Should I have to pay for vet fees for a stray cat?

Monsclara

Hi

I have 3 cats. Recently a stray appeared and I fed it as it was starving. It's very friendly and I assumed someone locally owned it - definitely not feral. But it keeps turning up at my house looking for food. I advertised it on the lost pet website, but no one has claimed it. I decided to take it to my vet to see if it was microchipped as I'm worried that one or more of my own cats will disappear given there is a stray hanging around. It isn't microchipped nor is it neutered. Vet advised that it has to be neutered straightaway, BUT I have to pay €50 for the neutering. This seems a bit absurd to me as I don't want the cat - I was hoping the vet could help find it a home. Is this the norm for veterinary practice?

ElleEm

That is so strange. Unless the vet thinks the cat is yours and you are trying to get a free neutering!
It isn't your cat, I would be telling the vet that you will not be paying for it, so not to neuter the cat.

anniehoo

It is with one vet practice in Blanchardstown anyway as I had a similar query last year. They'd give me a "discount" for neutering a stray.I think it was a 20% discount something like that. I couldn't catch the flipper in the end so I didnt need to do it. I don't actually blame vets for charging tbh. Vets have huge overheads and ops like neutering require consumables, anaesthesia and staff costs aswell as lighting/heating etc.They aren't charities so I don't see a problem with offering a discounted scheme. It just doesn't encourage people to want to help strays though. There's also nothing stopping cheeky people turning up on their doorstep pretending they have a stray.

I'd advise to try and find a TNR (trap neuter release) scheme in your area if possible.

Nody

Of course they would ask you to pay it for the same reason you don't accept random work from a stranger on the street either; you brought in the cat so it's your responsibility to pay for what ever examination etc. the vet does because as far as the vet is concerned it's your cat and decision to bring it in (and by extension it's also your call if you neuter it or not but anniehoo got a good point about finding a TNR organization).

boomerang

I think the vet is simply thinking what's in the cat's best interest - which is to spay/neuter straight away. But he's also giving you a very good discount. €50 will really only cover the materials/anaesthetic cost. He's not going to make a profit.

I honestly don't know of any vet that would spay/neuter a stray animal for free. If you're asking if the vet should pay, the answer is no - no more than yourself.

Monsclara

Well, to be quite candid - it's not my cat, nor do I want it to be my cat - quite the opposite in fact as I'm concerned my own cats may disappear. So bottom line, the vet can do what he likes with it. I would have thought putting it to sleep with be a sensible option. I may as well have left it to starve and roam to do what he wants.

Monsclara

boomerang wrote: »

I think the vet is simply thinking what's in the cat's best interest - which is to spay/neuter straight away. But he's also giving you a very good discount. €50 will really only cover the materials/anaesthetic cost. He's not going to make a profit.

I honestly don't know of any vet that would spay/neuter a stray animal for free. If you're asking if the vet should pay, the answer is no - no more than yourself.

Boomerang - what is in the cat's best interest? Spay it and then what? Leave it to stray and get into all sorts of difficulties?

boomerang

Well you shouldn't have dumped the 'problem' on the vet then. Why assume responsibility lies with him?

God forbid any of your cats ever get lost and land up with someone with the same attitude.

boomerang

Monsclara wrote: »

Boomerang - what is in the cat's best interest? Spay it and then what? Leave it to stray and get into all sorts of difficulties?

Oh, I'm sorry, I assumed you would do something to try and help the cat, like advertise it to find it a home, or contact some of the cat rescues local to you to see if they could help you in homing it.

Big C

<snip>Pointless post is pointless....

salsagal

Depending on where in the country you're based,<snip>. They'll ear-tip it so it's marked a a feral that's been neutered.

I'd suggest, if you can get a collar on it, with one of those little capsules for writing the cats address etc. you could ask if anyone owns the cat to contact you or else you're getting it neutered and ear-tipped.

