Very OT: vet's charges (rant!)

[no_...@v.com]

Forgive me - I need to vent!!
I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation
(£333/hour!) and £29.07 for a Convenia antibiotic injection - both plus
VAT. Mildmay are part of CVS UK Ltd who seem to have a large number of
vet practices so I guess their charges are the same around the country.

I've been surprised by the charges before but just muttered and paid,
now I can feel a need to get a newspaper or MP asking questions. Has
anyone else tried to do anything similar?

Thanks for reading (if you have), I still feel ripped-off but slightly
less wound up about it.

[stuart noble]

Vets, dentists. Stay away

[Roger Mills]

On 24/03/2015 11:59, no_...@v.com wrote:

I agree that Vets' fees do seem extortionate. It's possible that the
consultation would have cost the same if it has lasted more than 6
minutes - but even so . . .

A lot of people insure their pets for Vets' fees - and I guess that the
vets take advantage of the fact that the insurance company rather than
the owner is paying.

Did they tell you what the cost would be before you were committed? If
so, and you then accepted the charges, you probably don't have a very
good case for asking for a partial refund. I don't know how much public
interest there is in campaigning against excessive fees - it's not a
subject that crops up - on my radar, at any rate - very often.
--
Cheers,
Roger
____________
Please reply to Newsgroup. Whilst email address is valid, it is seldom
checked.

[whisky-dave]

& whipps cross hospital ;-)

[Roger Mills]

Easier said than done! True, you don't *have* to have pets - but you do
*need* teeth!

[Tim Watts]

No - you need to find a new vet who is not a rip off merchant.

I don;t think this is an MP matter - it is a free market with plenty of
scope for competion.

[John Rumm]

On 24/03/2015 11:59, no_...@v.com wrote:

> Forgive me - I need to vent!!
> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation
> (£333/hour!) and £29.07 for a Convenia antibiotic injection - both plus
> VAT. Mildmay are part of CVS UK Ltd who seem to have a large number of
> vet practices so I guess their charges are the same around the country.

Count yourself lucky... something bit a new arsehole into one of our
cats last year. That cost £1800 to get glued back together, at which
point I decided that pet insurance might be a good idea. Just as well,
six months later something then hit it or ran it over (we are thinking
of renaming him Mr Lucky!), and by the time they had finished screwing
his pelvis back onto his spine, that was pushing £4k



--
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
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| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
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[Lobster]

On 24 Mar 2015, John Rumm <see.my.s...@nowhere.null> grunted:

> On 24/03/2015 11:59, no_...@v.com wrote:
>> Forgive me - I need to vent!!
>> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
>> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute
>> consultation (£333/hour!) and £29.07 for a Convenia antibiotic
>> injection - both plus VAT. Mildmay are part of CVS UK Ltd who seem to
>> have a large number of vet practices so I guess their charges are the
>> same around the country.

I'd expect to pay around that order of magnitude here TBH. Unbelivable, I
grant you.

A good few years back our moggie was diagnosed with a heart murmur, and I
was told he now needed an echocardiography scan, which was duly carried
out. To this day I don't know the hell I didn't ask the cost in advance -
they didn't tell me - but I picked up a £500 bill for that one. Didn't
provide any more useful info ("We'll need to repeat this in 6 months" "Oh
no you bloody won't!"), and the cat is still kicking ~10 years later.

> Count yourself lucky... something bit a new arsehole into one of our
> cats last year. That cost £1800 to get glued back together, at which
> point I decided that pet insurance might be a good idea. Just as well,
> six months later something then hit it or ran it over (we are thinking
> of renaming him Mr Lucky!), and by the time they had finished screwing
> his pelvis back onto his spine, that was pushing £4k

To be honest that's one of the main justifications for coughing up on
insurance, IMHO. I'd hate to have to be in a position where I had to
choose between euthanasis or a multi-thousand-pound procedure purely on
cost grounds, and then have to justify that to my kids.

--
David

[whisky-dave]

On Tuesday, 24 March 2015 13:22:53 UTC, Lobster wrote:
> On 24 Mar 2015, John Rumm <see.my.s...@nowhere.null> grunted:
>
> > On 24/03/2015 11:59, no_...@v.com wrote:
> >> Forgive me - I need to vent!!
> >> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
> >> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute
> >> consultation (£333/hour!) and £29.07 for a Convenia antibiotic
> >> injection - both plus VAT. Mildmay are part of CVS UK Ltd who seem to
> >> have a large number of vet practices so I guess their charges are the
> >> same around the country.
>
> I'd expect to pay around that order of magnitude here TBH. Unbelivable, I
> grant you.

Yep me too it's the equipment the staff and premisis in London can't be cheap.

>
> A good few years back our moggie was diagnosed with a heart murmur, and I
> was told he now needed an echocardiography scan, which was duly carried
> out. To this day I don't know the hell I didn't ask the cost in advance -
> they didn't tell me - but I picked up a �500 bill for that one. Didn't
> provide any more useful info ("We'll need to repeat this in 6 months" "Oh
> no you bloody won't!"), and the cat is still kicking ~10 years later.
>
> > Count yourself lucky... something bit a new arsehole into one of our
> > cats last year. That cost £1800 to get glued back together, at which
> > point I decided that pet insurance might be a good idea. Just as well,
> > six months later something then hit it or ran it over (we are thinking
> > of renaming him Mr Lucky!), and by the time they had finished screwing
> > his pelvis back onto his spine, that was pushing £4k
>
> To be honest that's one of the main justifications for coughing up on
> insurance, IMHO. I'd hate to have to be in a position where I had to
> choose between euthanasis or a multi-thousand-pound procedure purely on
> cost grounds, and then have to justify that to my kids.

I decided to not take out insurance on my cat. I havent; had any for my two previous moggies. I see it like taking out extra insurance on your TV or other appliance in that anyone offering insurance expects to make a profit, it's not like any of these insurance companies care about our pets.



Then if yuo do take out insurance you're never siure iof whatever happens is actually covered and I'm sure some vet on knowing you're insured adds extra to the bill or extra treatments.

[spuorg...@gowanhill.com]

On Tuesday, 24 March 2015 11:59:26 UTC, no_...@v.com wrote:
> Forgive me - I need to vent!!
> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation
> (£333/hour!) and £29.07 for a Convenia antibiotic injection - both plus
> VAT.

I suppose if you compare those charges to private medical bills for humans, and bear in mind many vets' surgeries are vastly better-equipped than a Harley Street consulting room with a pot-plant and a pretty receptionist, the charges are pretty reasonable.

Bupa-on-demand charge for private GP appointments at 15 minutes - £70.

Owain

[spuorg...@gowanhill.com]

But if my telly breaks down I can afford a new one, or do without.

I can't afford to rebuild my house, so that's worth insuring. It's a risk I can't afford to self-insure.

Owain

[Lobster]

On 24 Mar 2015, spuorg...@gowanhill.com grunted:

> On Tuesday, 24 March 2015 11:59:26 UTC, no_...@v.com wrote:
>> Forgive me - I need to vent!!
>> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
>> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute
>> consultation
>
>> (£333/hour!) and £29.07 for a Convenia antibiotic injection - both pl
> us
>> VAT.

> Bupa-on-demand charge for private GP appointments at 15 minutes - £70.

Which interestingly enough, equates almost exactly to the sum which the NHS
currently pays its GPs to look after a single patient for an entire year.


--
David

[Tim Watts]

On 24/03/15 13:58, spuorg...@gowanhill.com wrote:
> On Tuesday, 24 March 2015 11:59:26 UTC, no_...@v.com wrote:
>> Forgive me - I need to vent!! I've just taken my cat to Mildmay
>> vets in Winchester because of a respiratory infection. I was
>> charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation (£333/hour!) and £29.07
>> for a Convenia antibiotic injection - both plus VAT.
>
> I suppose if you compare those charges to private medical bills for
> humans, and bear in mind many vets' surgeries are vastly
> better-equipped than a Harley Street consulting room with a pot-plant
> and a pretty receptionist, the charges are pretty reasonable.

That's true - the vet has his own operating theatre and equipment.

[Capitol]

I went to Barts, part of the same trust. The medical staff were
excellent. The clerical staff were a "sitting untrained (untrainable?)in
front of computers" disaster. The chance of getting a letter from the
consultant recording his conclusions to my GP was 20%.

[Nightjar .me.uk>]

On 24/03/2015 13:58, spuorg...@gowanhill.com wrote:
> On Tuesday, 24 March 2015 11:59:26 UTC, no_...@v.com wrote:
>> Forgive me - I need to vent!!
>> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
>> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation
>> (£333/hour!) and £29.07 for a Convenia antibiotic injection - both plus
>> VAT.
>
> I suppose if you compare those charges to private medical bills for humans, and bear in mind many vets' surgeries are vastly better-equipped than a Harley Street consulting room with a pot-plant and a pretty receptionist, the charges are pretty reasonable.

