Earlier I went out to feed our four feral kitties. I fed three,
turned the corner to feed the fourth in his accustomed spot, and my
heart sank. Another one. A black male, un-neutered and thin. I fed him,
though he wouldn't come to the bowl while I was out. We'll borrow a trap
to have him fixed, but I don't know if he'll make it. His eyes look bad
and his breathing is labored.
This sounds terrible,
but I almost hope he has to be put down (almost). We've rescued many
animals over the years. Several have gone to homes or to no-kill
shelters, others we've kept. We have three dogs and six indoor cats.
Earlier this year, ferals started showing up in the neighborhood. We
joined the San Antonio Feral Cat Coalition to deal with the problem, and
now are caring for four (possibly five) outdoor kitties.
As
you can imagine, this is not cheap. We spend an average of $300 a month
on food, litter, and treats. We buy high-quality food for our indoor
pack, and I'm convinced this has saved us a lot in vet bills over the
years. We haven't had a significant vet expense in well over a year
(knock on wood), but I know that won't last. Two of our dogs and three
of our indoor cats are seniors.
I've been working on
our budget, going item by item deciding where to slash. The pet expense
is fixed; no way to cut that one. So far I've cut $15 from the cable
bill, and Kat and I are discussing slashing it more. That's a pitiful
start, but it is a start. This weekend I'll finish up quarterly
taxes, then I hope to sit down with Kat and get serious about sketching
out new budget goals. Hoo boy. I'd say our biggest challenge is having slightly different philosophies for handling money, but that's a blog post or two (or several dozen) on its own.