Our cats are family members. They live with us for their whole lives, we cater to their every need, and in turn they purr and give us great joy. So when one of them gets sick, it is like having a very close family member and loved one be ill. My daughter's cat is 13 years old which is getting to the "old age" stage definitely. He's developed pancreatis. So he's not been eating or drinking very much and has gotten rather weak. Yesterday we had to return to the vet with him because now he's gotten jaundiced as well. So we left him in the hopes that the vet can flush him out and get the jaundice under control and continue to work on the pancreatis as well. so far this has cost us around $1600 for his treatments and blood work, medicines and hospitalizations. It has never been a question as to whether we will pay it or not, of course we will. As I said, he's been a beloved member of the family for 13 years. We are hoping that he will recover and be with us a few more years at least.
        But it does bring into question whether we can also justify heading off for another trip in the near future - like March. I haven't gotten into the planning stage very much but I think the answer is going to be no. While my husband does have a very good job at the moment, it's not a "bleed money" job and at some point, certain desires have to be put on hold because of money and it's probably going to be the trip. I am sad about that but not sad to be spending the money on a silly little cat that has brought so much joy to our lives. It's all a matter of perspective and what is more important in your lives and this time, it's the cat.