That was my thought on seeing those prices. If you watch Supervet on TV,
his practice has its own MRI scanner, whereas a private human consultant
will buy time on an NHS scanner. That must be a lot cheaper than having
your own scanner and the necessarily qualified staff, probably sitting
idle for much of the time.

> Bupa-on-demand charge for private GP appointments at 15 minutes - £70.

--
Colin Bignell

[Syd Rumpo]

On 24/03/2015 13:22, Lobster wrote:

<snip>

>
> To be honest that's one of the main justifications for coughing up on

> [pet] insurance, IMHO.

It's the increased takeup of pet insurance which is pushing up vets' bills.

Cheers
--
Syd

[michael adams]

<no_...@v.com> wrote in message news:cnd1sr...@mid.individual.net...

This is simply market forces in operation I'm afraid.

Possibly driven as others have suggested by the rise in pet insurance.
Which itself is a vicious circle. If vets didn't charge high fees then there'd be
no need for pet insurance. And so the higher the fees the happier both the
vets and the pet insurers are.

In a way I think the NHS is a big cause of this.

A few years back I thought I might have medical problem. As it turned out, touch wood
I didn't. And while waiting to see my doctor I checked up on various symptoms on the
web.
A lot of the factual content was US based, and in addition many sites included comment
sections. A constant theme was the cost of various tests and diagnostics and how some
posters were having to postpone seeing a doctor until they'd saved up the $5000, or
whatever
to pay for various tests and procedures. Which from memory were the same type of tests
as
I was booked in for, with around a three week wait at a local hospital, by my GP, on my
first visit.

michael adams

...

[Dave Plowman (News)]

In article <cnd1sr...@mid.individual.net>,

<no_...@v.com> wrote:
> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation
> (£333/hour!)

About twice what a main dealer garage charges per hour. I'd say that
reasonable considering the qualifications and equipment needed.

--
*Stable Relationships Are For Horses.

Dave Plowman da...@davenoise.co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

[Brian Gaff]

Well, one of the reasons on the medication side is that EU now force vets to
use drugs that ar licensed for the animal they are treating, rather than as
they used to, where possible buy the product as generic and scale the dose
for the animal. This has meant according to a local vet that the sky is the
limit o f on licence treatments, which you have to buy several times for
different animals that use the same drugs.

It was originally mooted to make things safer, but it seems to have had the
effect that the companies just see it as a licence to print money.

The other issue over consultation fees is probably more complex. but a fair
degree of consultations are done under pet insurance, and I'm sure I don't
need to tell you what happens when something is being done as an insurance
job.
The local guy around here also tells me that the business rate, and the
cost of his insurance and the health and safety of staff and public are not
trivial these days.



Too many people getting rich off the back of the pet owner and farmer I
suggest.
Brian

--
Brian Gaff....Note, this account does not accept Bcc: email.
graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them
Email: bri...@blueyonder.co.uk
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

<no_...@v.com> wrote in message news:cnd1sr...@mid.individual.net...

[Tim Watts]

On 24/03/15 15:38, Brian Gaff wrote:
> Well, one of the reasons on the medication side is that EU now force vets to
> use drugs that ar licensed for the animal they are treating, rather than as
> they used to, where possible buy the product as generic and scale the dose
> for the animal. This has meant according to a local vet that the sky is the
> limit o f on licence treatments, which you have to buy several times for
> different animals that use the same drugs.

Who was asking in another thread for evidence that the EU are buggering
things up?

[whisky-dave]

It cost less to insure my flat than my cat.

[critcher]

On 24/03/2015 13:04, John Rumm wrote:
> On 24/03/2015 11:59, no_...@v.com wrote:
>> Forgive me - I need to vent!!
>> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
>> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation
>> (£333/hour!) and £29.07 for a Convenia antibiotic injection - both plus
>> VAT. Mildmay are part of CVS UK Ltd who seem to have a large number of
>> vet practices so I guess their charges are the same around the country.
>
> Count yourself lucky... something bit a new arsehole into one of our
> cats last year. That cost £1800 to get glued back together, at which
> point I decided that pet insurance might be a good idea. Just as well,
> six months later something then hit it or ran it over (we are thinking
> of renaming him Mr Lucky!), and by the time they had finished screwing
> his pelvis back onto his spine, that was pushing £4k
>
>
>

love is a very powerful emotion, but no cat or dog is worth that amount
of money, and I'm a dog lover.

---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
http://www.avast.com

[bm]

<no_...@v.com> wrote in message news:cnd1sr...@mid.individual.net...

60 odd quid????? That is so cheap LOL
If you don't have pet insurance here is not the place to go -
http://www.willows.uk.net/
If your pet needs an MRI scan I hear it's around £1500 :D

[michael adams]

"Brian Gaff" <Bri...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:mes0bq$6bn$1...@dont-email.me...

> Well, one of the reasons on the medication side is that EU now force vets to use drugs
> that ar licensed for the animal they are treating, rather than as they used to, where
> possible buy the product as generic and scale the dose for the animal. This has meant
> according to a local vet that the sky is the limit o f on licence treatments, which
> you have to buy several times for different animals that use the same drugs.

>
> It was originally mooted to make things safer, but it seems to have had the effect that
> the companies just see it as a licence to print money.

I'm not a vet but I'd imagine the majority of patients seen are either
cats or dogs. Which would therefore require only two marketing
authorisations (MA's) for any drugs being prescribed. As it's obtaining
these MA's which cost the manufacturers money.

While most of the remainder

aquarium animals
caged birds
homing Pigeons
terrarium Animals
small Rodents
ferrets
rabbits

are exempt from needing an MA providing the active ingredient is approved.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/exemptions-for-marketing-medicines-for-small-pet-animals-vmgn-12

Basically the vet can prescribe as much or as little as he likes.

Horses are a category by themselves and probably come under
farm animals anyway.

Although presumably blaming the EU is often enough to fool any
punter cheeky enough to start querying the prices.


michael adams

...

[michael adams]

"critcher" <w.gange...@sky.com> wrote in message
news:mes3pm$u4f$1...@speranza.aioe.org...

Indeed. A lot of the treatments being offered nowadays probably wouldn't
have been available 20 years ago, at any cost, And are probably an offshoot
of new medical procedures and drugs developed for treating humans.


michael adams

...

[Nick]

<no_...@v.com> wrote in message news:cnd1sr...@mid.individual.net...

Presumably you could have ascertained the costs before taking your cat to
the vet. If you didn't do so then you have implicitly agreed with their
T&C's etc blah blah.
For us animal lovers/owners/staff (cats) the vet is an unfortunate
necessity.
My mum always had 4 dogs ish, this gusted between 3 & 6. For some years she
took out a pet insurance thingy. After totting this up, the annual insurance
premiums came to more than the vets bills. She cancelled the pet insurance
but paid the same amount into a savings account. This account more than
covered the vets bills and, when she passed away, showed a considerable
balance. I do the same. Also removes the ache of claiming on insurance with
the inevitable price rise in annual premium.
It is worth noting, and perhaps appreciating, that the course time to
qualify as a veterinary surgeon is lengthier than that to become a general
practicioner.
You might find a cheaper vet but I believe in the adage that you get what
you pay for.
TBH I think contacting the press or MP would be a waste of your time.
I could be wrong (often am), just my 2P's worth. I am not a vet btw.
Nick.

[Tim+]

<no_...@v.com> wrote:
> Forgive me - I need to vent!!
> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation
> (£333/hour!) and £29.07 for a Convenia antibiotic injection - both plus
> VAT. Mildmay are part of CVS UK Ltd who seem to have a large number of
> vet practices so I guess their charges are the same around the country.
>
> I've been surprised by the charges before but just muttered and paid, now
> I can feel a need to get a newspaper or MP asking questions. Has anyone
> else tried to do anything similar?
>
> Thanks for reading (if you have), I still feel ripped-off but slightly
> less wound up about it.

As others have said it's a free market but I agree that vets could be a lot
more up front about their fees.

Usually vets away from the city centres (and closer to council estates)
will be cheaper. Our local vet stings us a bit on vaccinations but is very
reasonable when our pets really are sick so I don't mind too much. We've
never had insurance on our cats and dogs and I think vets who mostly deal
with uninsured customers will generally charge less.

Tim

[Reentrant]

On 24/03/2015 12:25, Roger Mills wrote:
> On 24/03/2015 11:59, no_...@v.com wrote:

>> .... I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation

>> (£333/hour!) and £29.07 for a Convenia antibiotic injection - both plus
>> VAT

> A lot of people insure their pets for Vets' fees ...

All the policies we looked at had at least a £100 excess, so insurance
wouldn't have helped here.


--
Reentrant

[meow...@care2.com]

On Tuesday, March 24, 2015 at 11:59:26 AM UTC, no_...@v.com wrote:
> Forgive me - I need to vent!!
> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a

> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation

> (£333/hour!) and £29.07 for a Convenia antibiotic injection - both plus

> VAT. Mildmay are part of CVS UK Ltd who seem to have a large number of
> vet practices so I guess their charges are the same around the country.
>
> I've been surprised by the charges before but just muttered and paid,
> now I can feel a need to get a newspaper or MP asking questions. Has
> anyone else tried to do anything similar?
>
> Thanks for reading (if you have), I still feel ripped-off but slightly
> less wound up about it.