Please don't have the cat put to sleep, at the very least you could contact a few rescues and see if anyone could re-home it. I know they're all very swamped at the moment - coming to the end of kitten season, but if you were patient enough to feed it for the next short while until a resuce could find a foster home for it, then I'm sure they'd be happy to take it from you and find it a furever home.

If it's neutered there'll be less territorial fighting and that's a good thing for your cats too.

As other posters have said, €50 for a neuter is at cost-price with the vet making no profit...I guess the <snip> can do it for less if they're funded by charity donations.

Best of luck!

Monsclara

boomerang wrote: »

Oh, I'm sorry, I assumed you would do something to try and help the cat, like advertise it to find it a home, or contact some of the cat rescues local to you to see if they could help you in homing it.

Have contacted rescue homes - they are overcrowded. Put it on the lost and found pet website, but no one has claimed it.

Monsclara

Ah seriously, it's a lovely cat and would make a great pet. But it'e taking over here and my own cats are unhappy and not at home as much as normal. They are the priority, so the the stray has to go. And apart from anything else, it's eating 4 pouches of wet food a day. Being on invalidity pension doesn't lend itself to extra unwanted mouths!

anniehoo

Good advice from salsagirl there OP. Could you let us know what area of the country you are in and posters could PM you with rescue/charity info that would be useful. We have a rehoming thread above if you want to post there also.

Umbrella list of rescues here (no individual recommendations unless by PM.)

If you were good enough to feed this cat I don't think it'd sit well with you to have the cat put to sleep, so do try every effort to find it a home if you can

salsagal

OP when you say the cat is taking over - do you mean in terms of dominating behaviour? That will settle down if you get it neutered, assuming it's a male. They're very territorial when un-neutered and will get in fights for the females and territory with other cats.

I volunteer with a rescue so I appreciate that they're all full at present - as I said, the tail end of kitten seasons means lots of kittens are in foster homes still waiting to be adopted.

If you could get it neutered, and see if things settle down behaviour wise, with your own 3, then contact rescues again, or ask to be put on their waiting list for a foster home in the meantime. Then perhaps someone could take it off your hands in a few weeks time?

I'd nearly offer to foster it myself but I've got 4 feral kittens in one room and an adult in another room, not to mention my own 3!

Also, re food - the pouches and supermarket food is expensive and not worth the cost at all imo. If you could try buying higher quality dry food - it may cost more initially, but would save you in the long run as they wouldn't need as much to fill them up. I think even Aldi/Lidl tinned food looks better than some of the more popular stuff stocked on supermarket shelves (not sure if I'm allowed to name names, but you probably know the stuff I'm referring to).

brrabus

Oops, better delete this as I may get told off for mentioning an animal charity. Anyway, one Animal Charity in Meath has a scheme for neutering/spaying cats €20/€25. PM me if you want the details.

Monsclara

Yes, by taking over, I mean after finishing off the food I give him outside, he comes and finishes off whatever food is around inside. My own cats scarper outside and he lies around inside the house. Not a good picture.

salsagal

I'd advise that you definitely stop him from coming inside the house - it's going to cause trouble if your own cats don't feel their territory, i.e. their house is their own. They could start marking within the home to re-assert their space etc.

Also until he's been vaccinated (both 1st & 2nd shots, 3 weeks apart), wormed and flea-treated you've no idea what he's carrying that might transfer to your own three.

If you set limits/boundaries on him, by feeding him outdoors and your own guys indoors, then taking up any uneaten food when your guys are finished eating, and blocking him from coming into your home, then you stand a better chance of encouraging him to find other sources of food and company - he may find a feral colony to latch on to, or someone else who may start feeding him.

I'm not suggesting you don't feed him at all, but I wouldnt let him get too comfy!

Monsclara

Nody wrote: »

Of course they would ask you to pay it for the same reason you don't accept random work from a stranger on the street either; you brought in the cat so it's your responsibility to pay for what ever examination etc. the vet does because as far as the vet is concerned it's your cat and decision to bring it in (and by extension it's also your call if you neuter it or not but anniehoo got a good point about finding a TNR organization).

