Pet Peeves — literally speaking, or bills, bills, bills

Vidya Sury & Karen Schwartz (Great minds!): What is your biggest pet peeve?

My pet peeves are literally just that — pet peeves. In her own story, Lynn L. Alexander usefully quotes Grammarist.com, reminding us that “pet peeve” derives from the combination of the word pet, meaning “an especially cherished thing,” and the word peeve, meaning “irritated or exasperated.” Let me add one more detail: Peeve is derived from a late 14th-century word peyvesshe, meaning “perverse or capricious,” likely originating from the Latin perversus.

What am I referring to? Vet bills for my pets, or more specifically, for my cats! Because the amounts feel perfectly “perverse” and “capricious!” Although I suspect there are probably more than a few who agree that vet bills can feel pretty steep at times.

Let me start with Charlie. In April, this little bonnie prince, bon vivant, and glutton devoured his portion as well as his sister Georgie’s Fancy Feast beef in gravy. He suffered soft stools as a consequence. But because the little furry bastard hates anyone touching or wiping his butt — let alone being bathed, I had to take him to the vet.

Now granted, he was actually already overdue for a visit — and the following invoice covers a standard annual exam and rabies shot. But it also includes a blood test, anesthesia, and some meds. So my little king had a king-sized bill to match — $952.94.

Then he had another check-up in July since his potassium levels were low. Just $384.50: what a “bargain” by comparison!

I had hoped there would be no more vet visits for a while since his labs turned out well. Alas, last Thursday, barely a month later, he would not eat — not even his favorite Lickables. So as you can all imagine, I started to panic. After all, I had just lost Georgie on May 17 and couldn’t bear to lose Charlie just three months later. (This was also compounded by the death by water spill of my laptop on Wednesday, necessitating the purchase of a replacement — but I digress.)

The next morning, he looked better and had definitely regained his appetite. Whew — but then I smelled something horrible and realized, oops, he did it again! He had diarrhea and needed another serious cleaning and shave again. I swear, every time Charlie diarrheas (there, just turned it into a verb!), he drains my pockets too. Here’s the damage on Friday, $397.68:

Now, mind you, these are just Charlie’s bills. My late Georgie had bills of $460, $510, $171, and another $500 or so from March through May: the last included euthanasia, a rosewood box for her ashes and a pawprint.

But it’s not just vet fees. Food is expensive too. Since my cats will only eat Fancy Feast Savory Centers and a few other foods and treats, I’m spending nearly a $100 a month on food, litter, and treats on one tiny 7.8 lb. cat.

I don’t know about you, but I think these prices are insane, made even worse by inflation. I’d hate to think what would happen if I were any more destitute. Could this be the reason why so many pets are dumped or returned to shelters — because the owner simply can’t afford the upkeep?

Then I think back to Georgie. I had the choice of getting surgery and follow-up visits for her which would involve weekly bandage changing and anesthesia. Maybe if I weren’t only an adjunct professor and editor, I could afford to spend at least $8000 on surgery, bandage changing, and other therapeutics. But because I wasn’t sure if any of this could prolong a 15-year-old cat’s life by much — especially since she already had Stage 3 kidney disease — I opted for euthanasia. After all, I had heard far too many stories of other pet owners opting for surgeries on their dogs, just to have them die less than a week later. Yet, knowing this doesn’t stop me from feeling guilty, wondering if have shortchanged her. It hurts, adding more pain on top of grief.

Because pet ownership is a well-known health benefit, I believe that everyone should be able to own a pet if they so desire. Pets add so much comfort to our lives! Rich and poor should be able to enjoy the love and company of a cat, dog, rabbit, guinea pig, or any other pet they want. So let’s reduce costs for pet upkeep. After all, folks like me born in the 1960s can still recall when food and vet bills were nowhere near as high in the 1980s, 90s, or even the 2000s.

Time for me to step on my soapbox: tuition for vet school, and indeed, ALL HIGHER EDUCATION, should be reduced drastically. Remember that many vets and doctors charge as much as they do partly because of exorbitant schooling costs which have gone up exponentially since the 1980s. My own alma mater has gone up from roughly $11,000 a year for tuition, room, and board in the early ’80s to $74,000 today. This is why a much greater percentage of college students work their way through college today than back in my undergraduate days.

Now, to end on a lighter note, please help my articles go viral — so I can pay my vet bills! (Just kidding.)

© Frances A. Chiu, August 21, 2023. All rights reserved.