Lucky it wasn't 4 figures


NT

[Tim+]

Nah, decisions get easier when the sums go up. Nobody HAS to spend 4
figures on pet treatment.

Tim

[harryagain]

<no_...@v.com> wrote in message news:cnd1sr...@mid.individual.net...

> Forgive me - I need to vent!!
> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation
> (£333/hour!) and £29.07 for a Convenia antibiotic injection - both plus
> VAT. Mildmay are part of CVS UK Ltd who seem to have a large number of vet
> practices so I guess their charges are the same around the country.
>
> I've been surprised by the charges before but just muttered and paid, now
> I can feel a need to get a newspaper or MP asking questions. Has anyone
> else tried to do anything similar?
>
> Thanks for reading (if you have), I still feel ripped-off but slightly
> less wound up about it.
>

Take it outsidea nd shoot it,
Replace it with a moggy.
Virtually indestructable.

[harryagain]

<spuorg...@gowanhill.com> wrote in message
news:10afd14a-fe05-4b22...@googlegroups.com...

Only insure houses and cars.
Cats are expendable in my book.

[Cash]

stuart noble wrote:
> On 24/03/2015 11:59, no_...@v.com wrote:

>> Forgive me - I need to vent!!
>> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
>> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute
>> consultation (£333/hour!) and £29.07 for a Convenia antibiotic
>> injection - both plus VAT. Mildmay are part of CVS UK Ltd who seem
>> to have a large number of vet practices so I guess their charges are
>> the same around the country. I've been surprised by the charges before
>> but just muttered and paid,
>> now I can feel a need to get a newspaper or MP asking questions. Has
>> anyone else tried to do anything similar?
>>
>> Thanks for reading (if you have), I still feel ripped-off but
>> slightly less wound up about it.
>>
>

> Vets, dentists. Stay away

£42 for a half an hour job filling a front incisor this morning. The 'very
young' (to me) female dentist did a damn good job too. Cost = expensive,
Value = worth the expense to me.

Cash

[critcher]

unless it's a horse or some other valuable animal, why would you pay for
an MRI scan.

[tony sayer]

In article <551192c3$0$46975$b1db1813$1367...@news.astraweb.com>, bm
<a...@b.com> scribeth thus

Thats more expensive than a human one!...
--
Tony Sayer

[tony sayer]

In article <cnd1sr...@mid.individual.net>, no_...@v.com scribeth
thus

>Forgive me - I need to vent!!
>I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
>respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation
>(£333/hour!) and £29.07 for a Convenia antibiotic injection - both plus
>VAT. Mildmay are part of CVS UK Ltd who seem to have a large number of
>vet practices so I guess their charges are the same around the country.
>
>I've been surprised by the charges before but just muttered and paid,
>now I can feel a need to get a newspaper or MP asking questions. Has
>anyone else tried to do anything similar?
>
>Thanks for reading (if you have), I still feel ripped-off but slightly
>less wound up about it.
>

Sounds about right. OK I know thats no consolation but I rather doubt
this guy is doing 6 Minute consultations one after the other. OK he may
on some be quite quick but others not so and they will have gaps in
their day they have to pay for all the other costs in running business.

They prolly just charge an initial consultation at that fee/rate.

And drugs are not cheap as are a lot of medical items, they are
expensive so I think you were charged about the going rate.

Our old puss had a short stay at the local pussy cat hotel, seriously a
private hospital would have been less, that came to best part of 600
quid.



Told him next time you mix it with a bigger cat you can pay yer own;!...


--
Tony Sayer

[Rod Speed]

"Roger Mills" <watt....@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:cnd3o7...@mid.individual.net...

> On 24/03/2015 12:02, stuart noble wrote:
>> On 24/03/2015 11:59, no_...@v.com wrote:

>>> Forgive me - I need to vent!!
>>> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
>>> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation
>>> (£333/hour!) and £29.07 for a Convenia antibiotic injection - both plus
>>> VAT. Mildmay are part of CVS UK Ltd who seem to have a large number of
>>> vet practices so I guess their charges are the same around the country.
>>>
>>> I've been surprised by the charges before but just muttered and paid,
>>> now I can feel a need to get a newspaper or MP asking questions. Has
>>> anyone else tried to do anything similar?
>>>
>>> Thanks for reading (if you have), I still feel ripped-off but slightly
>>> less wound up about it.
>>>
>>

>> Vets, dentists. Stay away
>
> Easier said than done! True, you don't *have* to have pets - but you do
> *need* teeth!

But don’t need to go to the dentist about them.

[Capitol]

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
> In article<cnd1sr...@mid.individual.net>,
> <no_...@v.com> wrote:
>> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
>> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation
>> (£333/hour!)
>
> About twice what a main dealer garage charges per hour. I'd say that
> reasonable considering the qualifications and equipment needed.
>

The main dealer has much more expensive premises and capital equipment
costs. You can buy a small xray machine for under £2K.

[Capitol]

Which is why you need medical insurance in the US. The insurance
company refuses to pay the medical providers bills until they have
received a discount of up to 70% of the invoiced amount. Without the
clout of the insurance company you are going to get screwed. Medical
costs are the prime cause of bankruptcy in the US AIUI.

The UK pet insurance market is not yet fully competitive as evidenced
by the premiums and other get out clauses. Probably it's too fragmented
to have much clout with the vets.

[Rod Speed]

"michael adams" <mjad...@ukonline.co.k> wrote in message
news:merv3g$hp$1...@dont-email.me...

What has that got to do with vet fees ?

[Rod Speed]

"whisky-dave" <whisk...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:596db53f-9b52-47ec...@googlegroups.com...

> It cost less to insure my flat than my cat.

Because flats don't get run over and need expensive surgery so often.

[Rod Speed]

"critcher" <w.gange...@sky.com> wrote in message
news:mes3pm$u4f$1...@speranza.aioe.org...

> On 24/03/2015 13:04, John Rumm wrote:
>> On 24/03/2015 11:59, no_...@v.com wrote:
>>> Forgive me - I need to vent!!
>>> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
>>> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation
>>> (£333/hour!) and £29.07 for a Convenia antibiotic injection - both plus
>>> VAT. Mildmay are part of CVS UK Ltd who seem to have a large number of
>>> vet practices so I guess their charges are the same around the country.
>>
>> Count yourself lucky... something bit a new arsehole into one of our
>> cats last year. That cost £1800 to get glued back together, at which
>> point I decided that pet insurance might be a good idea. Just as well,
>> six months later something then hit it or ran it over (we are thinking
>> of renaming him Mr Lucky!), and by the time they had finished screwing
>> his pelvis back onto his spine, that was pushing £4k

> love is a very powerful emotion,

It isn't just love.

> but no cat or dog is worth that amount of money,

The best dog I ever had was. But I didn’t ever need to spend anything like
that on it.

[Rod Speed]

"Nick" <nick...@NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
news:cndks5...@mid.individual.net...

>
> <no_...@v.com> wrote in message news:cnd1sr...@mid.individual.net...
>> Forgive me - I need to vent!!
>> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
>> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation
>> (£333/hour!) and £29.07 for a Convenia antibiotic injection - both plus
>> VAT. Mildmay are part of CVS UK Ltd who seem to have a large number of
>> vet practices so I guess their charges are the same around the country.
>>
>> I've been surprised by the charges before but just muttered and paid, now
>> I can feel a need to get a newspaper or MP asking questions. Has anyone
>> else tried to do anything similar?
>>
>> Thanks for reading (if you have), I still feel ripped-off but slightly
>> less wound up about it.

> Presumably you could have ascertained the costs before taking your cat to
> the vet. If you didn't do so then you have implicitly agreed with their
> T&C's etc blah blah.

> For us animal lovers/owners/staff (cats) the vet is an unfortunate
> necessity.

Not necessarily, you can just kill it if it has a serious medical problem.

> My mum always had 4 dogs ish, this gusted between 3 & 6. For some years
> she took out a pet insurance thingy. After totting this up, the annual
> insurance premiums came to more than the vets bills. She cancelled the pet
> insurance but paid the same amount into a savings account. This account
> more than covered the vets bills and, when she passed away, showed a
> considerable balance.

But it doesn’t always work out like that as someone else has just shown.

> I do the same.

I don’t bother with a separate savings account, no point in that.

> Also removes the ache of claiming on insurance with the inevitable price
> rise in annual premium.

> It is worth noting, and perhaps appreciating, that the course time to
> qualify as a veterinary surgeon is lengthier than that to become a general
> practicioner.

But not a surgeon.

> You might find a cheaper vet but I believe in the adage that you get what
> you pay for.

More fool you.