I brought the cat in to see if it was chipped so that I could find an owner. It wasn't. The vet then discovered it wasn't neutered and HE said it has to be neutered and I have to pay for it. I didn't ask for it to be neutered. So going to your "random work from a stranger on the street" scenario, if I tell the stranger I have to do the work which he hasn't requested, I wouldn't be confident that I would get paid, somehow! Frankly while it's good practice for cats to be neutered, I don't see myself as someone searching out feral cats to bring to the vet so that I can pay for them to be spayed.

boomerang

Is he feral? I can't imagine he is, if you got him to a vet without needing a cat trap?

Pumpkinseeds

We have 3 cats, the last one showed up a few months ago and has only been living indoors for 4 weeks. Each of them arrived to our garden malnourished and unwanted. Felix was fine as we had no others at the time. Jazzy was a feral kitten, that took a year for him to trust us and Felix was very put out by him coming to the garden. Toby put both of their noses out of joint and there were a lot of squabbles about him coming into the house at all.

Like you, we were very worried about our own 2 getting so upset that they'd leave, but we had to take the risk. I'm also feeding a little abandoned tail-less female cat at some nearby flats everyday. I keep hoping that someone living there will see me feeding her and realise she's homeless and take her in as their cat, if not we'll bring her to live with us.

We only have one modest wage coming in to our house and I do understand how hard it can be to feed the cats you already have. But neutering calms down the spraying and a lot of the anxiety that your own cats have. If you can manage it and hold on to him at all til some rescue can help it would be wonderful.

There are so many vulnerable cats on the streets of Ireland and struggling to survive, with not enough people helping them. A lot of people see them as a pest and a problem. Personally I see it as a human made situation created by irresponsible people. It will only ever be resolved for the cats and for humans if everyone plays their part in helping with TNR.

missmyler

salsagal wrote: »

blocking him from coming into your home, then you stand a better chance of encouraging him to find other sources of food and company - he may find a feral colony to latch on to, or someone else who may start feeding him.

Bad advice, stray or lost cats cannot just join a feral colony as they are strangers to the group and are not always readily accepted.

Why not just hang on to him till you can find a decent home or his owners? Of course you don't have to, but it would be the decent thing to do. If you have 3 cats already I would have thought you would have some sympathy towards these creatures?

Monsclara

boomerang wrote: »

Is he feral? I can't imagine he is, if you got him to a vet without needing a cat trap?

Absolutely not feral. He's totally trusting which is why I thought/think he belongs to someone. Jumps up on your lap, purrs constantly, etc. Easier to catch than my own (who are here 11 years!).

Monsclara

missmyler wrote: »

Bad advice, stray or lost cats cannot just join a feral colony as they are strangers to the group and are not always readily accepted.

Why not just hang on to him till you can find a decent home or his owners? Of course you don't have to, but it would be the decent thing to do. If you have 3 cats already I would have thought you would have some sympathy towards these creatures?

Yes, I do have sympathy towards the little guys, but I'm terrified of my own leaving home. All of them are rescues and the 2 older ones (11 years) are still distant with everyone other than me. They are clearly out of sorts at the moment and I think it's unfair to traumatise them and risk losing them. He's been around for over a month now and I haven't managed to find a home for him, so somethings gotta give.

Monsclara

He's on lostandfoundpets.ie if anyone is interested. He would be a gorgeous pet and if I didn't have my other ones I'd have him in a heartbeat.

anniehoo

Monsclara wrote: »

Frankly while it's good practice for cats to be neutered, I don't see myself as someone searching out feral cats to bring to the vet so that I can pay for them to be spayed.

Monsclara I'm not quite sure what else we can tell you here. We can't magically make this cat disappear for you.He's not "feral" by the way.

You have by your own volition invited this cat into your house,have fed it and let him eat your own cat's food. You don't want to "own" him which is fair enough but we have suggested alternatives to you.

