Life is often about family, and many of us who have pets know that they’re family.
I have two feline family members named Kitty Bon-Bon and Maggie. Kitty Bon-Bon is 7-years-old and Maggie is 8. Both of these cats have had health issues of late that have been pretty expensive, and it’s not like they have insurance that covers most of their medical bills.
Having had Maggie lose a tooth to extraction a couple years back, I make sure Maggie’s teeth are checked and cleaned annually by her veterinarian. This is on top of the dental treats I give her daily to help keep tartar from building on those teeth.
Well, I took Maggie in for her annual teeth cleaning during the second week of October and found out she needed to have two more teeth extracted. On top of that, her ears were “dirty” and infected, and therefore needed cleaning. Since this is the third or fourth trip in a row where this same ear issue has come up, I now have to clean her ears a couple of times a week – and you can imagine how fun that is.
Of course, Maggie’s heath issues have cost hundreds of dollars at the veterinarian’s.
As discomforting as Maggie’s recent health issues have been, Kitty Bon-Bon’s have been more serious. Kitty Bon-Bon apparently stepped in a small spill of laundry detergent a number of months ago, and it chemically burned a front and rear paw. She was treated when it occurred, and even though her front paw healed her rear paw never fully healed.
Since that first cone, Kitty Bon-Bon had been fitted with two more different styles of neck devices to keep her from licking that back paw, yet she found ways to defeat all of the devices and continue to lick that rear paw. Now on top of wearing a neck device, her rear foot is wrapped in bandages that are changed out every other day. One of my adult sons has been helping me with the bandaging.
Of course, Kitty Bon-Bon’s health issues, much like Maggie’s health issues, have cost hundreds of dollars – so far.
Fortunately, I’ve been able to afford my feline family members medical treatments even though those are now requiring some extra sacrifices on my part. My cats are family, and as family members they’re well worth the cost of keeping them healthy.
I often write about life and issues through the filter of LGBT activism. But like many in the LGBT community, coming out as an LGBT community member has cost me in terms of my relationships with my family of origin. Developing other family relationships has become quite important to me as a result, so family relationships I’ve developed with my pets have special importance with me. In my case, “balance” in my life includes recharging time spent with my feline family members.
My feline family members are important enough to sacrifice for. How can I say it any other way: family is important, and I need my family – even my family pets.