[Roger Mills]

Somehow I don't fancy a DIY approach to fillings and extractions.
--
Cheers,
Roger
____________
Please reply to Newsgroup. Whilst email address is valid, it is seldom
checked.

[michael adams]

"Rod Speed" <rod.sp...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:cne6a8...@mid.individual.net...

Never having to pay for their own medical treatment means many people
may never consider the cost of medical treatment for their pets, or
the cost of medical treatment in general, until such time as
they're required to pay for it. When it may come as a bit
of a shock.


michael adams

...








>

[Rod Speed]

"Tim+" <timdow...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:2011809253448911867.09388...@news.eternal-september.org...

They don’t actually, particularly when it’s the kid's pet etc.

> Nobody HAS to spend 4 figures on pet treatment.

Nobody HAS to spend a cent on pet treatment.

[Rod Speed]

"critcher" <w.gange...@sky.com> wrote in message

news:mesd3o$o02$1...@speranza.aioe.org...

Because the kids will be picking your nursing home.

[Rod Speed]

"Roger Mills" <watt....@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:cne86m...@mid.individual.net...

> On 24/03/2015 21:13, Rod Speed wrote:
>>
>>
>> "Roger Mills" <watt....@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:cnd3o7...@mid.individual.net...
>>> On 24/03/2015 12:02, stuart noble wrote:
>
>>>> Vets, dentists. Stay away
>>>
>>> Easier said than done! True, you don't *have* to have pets - but you
>>> do *need* teeth!
>>
>> But don’t need to go to the dentist about them.
>
> Somehow I don't fancy a DIY approach to fillings and extractions.

You don’t have to DIY, just let your teeth do what comes naturally.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

In article <fPidnZNV6uk1RIzI...@brightview.co.uk>,

Main dealer garages don't see one patient at a time.

--
*Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it *

Dave Plowman da...@davenoise.co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

[Andy Burns]

John Rumm wrote:

> something bit a new arsehole into one of our cats last year. That
> cost £1800 to get glued back together, at which point I decided that
> pet insurance might be a good idea. Just as well, six months later
> something then hit it or ran it over (we are thinking of renaming him
> Mr Lucky!), and by the time they had finished screwing his pelvis
> back onto his spine, that was pushing £4k

Replacement kittens seem to be available for £20 on gumtree ...

[spuorg...@gowanhill.com]

On Tuesday, 24 March 2015 12:31:07 UTC, Roger Mills wrote:
> > Vets, dentists. Stay away
> Easier said than done! True, you don't *have* to have pets - but you do
> *need* teeth!

It used to be a traditional 21st birthday present in Scotland to pay for someone to have all their teeth pulled, to avoid future problems.

Check-ups are free [1] now in Scotland, but a filling is still more expensive than an Argos blender.

Owain

[1] Paid for by the rest of the UK of course :-)

[Rod Speed]

"Andy Burns" <usenet....@adslpipe.co.uk> wrote in message
news:ZZydnUDgDdTv-Y_I...@brightview.co.uk...

free even, but not necessarily as good.

[Dennis@home]

On 24/03/2015 22:59, Rod Speed wrote:
>


>> Nobody HAS to spend 4 figures on pet treatment.
>
> Nobody HAS to spend a cent on pet treatment.

In a proper country like here the RSPCA(spits!) can do you for neglect
if you don't have your pet checked and treated. They won't help either
unless you have a benefits card to wave at them.

[harryagain]

<no_...@v.com> wrote in message news:cnd1sr...@mid.individual.net...
> Forgive me - I need to vent!!

> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation

> (£333/hour!) and £29.07 for a Convenia antibiotic injection - both plus
> VAT. Mildmay are part of CVS UK Ltd who seem to have a large number of vet
> practices so I guess their charges are the same around the country.
>
> I've been surprised by the charges before but just muttered and paid, now
> I can feel a need to get a newspaper or MP asking questions. Has anyone
> else tried to do anything similar?
>
> Thanks for reading (if you have), I still feel ripped-off but slightly
> less wound up about it.

Look for a branch of the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals
https://www.pdsa.org.uk/pdsa-vet-care/eligibility

[Chris French]

In message <f0a86b3c-832b-4275...@googlegroups.com>,
spuorg...@gowanhill.com writes

>On Tuesday, 24 March 2015 12:31:07 UTC, Roger Mills wrote:
>> > Vets, dentists. Stay away
>> Easier said than done! True, you don't *have* to have pets - but you do
>> *need* teeth!
>
>It used to be a traditional 21st birthday present in Scotland to pay
>for someone to have all their teeth pulled, to avoid future problems.
>

IIRC, SWMBO's grandmother (born 1922 IIRC) had all her teeth removed in
her early 20's - 'to save problems later on'
--
Chris French

[Chris French]

In message <55127a6f$0$52546$b1db1813$8a71...@news.astraweb.com>,
"Dennis@home" <den...@nowhere.invalid> writes

>On 24/03/2015 22:59, Rod Speed wrote:
>>
>
>
>>> Nobody HAS to spend 4 figures on pet treatment.
>>
>> Nobody HAS to spend a cent on pet treatment.
>
>In a proper country like here the RSPCA(spits!) can do you for neglect
>if you don't have your pet checked and treated.

Which is fair enough if a pet is ill and suffering unnecessarily.


--
Chris French

[charles]

In article <1l6XXyYo...@familyfrench.co.uk>,

but it doesn't seem to be done for Humans. That's becasue we have a
"Royal" society for animals, but only a "National" one for children.

--
From KT24 in Surrey

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.18

[Capitol]

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
> In article<fPidnZNV6uk1RIzI...@brightview.co.uk>,

> Capitol<sp...@wher.eva.co.uk> wrote:
>> Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
>>> In article<cnd1sr...@mid.individual.net>,
>>> <no_...@v.com> wrote:
>>>> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
>>>> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation
>>>> (£333/hour!)
>>>
>>> About twice what a main dealer garage charges per hour. I'd say that
>>> reasonable considering the qualifications and equipment needed.
>>>
>
>> The main dealer has much more expensive premises and capital equipment
>> costs. You can buy a small xray machine for under £2K.
>
> Main dealer garages don't see one patient at a time.
>

Main dealer garages spend much,much more on equipment and spend much
more time on each customer.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

In article <_s2dnZZXhpVeDo_I...@brightview.co.uk>,

You think the 'top man' in a main dealer garage works on your car?

--
*The longest recorded flightof a chicken is thirteen seconds *

[Capitol]

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
> In article<_s2dnZZXhpVeDo_I...@brightview.co.uk>,

> Capitol<sp...@wher.eva.co.uk> wrote:
>> Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
>>> In article<fPidnZNV6uk1RIzI...@brightview.co.uk>,
>>> Capitol<sp...@wher.eva.co.uk> wrote:
>>>> Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
>>>>> In article<cnd1sr...@mid.individual.net>,
>>>>> <no_...@v.com> wrote:
>>>>>> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
>>>>>> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation
>>>>>> (£333/hour!)
>>>>>
>>>>> About twice what a main dealer garage charges per hour. I'd say that
>>>>> reasonable considering the qualifications and equipment needed.
>>>>>
>>>
>>>> The main dealer has much more expensive premises and capital
>>>> equipment costs. You can buy a small xray machine for under £2K.
>>>
>>> Main dealer garages don't see one patient at a time.
>>>
>
>> Main dealer garages spend much,much more on equipment and spend much
>> more time on each customer.
>
> You think the 'top man' in a main dealer garage works on your car?
>

Of course, I always get the best service.

[whisky-dave]

On Tuesday, 24 March 2015 18:35:45 UTC, harry wrote:
> <spuorg...@gowanhill.com> wrote in message
> news:10afd14a-fe05-4b22...@googlegroups.com...

> > On Tuesday, 24 March 2015 13:37:04 UTC, whisky-dave wrote:
> >> On Tuesday, 24 March 2015 13:22:53 UTC, Lobster wrote:
> >> > To be honest that's one of the main justifications for coughing up on
> >> > insurance, IMHO. I'd hate to have to be in a position where I had to
> >> > choose between euthanasis or a multi-thousand-pound procedure purely on
> >> > cost grounds, and then have to justify that to my kids.
> >> I decided to not take out insurance on my cat. I havent; had any for my
> >> two
> >> previous moggies. I see it like taking out extra insurance on your TV or
> >> other appliance in that anyone offering insurance expects to make a
> >> profit,
> >> it's not like any of these insurance companies care about our pets.
> >
> > But if my telly breaks down I can afford a new one, or do without.
> >
> > I can't afford to rebuild my house, so that's worth insuring. It's a risk
> > I can't afford to self-insure.
>

> Only insure houses and cars.
> Cats are expendable in my book.

Most peole raplace their cars more often than a cat or dog.
My friend cat is about 21 years old.

[whisky-dave]

Yep, that's what insurance is about the probability of costs.
I can work that out myself which is why in all probability I'll save money by not taking out insurance on my cat.

