Luckie Kitty's Tail

The story is not complete without touching on the financial aspect of caring for a cat with chronic renal failure or any chronic illness. On top of the commitment of time and energy, funding the endeavor is something that plays into every decision. From emergency room visits to ultrasounds to tube placement procedures, it adds up very fast. We are very fortunate to have been able to manage our finances in order to be able to provide the treatments recommended by our vets. We joked about wanting AVC to name a wing after us for all the money we gave them. In our case, we had to forego some major luxury purchases. Luckie was what we got instead of a big screen TV or a sectional sofa. We often joked that she was our big screen TV. Someday we’ll get those things, but we wouldn’t trade a day that we had her for either of those items.

The other thing that can be difficult is the reaction of friends and family to your choices. Sometimes you get the blatant look or comment expressing how crazy they think you are for spending so much money on a cat. Other times it is a more subtle attitude. Many people do not understand the choice to expend so much money, time and energy on a pet. For us, there was no question. Not only was Luckie a part of our family, she was a living creature who was suffering and we had the means to alleviate that suffering and give her a good quality of life for and indeterminate amount of time.