I'd be very interested to see people's counterarguments.

          I've not seen any substantive ones and I've been looking for them for years.

          If you are genuinely interested in the topic I suggest this example to provoke your own thought.

      • Munki on 27/04/2022 - 11:40
        +5

        I'd like to know where you're getting meat for a dollar.

        • gimli on 29/04/2022 - 18:06
          +1

          i'm sure you'd like to know when the super market meat specials are mister OPM! :P

          • Munki on 02/05/2022 - 09:03

            @gimli: Can't miss a good sale!

      • ego22 on 27/04/2022 - 14:42
        -1

        How the universe has always been and always will be, does not change because of your personal "feelings" about it…

      • [Deactivated] on 30/04/2022 - 19:49

        Even mcdonald's chicken nuggets don't cost a dollar. Wtf is this mystery meat you speak of? Earthworms?

    • Hangryuman on 28/04/2022 - 13:37
      +2

      I've read that the average cat owner pays about $700 per year for the upkeep of the cat

      so $10K should cover about 13 years - there's your lucky number - is it a black cat ?

  • blingerz on 26/04/2022 - 09:46
    +16

    My dog was hit by a car and broke his leg a year ago. It cost me $7200 - I didn't have insurance :(

    • ntt on 29/04/2022 - 14:30
      +1

      don't let us hanging there, what's next? you paid or else?

  • Mokr on 26/04/2022 - 09:48
    +8

    you should put away $5 a week for pets if you don't have any insurance

    • holdenmg on 26/04/2022 - 10:06
      +49

      After 1 week = $5

      After 1 year = $260

      After 10 years = $2600`

      $5 a day might be a plan…

      • Saul Goodman on 26/04/2022 - 10:16
        +27

        In my case he is only 13 months old so that would be $25 a day lmao

      • FourBeanMix on 29/04/2022 - 08:47
        +1

        don't forget about compound interest

    • brendanm on 26/04/2022 - 10:06
      +39

      Op would have the $10k paid off in only 2000 weeks.

      • MS Paint on 26/04/2022 - 10:10
        +26

        So if you start saving the day you are born you can afford a cat at 38 years of age; if my maths is correct.

        • Richmond Tigers on 26/04/2022 - 10:13
          +28

          Applying the Scomo logic of buying a house to pet insurance, I am impressed.

          • Krankite on 26/04/2022 - 13:02
            +40

            @Richmond Tigers: Better yet he should have just been blessed with a cat that doesn't have a broken leg.

        • brendanm on 26/04/2022 - 10:20
          +6

          Correct. As long as you don't get another vet bill in the next 38 years, it'll be all good.

        • jv on 26/04/2022 - 10:27
          +1

          Not if you invested in bitcoins 38 years ago.

        • Heaps for Cheaps on 27/04/2022 - 09:59
          +1

          Pets are a luxury

          • cookie2 on 28/04/2022 - 14:04
            +1

            @Heaps for Cheaps: Don't know why you got negged. It's true. We're just mostly lucky enough to want and also afford the luxury. Luxury doesn't mean inessential, I highly value the positive life impacts of having a pet. But it's still a luxury that not all are afforded. Look at pet ownership in poorer developing nations as a comparison to developed.

            • Heaps for Cheaps on 28/04/2022 - 16:09
              -1

              @cookie2: The -1 was sadly from a selfish person who can't afford nor look after a pet but thinks they deserve one, but will dump it at the first inconvenience. Sad person with a sad life.

              "Look at pet ownership in poorer developing nations as a comparison to developed." - That's a really observational POV that I hadn't thought of.

      • cameldownunder on 27/04/2022 - 22:22

        Sorry to hear about OP's cat. I hope insurance will cover most. When pets are getting sick, it's always a hard choice.
        Maybe OP can (re)pay the operation in instalments ?

    • girafficlight on 28/04/2022 - 13:34
      +1

      we have two cats pay 20$ each cat each paycheck and have over 3k, they're both indoor cats, so probs won't have any real issues. If they don't use it, it will be a house deposit in a couple of years :P

      • BlahBlahBlaah on 29/04/2022 - 18:38

        So each pay cheque you put aside $40, assuming you get paid weekly you save $2080 a year. In a couple of years you'll save $4160. Add that to the $3000 you already have accrued and in 2024 you'll have $7160 for a 'house deposit?' At 10% deposit, you're buying a $71.6k house.

        I guess the premise of your assumption is Anthony Albanese becoming Prime Minister and he and that crony Chalmers absolutely obliterating our economy. I guess there's a chance

        • girafficlight on 29/04/2022 - 22:15

          Ahh I love when people get so into comments on here 🤔😂

  • Traveller107 on 26/04/2022 - 09:54
    +14

    A friends cat was hit by a car long time ago. All up cost them around 13k in surgeries and they had no insurance. They put their mortgage repayments on hold and did the right thing by immediately getting the cat all the help it needed. That was 9 years ago and she's still a part of their happy family :)

    If your cat broke her leg on Saturday then it's been in pain and discomfort for a lot of days already. Just get her the help needed. It's incredibly cruel to let her suffer like this for so long while looking for budget options. You already have insurance and will be out of pocket only a couple of grands. Do the right thing What are you even waiting for?

      • orangetrain on 26/04/2022 - 11:08

        To be fair, it sounds like they're one of those cat freedom freedom freedom owners.

        • Nickels n Dimes on 26/04/2022 - 13:50

          People like that deserve no sympathy for astronomical vet bills.