[whisky-dave]

On Tuesday, 24 March 2015 22:45:44 UTC, Rod Speed wrote:
> "Nick" <nick...@NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:cndks5...@mid.individual.net...
> >
> > <no_...@v.com> wrote in message news:cnd1sr...@mid.individual.net...
> >> Forgive me - I need to vent!!
> >> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
> >> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation
> >> (£333/hour!) and £29.07 for a Convenia antibiotic injection - both plus
> >> VAT. Mildmay are part of CVS UK Ltd who seem to have a large number of
> >> vet practices so I guess their charges are the same around the country.
> >>
> >> I've been surprised by the charges before but just muttered and paid, now
> >> I can feel a need to get a newspaper or MP asking questions. Has anyone
> >> else tried to do anything similar?
> >>
> >> Thanks for reading (if you have), I still feel ripped-off but slightly
> >> less wound up about it.
>
> > Presumably you could have ascertained the costs before taking your cat to
> > the vet. If you didn't do so then you have implicitly agreed with their
> > T&C's etc blah blah.
>
> > For us animal lovers/owners/staff (cats) the vet is an unfortunate
> > necessity.
>
> Not necessarily, you can just kill it if it has a serious medical problem.

No you can't or you could but would face charges of cruelty.
Ypu can;'t just go arouind killing your own pets.

> > My mum always had 4 dogs ish, this gusted between 3 & 6. For some years
> > she took out a pet insurance thingy. After totting this up, the annual
> > insurance premiums came to more than the vets bills. She cancelled the pet
> > insurance but paid the same amount into a savings account. This account
> > more than covered the vets bills and, when she passed away, showed a
> > considerable balance.
>
> But it doesn't always work out like that as someone else has just shown.
>
> > I do the same.
>
> I don't bother with a separate savings account, no point in that.

I'd agree with that but some people just can;t put money aside for these sort of things.

>
> > Also removes the ache of claiming on insurance with the inevitable price
> > rise in annual premium.
>
> > It is worth noting, and perhaps appreciating, that the course time to
> > qualify as a veterinary surgeon is lengthier than that to become a general
> > practicioner.
>
> But not a surgeon.
>
> > You might find a cheaper vet but I believe in the adage that you get what
> > you pay for.
>
> More fool you.

As long as the person is qualified and registared they should be OK.

[michael adams]

"charles" <cha...@charleshope.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:54a9d5c2...@charleshope.demon.co.uk...

> In article <1l6XXyYo...@familyfrench.co.uk>,
> Chris French <new...@familyfrench.co.uk> wrote:
>> In message <55127a6f$0$52546$b1db1813$8a71...@news.astraweb.com>,
>> "Dennis@home" <den...@nowhere.invalid> writes
>> >On 24/03/2015 22:59, Rod Speed wrote:
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>> >>> Nobody HAS to spend 4 figures on pet treatment.
>> >>
>> >> Nobody HAS to spend a cent on pet treatment.
>> >
>> >In a proper country like here the RSPCA(spits!) can do you for neglect
>> >if you don't have your pet checked and treated.
>
>> Which is fair enough if a pet is ill and suffering unnecessarily.
>
> but it doesn't seem to be done for Humans.

Really ? So nobody is ever prosecuted for child neglect ?

> That's becasue we have a "Royal" society for animals, but
> only a "National" one for children.

No. It's because hunting children had already been outlawed
by the time they set up the NSPCC.

And anyway that's what social workers are for. I assume you
welcome the regular unnanounced calls from your local social
worker to check up that you're not molesting your kids
or subjecting them to satanic abuse.


michael adams

...

[Johny B Good]

On Tue, 24 Mar 2015 16:46:48 -0000, "michael adams"
<mjad...@ukonline.co.k> wrote:

>
>"critcher" <w.gange...@sky.com> wrote in message

>news:mes3pm$u4f$1...@speranza.aioe.org...
>> On 24/03/2015 13:04, John Rumm wrote:
>>> On 24/03/2015 11:59, no_...@v.com wrote:

>>>> Forgive me - I need to vent!!
>>>> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
>>>> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation
>>>> (£333/hour!) and £29.07 for a Convenia antibiotic injection - both plus
>>>> VAT. Mildmay are part of CVS UK Ltd who seem to have a large number of
>>>> vet practices so I guess their charges are the same around the country.
>>>

>>> Count yourself lucky... something bit a new arsehole into one of our

>>> cats last year. That cost £1800 to get glued back together, at which
>>> point I decided that pet insurance might be a good idea. Just as well,
>>> six months later something then hit it or ran it over (we are thinking
>>> of renaming him Mr Lucky!), and by the time they had finished screwing
>>> his pelvis back onto his spine, that was pushing £4k
>>>
>>>
>>>

>> love is a very powerful emotion, but no cat or dog is worth that amount of money, and

>> I'm a dog lover.
>

>Indeed. A lot of the treatments being offered nowadays probably wouldn't
>have been available 20 years ago, at any cost, And are probably an offshoot
>of new medical procedures and drugs developed for treating humans.
>

That's sort of ass backwards. Virtually all human treatments are the
result of animal testing. :-)
--
J B Good

[stuart noble]

I once drowned a hamster for my neighbour.

[Chris French]

In message <f66f7fa4-2daf-4a29...@googlegroups.com>,
whisky-dave <whisk...@gmail.com> writes

>On Tuesday, 24 March 2015 22:45:44 UTC, Rod Speed wrote:
>> "Nick" <nick...@NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
>> news:cndks5...@mid.individual.net...
>> >
>> > <no_...@v.com> wrote in message news:cnd1sr...@mid.individual.net...
>> >> Forgive me - I need to vent!!
>> >> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
>> >> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation
>> >> (£333/hour!) and £29.07 for a Convenia antibiotic injection - both plus
>> >> VAT. Mildmay are part of CVS UK Ltd who seem to have a large number of
>> >> vet practices so I guess their charges are the same around the country.
>> >>
>> >> I've been surprised by the charges before but just muttered and paid, now
>> >> I can feel a need to get a newspaper or MP asking questions. Has anyone
>> >> else tried to do anything similar?
>> >>
>> >> Thanks for reading (if you have), I still feel ripped-off but slightly
>> >> less wound up about it.
>>
>> > Presumably you could have ascertained the costs before taking your cat to
>> > the vet. If you didn't do so then you have implicitly agreed with their
>> > T&C's etc blah blah.
>>
>> > For us animal lovers/owners/staff (cats) the vet is an unfortunate
>> > necessity.
>>
>> Not necessarily, you can just kill it if it has a serious medical problem.
>
>No you can't or you could but would face charges of cruelty.
>Ypu can;'t just go arouind killing your own pets.
>

Yes you can. The killing itself isn't the issue (in general - no doubt
there are some specific rules for some animals - but for your typical
pet animals it's fine).

But it depends on how you go about it. If the act of killing the animal
leads to it suffering then that could lead to prosecution for cruelty
--
Chris French

[whisky-dave]

Yes you can kill a pet amoeba but a cat...

http://www.rspb.org.uk/makeahomeforwildlife/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/cats/catsandthelaw.aspx

> The killing itself isn't the issue (in general - no doubt
> there are some specific rules for some animals - but for your typical
> pet animals it's fine).

you should check out The Animal Welfare Act 2006.

[John Rumm]

Tis what I thought until recently... In the past when we had a dog I had
looked at insuring that, and it seemed to be several hundred a year. On
the couple of occasions it needed more expensive treatment it was
typically no more than double that - and so not cost effective to insure.

However, with the cat, the £70 annual premium turned out to be quite a
good investment stacked against a £4K repair bill.


--
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\=================================================================/

[Roger Mills]

On 25/03/2015 00:00, Rod Speed wrote:
>
>
> "Roger Mills" <watt....@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:cne86m...@mid.individual.net...
>> On 24/03/2015 21:13, Rod Speed wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> "Roger Mills" <watt....@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>> news:cnd3o7...@mid.individual.net...
>>>> On 24/03/2015 12:02, stuart noble wrote:
>>
>>>>> Vets, dentists. Stay away
>>>>
>>>> Easier said than done! True, you don't *have* to have pets - but you
>>>> do *need* teeth!
>>>
>>> But don’t need to go to the dentist about them.
>>
>> Somehow I don't fancy a DIY approach to fillings and extractions.
>
> You don’t have to DIY, just let your teeth do what comes naturally.

If you can stand the pain!
--
Cheers,
Roger
____________
Please reply to Newsgroup. Whilst email address is valid, it is seldom
checked.

[ARW]

<spuorg...@gowanhill.com> wrote in message
news:f0a86b3c-832b-4275...@googlegroups.com...

> On Tuesday, 24 March 2015 12:31:07 UTC, Roger Mills wrote:
>> > Vets, dentists. Stay away
>> Easier said than done! True, you don't *have* to have pets - but you do
>> *need* teeth!
>
> It used to be a traditional 21st birthday present in Scotland to pay for
> someone to have all their teeth pulled, to avoid future problems.

