My kitten is at least twice that age and has shown no sign of being in season.  Katty, don't worry about unwanted kittens. I would not let her have a litter if I didn't have homes for them.

Please ..research ,don.t  buy cute fluffy bundles  etrc.  They get dumped.

I love your passion and dedication Katty I wish the world was filled with people like you

Unfortunately, people will still give pets as presents at Christmas and alot of them will still be dumped after the novelty has worn off.

My vet was telling me the other day that he is being asked more and more to put down healthy pets or people coming to him saying their dog is violent as an excuse for wanting to have them put down.  This is mainly due to the fact that they cannot afford to keep them for a variety of reasons.  They can't afford to get them insured, because the robbing Pet Insurance companies have people by the short and curlies when it comes to their pets - as do alot of vets - charging astronomical prices to treat their pets.  People's circumstances can change and where once they could afford an animal, they now cannot - very sad.

My dog cost me £63 at the vets yesterday...£3 more than the excess on the insurance!
The insurance though is only £12 a month so it not too sad....and yes she was a present (birthday) for my son a couple of years ago after ne had nagged for about 2 years...obviously we wouldn;t have got her just for him but we all wanted one and it tied in nicely with his birthday...he'd kept to his side of the bargain and the first thing he does when he gets in from school is walk her.

My vet charges £35 just to look at my pet - before he charges for the treatment.  He charges over £6 just to dispense some tablets

The insurance for one of my cats is £35 per month, admittedly he is getting on now but that is still alot to find each month.  My other cat costs me about £22 and that is with one of the cheaper insurance companies, Tesco.  Alot of them now are not only charging you a premium each month and excess, but you now have to pay a percentage of the actual treatment.  So if they have to have an operation costing, say, £200 you have to be either 10% or some companies charge 20%.  That is disgraceful.   No wonder more and more people are opting not to get their pets insured.  Shame on these companies.

Our dog is with Tesco too....

the consulation fee at our vet is £25...the rest of it was for two lots of drops for her ear and one flea treatment which i had done while I was there (even though i have one in the kitchen drawer!)

I agree with you LL about vet fees, some of them should be wearing masks.
We changed vets last year because we were sick of the rip-off merchant we had been with previously. She had pound signs for eyeballs and we weren't confident in her abilities either.
Our new vet practice is great - it isn't cheap but they are good and we don't feel like we've been fleeced when we leave.
Katty and Yellow Rose, I wish the world had more people like you.

Makes me so mad Yogi.  Unfortunately, we only have 2 vets in the area I live and both charge more or less the same.  I know everyone has to earn a living, but there is earning a living and ripping people off by charging astronomical prices.  When I mentioned it to my vet, he waffled on about how he has to pass increases on to us because everything has gone up - but he is the one driving around is an expensive car which I am paying for   How he can justify over £6 for dispensing a prescription I have no idea.  His eyes light up when you say your pet is insured, cos then he can suggest all sorts of treatment because he knows the insurance company will pay up. God knows what vets charge in central London.

Yep, there are definitely some vets who bump up the charges when they know the animal is insured.
I think vets are like doctors, in as much as, you need to find one you have confidence in.
My dog is too precious to be treated by someone who sees her as a money-making exercise, rather than an animal in need of treatment. Luckily, we seem to have found a good one now.
LL, I know it can be really difficult when you live in an area with few vets to choose from. Sadly, they also know this is the case, hence the high fees.

It is so irresponsible to give a pet for christmas but we know it still happens, I hate any form of animal cruelty some people should never be allowed to own pets they have no clue how to look after animals