      • thefinalproblems on 26/04/2022 - 11:11
        +26

        Everyone is entitled to spend their money how they want. If the friend considers the cat a family member, which I suspect they do, the cat just can't be replaced with another one. It's not as simple as that when people are significantly attached to something.

        You can laugh at them all you want, but in all honesty, people spend large amounts of money on things that are even more baffling than that.

        • EightImmortals on 26/04/2022 - 11:49

          I wasn't laughing at them, we've lost pets so we know how it feels.

          • aboogee on 27/04/2022 - 18:45
            +6

            @EightImmortals: This pretty much tells me I’m not getting a pet. I do feel it’s cruel not to give an injured animal the help it needs but no way I’m spending more than 1k on a pet when I skimp on everything in my daily life.

            • EightImmortals on 28/04/2022 - 06:21
              +1

              @aboogee: And there's also the question of whether keeping the animal alive is actually going to extend their suffering. I wouldn't want to keep a pet alive for my own comfort if I knew that the animal would be in some kind of pain from injuries for a long time. But that's just me.

            • peppet on 28/04/2022 - 16:40

              @aboogee: Now that's the right mentality - don't get a pet if you know you won't or can't spend 1000s on them if needed. Too many people do and they end up abandoned in shelters.

            • ThadtheChad on 29/04/2022 - 09:59

              @aboogee: Good call here.

              I'd always say folks need to really dig into the true cost of adopting a pet and then assess whether they are ready or not. Being able to afford the usual kibble and vaccines is just the tip of the iceberg.

        • Hangryuman on 28/04/2022 - 13:52

          should I spend $10K on my fur baby !?!?

          my fur coat you should …

        • harthagan on 28/04/2022 - 20:19

          Well said, I know of people who have put through over 100k into the pokies over the years easily. Others spend $300 per week on smokes, that's 15k in a year.

          Compared to those things, spending 13k on saving a pet that you love is actually money well spent.

      • Caped Baldy on 26/04/2022 - 11:21
        +1

        Crazy money, but pets are family members for a lot of people. I'd feel guilty if I replaced it.

      • Domingo on 26/04/2022 - 11:21
        +14

        so by that logic if your child needed braces, you'd just replace it for free at your local orphanage?

      • Nickels n Dimes on 26/04/2022 - 13:47
        +5

        Until recently the RSPCA charged about $200-300 for a pet adoption, far from 'free'.
        Since Covid lockdown ended, they have been overwhelmed with dumped/returned moggies and woofers, so they temporarily slashed the price.

        • EightImmortals on 26/04/2022 - 15:02
          +2

          That's really sad.

        • geoffs87 on 27/04/2022 - 13:28
          +1

          Not sure about that, there was a thread about this on another post:

          https://www.ozbargain.com.au/comment/11978420/redir

          I did some maths on it, not only are dumped/returns decreasing, adoption rates are increasing (according to RSPCA data anyway)

          Also interesting to see the dog adoption rates steadily increasing (86%, 87%, 88%, 89% between FY18 and FY21), and euthanasia is decreasing. Also, the numbers received are decreasing at positive rates too (-10%, -16%, -17%, -21% YoY for the same period).

          • Cyphar on 27/04/2022 - 23:48
            +1

            @geoffs87: Yes for dogs.

            More cats than ever are being dumped. I volunteer at a shelter. We've always had the capacity to accept cats. We no longer can.

            • geoffs87 on 28/04/2022 - 09:42
              +1

              @Cyphar: :( thats sad. Props to you for volunteering at a shelter - i'd find it too heartbreaking personally!

      • Prince K on 26/04/2022 - 17:17
        +2

        I hope one day when you need to go to a hospital, your family also decides no since you can also be replaced for free

        • EightImmortals on 27/04/2022 - 06:37
          +6

          Wow with comments like that I'll bet you have a university education. Are you really equating cats with people? What about goldfish, are they the equal of humans too?

          • Prince K on 27/04/2022 - 10:06
            +2

            @EightImmortals: And I bet you don’t. Normally no I wouldn’t equate cats with people or wish something like that on others… but you obviously are not a decent human being otherwise you wouldn’t make an insensitive comment like that when op is worried for his cat. I value normal human and indecent human differently

      • macrocephalic on 27/04/2022 - 10:36

        I should cancel my family health insurance, have you seen how cheap you can get new families from Ukraine, Philippines, or Afghanistan?

      • cameldownunder on 27/04/2022 - 22:23

        Yes and No, not our call to make, nor to judge,

    • Saul Goodman on 26/04/2022 - 11:02
      +65

      Here is the same reply I said to someone that quoted your post.

      Don't you dare make an accusation like that to me. I got him into our local vet within half an hour of the accident who did xrays and confirmed the break. Then I took him to this particular hospital immediately after because it was the only hospital that said they could do the surgery that day or next - but after doing their own xrays they said they didn't have the exact size pins/needles they needed for such a small cat. Not once have I said I am holding off the surgery and the only question I asked in my post was out of curiosity what other people had paid.

      • PopCounty on 27/04/2022 - 10:27
        +1

        You have Goodman’s Soul !

        • Hangryuman on 28/04/2022 - 13:54

          as opposed to the usual R Souls …

        • E C on 28/04/2022 - 18:35

          Saul Goodman?

      • Ulysses31 on 28/04/2022 - 22:00
        -1

        But you upvoted their comment. I’m confused

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