I thought that was just women.



--
Adam

[Dennis@home]

On 25/03/2015 17:16, John Rumm wrote:

> However, with the cat, the £70 annual premium turned out to be quite a
> good investment stacked against a £4K repair bill.
>
>

Still more than a new for old job.

[Rod Speed]

Dennis@home <den...@nowhere.invalid> wrote

> Rod Speed wrote

>>> Nobody HAS to spend 4 figures on pet treatment.

>> Nobody HAS to spend a cent on pet treatment.

> In a proper country like here the RSPCA(spits!) can do you for neglect if
> you don't have your pet checked

Nope.

> and treated.

Only if it has a medical problem. And you don’t
have to use a vet if it has a problem, you are free
to look it up using google etc and treat it yourself.

And if it has a medical problem that you decide isn't
worth treating you are free to kill it humanely etc too.

> They won't help either unless you have a benefits card to wave at them.

You can however dump the animal at the pound etc
and don’t bother to have it microchipped even if the
law requires that.

[Rod Speed]

"whisky-dave" <whisk...@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:17bfa4d8-218c-4295...@googlegroups.com...

True of your flat too.

[Rod Speed]

"whisky-dave" <whisk...@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:f66f7fa4-2daf-4a29...@googlegroups.com...

Corse you can.

> or you could but would face charges of cruelty.

Nope, not if you kill it humanely.

> Ypu can;'t just go arouind killing your own pets.

Wrong, its perfectly possible to do it humanely.

Adam did.

There are duds in any field.

[Rod Speed]

"Johny B Good" <johnny...@invalid.ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:crg5hatjg0cip455r...@4ax.com...

Nope.

> Virtually all human treatments are the result of animal testing. :-)

Both are actually true.

[Rod Speed]

"whisky-dave" <whisk...@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:d44c7685-4e7e-4599...@googlegroups.com...

You're legally allowed to kill a cat humanely.

Adam did too.

> http://www.rspb.org.uk/makeahomeforwildlife/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/cats/catsandthelaw.aspx

That's talking about killing other peoples' cats.

>> The killing itself isn't the issue (in general - no doubt
>> there are some specific rules for some animals - but
>> for your typical pet animals it's fine).

> you should check out The Animal Welfare Act 2006.

He doesn't need to, its completely
legal to kill your own cat humanely.

[Rod Speed]

"Roger Mills" <watt....@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:cngbqc...@mid.individual.net...

> On 25/03/2015 00:00, Rod Speed wrote:
>>
>>
>> "Roger Mills" <watt....@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:cne86m...@mid.individual.net...
>>> On 24/03/2015 21:13, Rod Speed wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> "Roger Mills" <watt....@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:cnd3o7...@mid.individual.net...
>>>>> On 24/03/2015 12:02, stuart noble wrote:
>>>
>>>>>> Vets, dentists. Stay away
>>>>>
>>>>> Easier said than done! True, you don't *have* to have pets - but you
>>>>> do *need* teeth!
>>>>
>>>> But don’t need to go to the dentist about them.
>>>
>>> Somehow I don't fancy a DIY approach to fillings and extractions.
>>
>> You don’t have to DIY, just let your teeth do what comes naturally.
>
> If you can stand the pain!

There isn't necessarily any pain with modern fluoridated water supplys.

[harryagain]

"whisky-dave" <whisk...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:d44c7685-4e7e-4599...@googlegroups.com...

That's about killing someone else's cat.
I 'spect it's legal to make a halal killing.

[harryagain]

"Rod Speed" <rod.sp...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:cne8jf...@mid.individual.net...
>
>
> "Tim+" <timdow...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:2011809253448911867.09388...@news.eternal-september.org...
>> <meow...@care2.com> wrote:

>>> On Tuesday, March 24, 2015 at 11:59:26 AM UTC, no_...@v.com wrote:
>>>> Forgive me - I need to vent!!
>>>> I've just taken my cat to Mildmay vets in Winchester because of a
>>>> respiratory infection. I was charged £33.33 for a 6 minute consultation
>>>> (£333/hour!) and £29.07 for a Convenia antibiotic injection - both plus
>>>> VAT. Mildmay are part of CVS UK Ltd who seem to have a large number of
>>>> vet practices so I guess their charges are the same around the country.
>>>>
>>>> I've been surprised by the charges before but just muttered and paid,
>>>> now I can feel a need to get a newspaper or MP asking questions. Has
>>>> anyone else tried to do anything similar?
>>>>
>>>> Thanks for reading (if you have), I still feel ripped-off but slightly
>>>> less wound up about it.
>>>

>>> Lucky it wasn't 4 figures
>>
>> Nah, decisions get easier when the sums go up.
>
> They don't actually, particularly when it's the kid's pet etc.

You shouldn't mollycoddle your kids.
They need to learn about death.
No wonder so many grow up warped.

[mark.b...@gmail.com]

On Thursday, 26 March 2015 06:36:58 UTC, harry wrote:
>
> You shouldn't mollycoddle your kids.
> They need to learn about death.
> No wonder so many grow up warped.

You really can't write Haiku can you?

[whisky-dave]

for you then yes, but not for everyone that is the point.
I doubt an insurance company would charge £70 per year if everyone got £4k back.
Last time I check it was £9 a month then there was the T&Cs .

[Johny B Good]

On Thu, 26 Mar 2015 01:57:56 -0700 (PDT), mark.b...@gmail.com
wrote:

Come _on_ now, he can barely write prose. What did you expect?
--
J B Good

[whisky-dave]

Of which I don't have a choice I have to insure it as part of the leasehold agreement.

[whisky-dave]

Nop.

>
> > or you could but would face charges of cruelty.
>
> Nope, not if you kill it humanely.

See they're the catch, in the same way you are allowed to kill humans
there are rules.

>
> > Ypu can;'t just go arouind killing your own pets.
>
> Wrong, its perfectly possible to do it humanely.

that's why I said just 'just go about killing' which you can't do.
Some think you can kill in any way you want to that's part of the problem we have in the UK with Halal.

> >
> > As long as the person is qualified and registared they should be OK.
>
> There are duds in any field.

Yep and doing your best to aviod them is a good idea

[whisky-dave]

it's about killing cats.

>
> >> The killing itself isn't the issue (in general - no doubt
> >> there are some specific rules for some animals - but
> >> for your typical pet animals it's fine).
>
> > you should check out The Animal Welfare Act 2006.
>
> He doesn't need to, its completely
> legal to kill your own cat humanely.

Yep I know that's part of the act. in that you can't caue (knowly) distress or harm to you cat.

>
> >> But it depends on how you go about it. If the act of killing the animal
> >> leads to it suffering then that could lead to prosecution for cruelty

Yep.
so just killing your cat wihtout thought (depending on teh situation) can get you prosecuted for animal cruelty .

[whisky-dave]

Yes but the one you missed was the animal protection act 2006

> I 'spect it's legal to make a halal killing.

Not sure if you're allowed to kill cats for human food in the UK.
But that also depends on your religious belifs, so much for 'equality'

extract from
RSPCA Farm Animals Department Information Sheet February 2015

"About religious slaughter
What is religious slaughter?
In the UK, the Jewish and Muslim communities
are exempt from a section of the law in 'The
Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing)
Regulations 1995' that requires all animals to
be stunned before they are slaughtered.
Stunning is a process that causes animals to
lose consciousness, making them insensible to
pain and suffering.
Although there are differences in the way"

[John Rumm]

The point (as others have mentioned) is not will you ever get the money
back etc, but could you afford to self insure if the shit hit the fan
(or more likely the car hit the cat)? If the answer is no, then
insurance is one option to mitigate that risk.

> I doubt an insurance company would charge £70 per year if everyone got £4k back.

Obviously not.

> Last time I check it was £9 a month then there was the T&Cs .

(The cost of cover varied with the level of cover you wanted, and also
the age of the cat. For the product a couple up from the base level, and
a cat under 9 years old it was about £6/month. It rose to £9 if they
were 9 or older IIRC)

[whisky-dave]

On Thursday, 26 March 2015 16:27:14 UTC, John Rumm wrote:
> On 26/03/2015 14:23, whisky-dave wrote:
> > On Wednesday, 25 March 2015 17:16:11 UTC, John Rumm wrote:
>
> >>> Yep, that's what insurance is about the probability of costs.
> >>> I can work that out myself which is why in all probability I'll save money by not taking out insurance on my cat.
> >>
> >> Tis what I thought until recently... In the past when we had a dog I had
> >> looked at insuring that, and it seemed to be several hundred a year. On
> >> the couple of occasions it needed more expensive treatment it was
> >> typically no more than double that - and so not cost effective to insure.
> >>
> >> However, with the cat, the £70 annual premium turned out to be quite a
> >> good investment stacked against a £4K repair bill.
> >
> > for you then yes, but not for everyone that is the point.
>
> The point (as others have mentioned) is not will you ever get the money
> back etc, but could you afford to self insure if the shit hit the fan
> (or more likely the car hit the cat)? If the answer is no, then
> insurance is one option to mitigate that risk.

yes that is the idea of insurance, it is to replace something.
I got my cat as it was homeless and desined for a rescue centre.
so a cat can cost nothing so why insure it ?

