06/11/2026
Marilyn is having a bit of a tough time recovering after spending two hours under anesthesia for extensive dental work. It's common for senior cats to take longer to bounce back after surgery, especially when multiple teeth are extracted.
Right now, she's getting plenty of supportive care, including fluids, antibiotics, and medication to help with nausea while her body recovers. We're keeping a close eye on her and giving her lots of love. Picture is of Marilyn getting fluids.
Yesterday I was talking with someone about Marilyn and the cost of her dental. They asked why we didn't simply euthanize her instead. It made me realize that this is probably a good opportunity to explain how we think about medical expenses in rescue.
There are generally two categories of vet costs in rescue: routine medical care and emergency/specialty medical care.
We will never euthanize a cat because of the cost of routine medical care. To us, things like spay/neuter surgeries, wellness visits, treatment for infections, allergies, wounds, and dental care are simply part of the responsibility of rescuing animals. These are expected expenses and every cat in our care deserves them. There is no cap on how much we spend per cat on routine care.
Emergency and specialty care is a different category. This includes situations such as being hit by a car, severe neurological conditions, heart disease requiring advanced surgery, and cancer requiring specialized care. These cases often involve difficult decisions because the costs can be very high and the prognosis is not always good. As a general rule, we have found when emergency medical costs exceed $4,000, the cat is usually dealing with a serious medical condition. At that point, we have to evaluate whether we can afford it. Rescue work is full of difficult decisions, and every organization draws the line in a different place. This is where we draw ours.
For Marilyn, the decision was easy. She had dental disease that could be treated. It is regular medical care. Thanks to all of you who donated so she got the care she needed!! We are incredibly grateful for your support. ❤️
