The $30,000 Pussy

Barefoot,

Our cat got bitten by a snake. $30,000 later she’s alive and well and having a great life. Pets, to some, are their family. They’re not replaceable. The 30 grand I spent wasn’t just for a cat’s life … it was for my children’s happiness, it was so I didn’t have to be eaten up by guilt for the rest of my life. I look at this little cat now and wonder … what if I hadn’t spent it on her, what if I’d gone to Europe for a month-long family holiday instead. Would I be happier? I think not. 

Jane

Hi Jane

You’re triggering me.

I almost got cancelled last year for advising a broke woman not to spend $60,000 on her sausage dog.

I got absolutely savaged: bitey emails from dog lovers. I was mauled on social media, and the CEO of the Australian Veterinary Association published an open letter criticising my views (and justifying the cost of Range Rover Sport-level bills). 

So … here  we go again.

No parent wants to break a child’s heart (though my kids barrack for the Melbourne Demons, so there’s that), but I get where you’re coming from.

Look, I live on a farm, where the circle of life is on full display: the ewe prolapses and dies. The lamb gets pulled and bottle-fed by the kids. The fox breaks into the chook shed and kills the lot.

It’s hard – but it teaches them.

So I asked my eldest:

“If one of our cats got bitten by a snake, would we spend 30 grand to save it?”

He didn’t even blink:

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“And what if Granddad got bitten by a snake?”

“Well … how old is he?” he smirked.

“Stop it – you’re scaring me.”

Still, you asked: What if I hadn’t spent the money?

So let’s go there. What if you’d put that $30,000 into your mortgage? Or invested it in shares for your kids’ future? Or wiped out your credit card debt?

Well, you’d have something else: financial peace of mind. And that’s not nothing. 

I’m not saying you made the wrong choice. You saved your cat, your kids are happy, and your guilt is gone. But next time (and there’s always a next time when it comes to pets) have a plan before the tears and vet bills start flowing.

Because, while pets feel like family (and they often are!), your actual human family needs you to make clear-eyed choices, especially when it comes to money.

Scott