>
> > I doubt an insurance company would charge £70 per year if everyone got £4k back.
>
> Obviously not.

So they do that because the chance of you losing your home is relatively small.
if they charged me 1000 per month I wouldn;t be able to afford it so wouldn;t take it out.
Does that change the likeihood of the risk NO.

>
> > Last time I check it was £9 a month then there was the T&Cs .
>
> (The cost of cover varied with the level of cover you wanted, and also
> the age of the cat. For the product a couple up from the base level, and
> a cat under 9 years old it was about £6/month. It rose to £9 if they

> were 9 or older IIRC).

and there's lots things that don't count so you have to pay anyway even if you have insurance.

[John Rumm]

On 26/03/2015 16:44, whisky-dave wrote:
> On Thursday, 26 March 2015 16:27:14 UTC, John Rumm wrote:
>> On 26/03/2015 14:23, whisky-dave wrote:
>>> On Wednesday, 25 March 2015 17:16:11 UTC, John Rumm wrote:
>>
>>>>> Yep, that's what insurance is about the probability of costs.
>>>>> I can work that out myself which is why in all probability I'll save money by not taking out insurance on my cat.
>>>>
>>>> Tis what I thought until recently... In the past when we had a dog I had
>>>> looked at insuring that, and it seemed to be several hundred a year. On
>>>> the couple of occasions it needed more expensive treatment it was
>>>> typically no more than double that - and so not cost effective to insure.
>>>>
>>>> However, with the cat, the £70 annual premium turned out to be quite a
>>>> good investment stacked against a £4K repair bill.
>>>
>>> for you then yes, but not for everyone that is the point.
>>
>> The point (as others have mentioned) is not will you ever get the money
>> back etc, but could you afford to self insure if the shit hit the fan
>> (or more likely the car hit the cat)? If the answer is no, then
>> insurance is one option to mitigate that risk.
>
> yes that is the idea of insurance, it is to replace something.
> I got my cat as it was homeless and desined for a rescue centre.
> so a cat can cost nothing so why insure it ?

Depends on whether you consider the purchase cost to be the only value
it has or not.

>>> I doubt an insurance company would charge £70 per year if everyone got £4k back.
>>
>> Obviously not.
>
> So they do that because the chance of you losing your home is relatively small.
> if they charged me 1000 per month I wouldn;t be able to afford it so wouldn;t take it out.
> Does that change the likeihood of the risk NO.

Wasn't suggesting it would.

(Also the insurance payout for the loss of the cat is significantly less
than the maximum that it will cover for treatment).

>>> Last time I check it was £9 a month then there was the T&Cs .
>>
>> (The cost of cover varied with the level of cover you wanted, and also
>> the age of the cat. For the product a couple up from the base level, and
>> a cat under 9 years old it was about £6/month. It rose to £9 if they
>> were 9 or older IIRC).
>
> and there's lots things that don't count so you have to pay anyway even if you have insurance.

The one I found was not too bad in that respect.

[Rod Speed]

"whisky-dave" <whisk...@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:ef522c21-14e8-49a4...@googlegroups.com...

Yep.

>> > or you could but would face charges of cruelty.
>>
>> Nope, not if you kill it humanely.

> See they're the catch,

Nope, trivially easy to kill pets humanely.

> in the same way you are allowed to kill humans there are rules.

Yes, but its trivially easy to kill pets humanely.

>> > Ypu can;'t just go arouind killing your own pets.

>> Wrong, its perfectly possible to do it humanely.

> that's why I said just 'just go about killing' which you can't do.

Its trivially easy to kill pets humanely.

You have to follow the rules with your garbage and
driving, and trivially easy to follow the rules with both.

> Some think you can kill in any way you want to

Nope. You aren't free to kick your pet to death.

> that's part of the problem we have in the UK with Halal.

Nope, you aren't free to kill an animal you plan to eat any way you like
either.

>>> As long as the person is qualified and registared they should be OK.

>> There are duds in any field.

> Yep and doing your best to aviod them is a good idea

But going for the ones that charge more isn't the way to do that.

[Chris French]

In message <4c5a0a36-d8db-4439...@googlegroups.com>,
whisky-dave <whisk...@gmail.com> writes

>On Thursday, 26 March 2015 16:27:14 UTC, John Rumm wrote:
>> On 26/03/2015 14:23, whisky-dave wrote:
>> > On Wednesday, 25 March 2015 17:16:11 UTC, John Rumm wrote:
>>
>> >>> Yep, that's what insurance is about the probability of costs.
>> >>> I can work that out myself which is why in all probability I'll
>> >>>save money by not taking out insurance on my cat.
>> >>
>> >> Tis what I thought until recently... In the past when we had a dog I had
>> >> looked at insuring that, and it seemed to be several hundred a year. On
>> >> the couple of occasions it needed more expensive treatment it was
>> >> typically no more than double that - and so not cost effective to insure.
>> >>
>> >> However, with the cat, the £70 annual premium turned out to be quite a
>> >> good investment stacked against a £4K repair bill.
>> >
>> > for you then yes, but not for everyone that is the point.
>>
>> The point (as others have mentioned) is not will you ever get the money
>> back etc, but could you afford to self insure if the shit hit the fan
>> (or more likely the car hit the cat)? If the answer is no, then
>> insurance is one option to mitigate that risk.
>
>yes that is the idea of insurance, it is to replace something.

Not necessarily replace something - health insurance is to help fix you
for example.

>I got my cat as it was homeless and desined for a rescue centre.
>so a cat can cost nothing so why insure it ?
>
>

Value does not have to be the same as monetary cost

--
Chris French

[Rod Speed]

"whisky-dave" <whisk...@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:c01a4d52-fcf5-401a...@googlegroups.com...

That's talking about killing other peoples' cats, not your own cat
which is perfectly legal if you do it humanely and that's trivial to do.

>>>> The killing itself isn't the issue (in general - no doubt
>>>> there are some specific rules for some animals - but
>>>> for your typical pet animals it's fine).

>>> you should check out The Animal Welfare Act 2006.

>> He doesn't need to, its completely
>> legal to kill your own cat humanely.

> Yep I know that's part of the act.

So you are just plain wrong when you claimed that
its illegal to kill your own pet instead of having
it treated by a vet if it has a medical problem.

You are also free to kill your pet humanely if
you decide you no longer want to have it as
a pet or because you can't keep it any longer,
or because it turned out to be lousy value or
because it's a nuisance, etc etc etc.

> in that you can't caue (knowly) distress or harm to you cat.

But you are free to kill it humanely if you want to do that.

>>>> But it depends on how you go about it. If the act of killing the animal
>>>> leads to it suffering then that could lead to prosecution for cruelty

> Yep.
> so just killing your cat wihtout thought (depending on
> teh situation) can get you prosecuted for animal cruelty .

Not if you kill it humanely, no thought is legally required.

[bm]

"whisky-dave" <whisk...@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:4c5a0a36-d8db-4439...@googlegroups.com...

On Thursday, 26 March 2015 16:27:14 UTC, John Rumm wrote:
> On 26/03/2015 14:23, whisky-dave wrote:
> > On Wednesday, 25 March 2015 17:16:11 UTC, John Rumm wrote:
>
> >>> Yep, that's what insurance is about the probability of costs.
> >>> I can work that out myself which is why in all probability I'll save
> >>> money by not taking out insurance on my cat.
> >>
> >> Tis what I thought until recently... In the past when we had a dog I
> >> had
> >> looked at insuring that, and it seemed to be several hundred a year. On
> >> the couple of occasions it needed more expensive treatment it was
> >> typically no more than double that - and so not cost effective to
> >> insure.
> >>
> >> However, with the cat, the £70 annual premium turned out to be quite a
> >> good investment stacked against a £4K repair bill.
> >
> > for you then yes, but not for everyone that is the point.
>
> The point (as others have mentioned) is not will you ever get the money
> back etc, but could you afford to self insure if the shit hit the fan
> (or more likely the car hit the cat)? If the answer is no, then
> insurance is one option to mitigate that risk.

yes that is the idea of insurance, it is to replace something.
I got my cat as it was homeless and desined for a rescue centre.
so a cat can cost nothing so why insure it ?

You get a decent vet bill matey, then you'll know why.

[Rod Speed]

"whisky-dave" <whisk...@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:bc4e960e-d8e6-432e...@googlegroups.com...

Just says that you have to kill your own cat humanely if you decide to do
that.

>> I 'spect it's legal to make a halal killing.

> Not sure if you're allowed to kill cats for human food in the UK.

Yes you are if its for your own food.

> But that also depends on your religious belifs,

Nope.

> so much for 'equality'

Fraid so.

