My cat is sick. She started with a cold on Wednesday, probably the drippiest I've seen and she is master of the cold. Gets them routinely.
However, this time her appetite is shot; she's interested in food, hovers around it, but doesn't take much. I started with B12 injections on Saturday to see if it would pep her up. She seems to feel better, but is not to the point of being good again. They wanted me to bring her in to the vet on Saturday, but I said I would not bring her in and pay $100 for them to tell me she needed to be put down. I sort of forced their hand in prescribing $20 worth of B12.
She's still climbing stairs and jumping on my bed, so she's functional and aware. The sub-cutaneous fluids help tremendously. She does not feel well, but I do not think she is suffering.
I'll do the B12s for now. I also started her on a course of antibiotics I had left from her cold a year ago. If they don't help, I will make a decision. I could not do it with my son at his dad's this weekend. If it comes to it so soon, I'll see about tomorrow, when he gets out of school early. It's important to me that he participate.
I have no clue what to do with her body. I remember my mother declining recently on getting the ashes of her dog. I have no idea how much something like that must cost. At our old house, we had two pets buried in the back yard. I do not know how I could possibly dig a hole for my cat, but maybe that process would be helpful for my son. To bury her and get a plaque.
What have you done for special pets?
PS - Checked the mail today to find a civil suit against me for $4500. I was not aware of the problem and would have appreciated a heads up before hand. I'll have to re-fi or something to pay it, but I am checking with my insurance, as they may pay. It's complicated. Anyway, does anyone know if can I just pay it and not go to court? Do I need a lawyer if I plan to pay somehow? Anyone?
My high beta has exploded through the top of my brain.
3 comments:
Poor, poor kitty. The best thing is just to keep her hydrated and comfy.
Re: civil suit. I would call the persons who filed the suit and see if you can clear things there; however I have no experience in these type of matters.
You know I am so sorry about your cat. God I hate when these things happen.
When we lost our yellow lab, we were devastated. My husband loved that dog so dearly, and I let him do whatever he wanted. He kind of had that "it's the last nice thing I can do for my companion" attitude, so Brandy is in a beautiful mahogany box. It rests in our bookcase with his collar on top of it and his picture beside it. It's been almost three years, and it feels like yesterday. My 13+ year old black lab will join his companion in the mahogany box when the time comes.
Karen
Stiletto
You can absolutely settle out of court - this is in fact how most civil suits are addressed. Filing a lawsuit is how the plaintiff officially gets your attention and opens the negotiation.
Be advised that with a negotiated settlement you should expect to pay a lesser amount (since you're sparing the plaintiff the time and effort of a trial, in addition to the cost of legal counsel) than the $4500 figure which is bringing you to the table. Plus you avoid having a legal record of a judgment being entered against you.
Your first step is to contact your insurance company and find out what, if anything, they will pay. If they'll pay then hand it off to them, they have an enormous legal department needing to justify their paychecks. If they won't pay, you need to come up with what you consider a fair offer and then contact the plaintiff.
Tell them you'd like to discuss a settlement out of court. Make it clear you are not admitting to legal responsibility, but that you'd prefer to avoid the hassle of a suit. (This is more sympathetic if your reason is because you're a single mom and need to avoid the time demands it would place on you and your son rather than because you want to pay as little as possible.)
Make a verbal offer and be prepared to justify the low-ball $ figure. This is the time for you to mention any relevant mitigating circumstances and/or cost estimates in addition to the time and expense you're sparing them. They will counter. (How well you handle this is why negotiation is an art not a science.)
Assuming you reach an agreement, then in exchange for your payment plan you need a signed statement with general release language (immunizing you against any further claim) and acknowledging that your payment is not admission of guilt.
Good luck.
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