He is an unneutered male cat and upsetting your resident cats, if you're not willing to pay money (again fair enough) for your vet to neuter him and no shelter will take him, then...

Your options are:
-Ignore him and don't let him into your house and let him be (what most people would do)
-Pay for neutering and return him to his environment and let him be
-contact as many cat rescues as you can and ask for help (effort on your behalf)
-try and rehome him yourself
-leave him at your vet practice (where they may or may not euthanase him)
-take on a 3rd cat

jessiblah

Monsclara wrote: »

BUT I have to pay €50 for the neutering. This seems a bit absurd to me as I don't want the cat - I was hoping the vet could help find it a home. Is this the norm for veterinary practice?

I've never understood when people have asked this. If someone came upto a shop where you worked saying "I found a homeless person on the streets and want to take €75 worth of food and clothes for him," would you let them go without paying or bring the price down so that it's €50 and you wouldn't make a profit? This is still the vets living.

Monsclara wrote: »

I may as well have left it to starve and roam to do what he wants.

That's a bit harsh isn't it? Who knows how much you've helped him. You could have saved his life because who knows how long he/she could have gone without food? At least you fed him though.

Note: I feel like that was possibly a bit personally-attacking. I'm sorry if it came across that way. Really, it wasn't supposed to!

boomerang

Monsclara wrote: »

So bottom line, the vet can do what he likes with it. I would have thought putting it to sleep with be a sensible option.

From the above I took it that you'd left the cat with the vet.

anniehoo

jessiblah wrote: »

Note: I feel like that was possibly a bit personally-attacking. I'm sorry if it came across that way. Really, it wasn't supposed to!

You weren't at all jessiblah. Unfortunately, i think the OP is in a quandry that a lot of us face. You start off feeding strays innocently, some you never see again and pat yourself on the back for feeding those cute kittens who wandered up to your door.You don't think twice about what happened them (i never did being honest when I was younger ).

But, all of a sudden,there's one special lad hanging around. You feed him, he's super friendly and he's allowed in your house. You *still* don't own him......but want someone else to take him off your hands

That's where the dilemma comes in.What do you do?

After awhile of you pretending you don't really care, you've suddenly become attached (and you don't want to be)to the ONE adorable fecker that's left.

For me, I won't lie, it's always about what I can afford.I don't and won't feel guilty if I can't spend anymore. End of.

OP you decide. There's lots of choices above

PS: I need to add, that remember folks there are ALL different age groups reading this thread/forum so apply your comments accordingly. I remember when I was a teenager and begging my Dad yet again to bring another stray cat to the vet. It wasn't easy and I often lost. Please make your posts helpful both to the OP and future readers.

brrabus

Monsclara wrote: »

Yes, I do have sympathy towards the little guys, but I'm terrified of my own leaving home. All of them are rescues and the 2 older ones (11 years) are still distant with everyone other than me. They are clearly out of sorts at the moment and I think it's unfair to traumatise them and risk losing them. He's been around for over a month now and I haven't managed to find a home for him, so somethings gotta give.

Your concerns are quite valid. End of the day, you cannot, no matter how you try, save and home every animal that turns up on your doorstep. It is a difficult one and I know if this was to happen to me and there was any chance of my two leaving I would have to take steps to make sure this did not happen. I could not bear to think of mine wandering off thinking that I did not love them anymore. Frankly amazed at the attitude of the vet insisting that the cat must be neutered at your expense without explaining any alternatives or rather other means of assistance for you. I have looked at the lostandfound site but cannot figure out which one he is.

End of the day, you have to decide what is best and also what you can live with. Unfortunately nowadays there are way too many cats being lost and the shelters are overrun with strays and litters of kittens. If I could, I would open my house up to them all but I cannot, you have to draw the line somewhere. If only we had a perfect world and all these cats lived in homes that many of us on here provide for our puddy tats.

timshel.

What part of the country are you in OP? Maybe one of us could help with the cat?