> extract from
> RSPCA Farm Animals Department Information Sheet February 2015

> "About religious slaughter
> What is religious slaughter?
> In the UK, the Jewish and Muslim communities
> are exempt from a section of the law in 'The
> Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing)
> Regulations 1995' that requires all animals to
> be stunned before they are slaughtered.

Slaughtering is about FOOD, not killing your pet.

> Stunning is a process that causes animals to
> lose consciousness, making them insensible to
> pain and suffering.

Perfectly possible to stun your pet before killing it.

[Rod Speed]

"whisky-dave" <whisk...@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:4c5a0a36-d8db-4439...@googlegroups.com...

> On Thursday, 26 March 2015 16:27:14 UTC, John Rumm wrote:
>> On 26/03/2015 14:23, whisky-dave wrote:
>> > On Wednesday, 25 March 2015 17:16:11 UTC, John Rumm wrote:
>>
>> >>> Yep, that's what insurance is about the probability of costs.
>> >>> I can work that out myself which is why in all probability I'll save
>> >>> money by not taking out insurance on my cat.
>> >>
>> >> Tis what I thought until recently... In the past when we had a dog I
>> >> had
>> >> looked at insuring that, and it seemed to be several hundred a year.
>> >> On
>> >> the couple of occasions it needed more expensive treatment it was
>> >> typically no more than double that - and so not cost effective to
>> >> insure.
>> >>
>> >> However, with the cat, the £70 annual premium turned out to be quite a
>> >> good investment stacked against a £4K repair bill.
>> >
>> > for you then yes, but not for everyone that is the point.
>>
>> The point (as others have mentioned) is not will you ever get the money
>> back etc, but could you afford to self insure if the shit hit the fan
>> (or more likely the car hit the cat)? If the answer is no, then
>> insurance is one option to mitigate that risk.
>
> yes that is the idea of insurance, it is to replace something.
> I got my cat as it was homeless and desined for a rescue centre.
> so a cat can cost nothing so why insure it ?

Because the kids will be picking your nursing home
so if you just yawn and toss the half dead cat in the
bin and get another free one, it may well be a problem
for you in the future.

[whisky-dave]

On Thursday, 26 March 2015 21:40:37 UTC, John Rumm wrote:
> On 26/03/2015 16:44, whisky-dave wrote:
> > On Thursday, 26 March 2015 16:27:14 UTC, John Rumm wrote:
> >> On 26/03/2015 14:23, whisky-dave wrote:
> >>> On Wednesday, 25 March 2015 17:16:11 UTC, John Rumm wrote:
> >>
> >>>>> Yep, that's what insurance is about the probability of costs.
> >>>>> I can work that out myself which is why in all probability I'll save money by not taking out insurance on my cat.
> >>>>
> >>>> Tis what I thought until recently... In the past when we had a dog I had
> >>>> looked at insuring that, and it seemed to be several hundred a year. On
> >>>> the couple of occasions it needed more expensive treatment it was
> >>>> typically no more than double that - and so not cost effective to insure.
> >>>>
> >>>> However, with the cat, the £70 annual premium turned out to be quite a
> >>>> good investment stacked against a £4K repair bill.
> >>>
> >>> for you then yes, but not for everyone that is the point.
> >>
> >> The point (as others have mentioned) is not will you ever get the money
> >> back etc, but could you afford to self insure if the shit hit the fan
> >> (or more likely the car hit the cat)? If the answer is no, then
> >> insurance is one option to mitigate that risk.
> >
> > yes that is the idea of insurance, it is to replace something.
> > I got my cat as it was homeless and desined for a rescue centre.
> > so a cat can cost nothing so why insure it ?
>
> Depends on whether you consider the purchase cost to be the only value
> it has or not.

Does that apply to both cats and houses ?
How many people insure their TV/fridge/freezer and willing to pay for it, but not pay for the NHS as in doctors visits.
They have to pay a VET but not the doctor.

>
> >>> I doubt an insurance company would charge £70 per year if everyone got £4k back.
> >>
> >> Obviously not.
> >
> > So they do that because the chance of you losing your home is relatively small.
> > if they charged me 1000 per month I wouldn;t be able to afford it so wouldn;t take it out.
> > Does that change the likeihood of the risk NO.
>
> Wasn't suggesting it would.

I thought you were asking why I'd spend £200 a year insureing my house but NOT for insuring my cat.

> (Also the insurance payout for the loss of the cat is significantly less
> than the maximum that it will cover for treatment).

Yep, dead cats aren't worth much, burnt down houses are (if insured).

>
> >>> Last time I check it was £9 a month then there was the T&Cs .
> >>
> >> (The cost of cover varied with the level of cover you wanted, and also
> >> the age of the cat. For the product a couple up from the base level, and
> >> a cat under 9 years old it was about £6/month. It rose to £9 if they
> >> were 9 or older IIRC).
> >
> > and there's lots things that don't count so you have to pay anyway even if you have insurance.
>
> The one I found was not too bad in that respect.

I guess they vary, which makes it difficult.
maybe judge it on whether you prefer nodding dogs or meerkats, or robots, or someone singing opera.

[whisky-dave]

If you know how to do it humanely, most don;t they might think they do.

>
> > in the same way you are allowed to kill humans there are rules.
>
> Yes, but its trivially easy to kill pets humanely.

you don't have to kill humans humanely.

>
> >> > Ypu can;'t just go arouind killing your own pets.
>
> >> Wrong, its perfectly possible to do it humanely.
>
> > that's why I said just 'just go about killing' which you can't do.
>
> Its trivially easy to kill pets humanely.

Its trivially easy to kill humans too.

>
> You have to follow the rules with your garbage and
> driving, and trivially easy to follow the rules with both.

but not to easy when it comes to killing your own pet.

>
> > Some think you can kill in any way you want to
>
> Nope. You aren't free to kick your pet to death.

I never said you were.
I said some think they can kill in any way they like.

>
> > that's part of the problem we have in the UK with Halal.
>
> Nope, you aren't free to kill an animal you plan to eat any way you like
> either.

No I'm not but a halal butcher can and do.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/shopping-and-consumer-news/11384505/Secret-halal-slaughterhouse-film-reveals-horrific-animal-abuse.html

> >>> As long as the person is qualified and registared they should be OK.
>
> >> There are duds in any field.
>
> > Yep and doing your best to aviod them is a good idea
>
> But going for the ones that charge more isn't the way to do that.

I never said it was.
But I do think that when I see bottles of vodka or anything lined up and some are significantly cheaper than the others I do mistrust it UNLESS I know why.
This is why I'm suspisious of some halal butchers, especailly when I see them pulling the carcusses out of dirty vans. Perhaps that;'s why they were closed down one I pass everyday.

[whisky-dave]

On Thursday, 26 March 2015 23:29:17 UTC, Rod Speed wrote:
> "whisky-dave" <whisk...@gmail.com> wrote in message


>

> > Yes but the one you missed was the animal protection act 2006
>
> Just says that you have to kill your own cat humanely if you decide to do
> that.

'Just' the important word is humanely, and if you want to kill humans all you need to do is become a memeber of the armed forces or even the police in some circumstances, and thre's no it has to be doine humanely either.

>
> >> I 'spect it's legal to make a halal killing.
>
> > Not sure if you're allowed to kill cats for human food in the UK.
>
> Yes you are if its for your own food.

No you aren't unless dome humanely.

>
> > But that also depends on your religious belifs,
>
> Nope.

Yes.

>
> > so much for 'equality'
>
> Fraid so.
>
> > extract from
> > RSPCA Farm Animals Department Information Sheet February 2015
>
> > "About religious slaughter
> > What is religious slaughter?
> > In the UK, the Jewish and Muslim communities
> > are exempt from a section of the law in 'The
> > Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing)
> > Regulations 1995' that requires all animals to
> > be stunned before they are slaughtered.
>
> Slaughtering is about FOOD, not killing your pet.

irrelivent.

>
> > Stunning is a process that causes animals to
> > lose consciousness, making them insensible to
> > pain and suffering.
>
> Perfectly possible to stun your pet before killing it.

It's perfectly possible to do anyhting before killing it whether you are legally able to do without breaking the law is the important point.

[whisky-dave]

On Friday, 27 March 2015 00:07:27 UTC, Rod Speed wrote:


> >> The point (as others have mentioned) is not will you ever get the money
> >> back etc, but could you afford to self insure if the shit hit the fan
> >> (or more likely the car hit the cat)? If the answer is no, then
> >> insurance is one option to mitigate that risk.
> >
> > yes that is the idea of insurance, it is to replace something.
> > I got my cat as it was homeless and desined for a rescue centre.
> > so a cat can cost nothing so why insure it ?
>
> Because the kids will be picking your nursing home

How is that a good reason to insure a cat ?

> so if you just yawn and toss the half dead cat in the
> bin and get another free one, it may well be a problem
> for you in the future.

Tossing a half dead cat in a bin is classed as creulty.
Even if it's not half dead.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/oct/19/cat-bin-woman-mary-bale
But it's no suprise you didn't know that.