The Secret Expenses of Animals

So, you’re getting ready to move out onto your own. Either you’re starting college, setting-up shop in off-campus housing, or beginning your “adult life” somewhere far away from the safety of your parents’ basement.

By Jess

And you know what would go great with this newfound individuality? A pet. Right?

Something fluffy and cuddly that will always be there when you get home and love you unconditionally, something to keep you company on those long nights when no one calls and all you’ve got is the Food Network to keep you from plummeting into a chasm of mind-numbing boredom.

Something small, cute, simple.

Not to sound like your mom, but it ain’t as simple as you think.

I learned a very expensive lesson this week; having a pet isn’t easy. Especially when they get sick.

For some reason, a week ago, my cat started throwing up all over the place. It was gross, and scary, and after a day or so of cleaning up cat puke, my roommate and I decided to take her to the emergency room.

Something was wrong with her, the doctors agreed, but what that thing exactly was no one could figure out. Four days and $1000 later, they released her, saying she probably just ate something bad.

After staring at the bill and mentally erasing that cute skirt I was planning to buy and preparing myself to ingest peanut butter sandwiches for weeks, I limped home, cringing as the doctor called after me. “If she doesn’t eat in two days, you’re going to have to bring her here and we’re going to have to do surgery!”

When we adopted our cat, we didn’t waste one minute thinking about how expensive it would be if she got sick. We didn’t think about the annual shots and check-ups that cost anywhere between $60-$100. We didn’t think about vacations and where she’d go during them. And we certainly didn’t count on the fact that she’d get into everything…routinely eating objects that were plastic, rubber, and disgusting.

Neither my roommate or I regret adopting our Kitta, but had I thought about all this stuff beforehand, and done the calculations, I’m not sure if we would have jumped into it so quickly. We love her, we’re glad she’s here, but we’re also hundreds of dollars poorer.

If you’ve got the money, the space, and the time to devote to an animal, then by all means, adopt away. But just remember, these living creatures don’t come for free…and if they eat your hair elastic, it’s gonna cost a lot of green stuff to get it out.