LMAO!

That's okay. I was kinda vague when I wrote it. I meant for that option
to sound offensive, but I didn't actually say it was offensive. So, I
wasn't sure if it came across that I thought it was a valid option.

Yes, and most vets have a message with a number to the nearest 24 hour
vet. I realize many small towns do not have 24 hour vets, but calling
one in another city would be better than waiting at the computer.

Yes, it was a whirlwind with Jasper. My mom found him by the side of
the road, injured. So, she took him to the local vet. She came home and
told me about this wonderful cat. He had a head injure, yet he was
still purring and buttinghis head into my mom's hands. I was in love
before I saw him. He just sounded like an awesome cat.

A few of my mom's friends helped us pay the vet bill (over $700) so
that we could keep him. We had a sign up at the vet's office, but he
really looked like a stray, severly underweight.

When he came home, he was such a sweetheart. He had to be in pain still
and his balance was messed up. He was blinded in one eye as well as
having a broken jaw, swollen sinues, etc. He was also very gross if you
looked or smelled too much. His fur was still matted with blood in it.
His jaw was wired open, so his food and drool was just  hanging off his
mouth. I had some dry heaves while cleaning him, and I could not eat
while sitting with him. But I would sit and read  with him on my lap,
and I brushed him a lot to clean up his coat.

His improvement was immense, and things were going great. Then he got
sick, vomiting his food, and having diarhea. He was back at the vet a
couple times the week he died, and he seemed to clear up and was
getting better again.

Unfortunately, I do not know what really killed him. At the time, we
thought that maybe  he had a pre-existing illness, or maybe a missed
injury. Or just the change in diet messed up his system, and being so
underweight, he couldn't get through it.

But last year, I made a horrific discovery. You see, our old first aid
book for cats recommends pepto bismal. When his diarhea hit, we used
it. But we didn't know that pepto bismal has changed. It now has an
ingredient that is dangerous to cats. So, it is possible that this is
what killed him, and there is no way to know for sure. It was like
losing him all over again, to realize that I may have caused it.

I chucked that book, and I will never ever give anything that is not
recommended by a vet currently. I don't ever want to make a mistake
like that again.

It's strange. That whole experience with Jasper lasted less than 3
weeks. Yet, he left a huge impression on me. He was the sweetest cat,
very brave (he never backed down from his fears), and he was such a
joy. My mom named him Jasper because it means "hidden treasure". It fit
since a wonderful cat was hidden under the matted fur, drool, and gross
looking injuries. And he really was a treasure.

His greatest legacy to me was showing me that my decisions to euthanize
my cats and dogs when the time is right, is not something that I should
ever doubt or feel guilty about. I had felt guilty about making the
decision with Fiona and Seusy, always wishing they could have died at
home, peacefully, in my arms. With Jasper, I learned that it isn't
always peaceful. He died at home, and in my arms, but it wasn't
peaceful. Fiona and Seusy (and later Maynard) were euthanized. It may
not have been at home, but they were in my arms, and they were
peaceful. Much much better than letting it happen naturally. Those
decisions don't bother me like they used to. Strangely, Jasper's death,
the worst day of my life, gave me peace about the others. That helped
me a lot when Maynard had liver failure last May, and I know it will
help me in the future as I plan to have multiple animals the rest of my
life.

One of mine blocked up one night but he

10 years ago, our vet just gave a number of a 24 hour vet phone
service. I called that once when Kira was messing with her stitches. I
don't know when the 24 hour vets started up. My sister's vet has been
24 hour for at least a year. I took Kira to a 24 hour vet 3 or 4 years
ago. I believe they are actually closed during regular business hours
and open on weekends, holidays, and overnight. When you get there, you
ring the doorbell, and they come down and let you in, They must have an
apartment upstairs for the vet people.

 The only thing I don't like is

I think they are required to. What bothers me is how some of them
really raise the rates. My sister's vet charges double on Saturdays and
triple on Sundays. I don't know what it is overnight.

The 24 hour vet that I went to is much better in regard to price. They
charge a $25 emergency fee, and then everything else is regular price,
and it's pretty reasonable. So, when I took Kira on Easter Sunday, They
did an exam, gave her a shot since she was dehydrated, and she went
home feeling much better. The massage part of the exam seemed to do the
trick. And it only cost me $82 which was less than I expected. The same
thing at my sister's vet would have cost at least $150.

I suspect hearing that even the medication is double or triple would
probably cause some people to not come in. If that was my only option,
I'd do it. But I would feel pretty cheated paying triple for
medication. I think the emergency fee + standard pricing is much more
fair. I understand paying extra, but I think double and triple on
everything is taking advantage.