cost of care

just out of curiosity, and because I've never had to pay for a vet visit before, and I don't know, How much should I be expecting an update in shots to run me. I don't want to be stingy on my cat care, but I don't want to be gouged either.
Paige needs her Rabies booster is why I'm asking and we're going in the 19th.
Molly needs a general check up because of her depression.. we want to see if she's trying to tell us she's injured or something, so I expect that to be quite a bit more than the rabies. What is pet insurance?

Sorry I can't help you out with how much a vet visit should cost as I'm in Aus and prices differ significantly from vet to vet, let alone different continents LOL.

Pet insurance is very much like human insurance. You pay a premium once a month or yearly and if the pet is injured or ill, they will pay out a percentage of your costs (usually around 70-80%). Some also cover part of the costs towards everyday things such as spay/neuter, microchip, teeth cleaning, flea and worming treatment etc. If you go to this page and look under 'web results', you'll see links to several different companies that offer pet insurance.

It really is regional the cost I mean. I can get vaccinations for about $15.00 apiece, but the office visit, which includes a pretty thorough exam is $33.50. Then you need to follow up with booster shots in a few weeks. But again, it depends on the clinic, and the location. I am sure there is going to be a difference in price with anyone who posts.

that's true, but either way.. if the general consensus says about 50 bucks, then if I go and a shot is 200 bucks, I'll KNOW I'm getting way over charged, you see what I mean. I just want to know a range of acceptible rates. (clearly this is subject to location, but all the same.. an idea is nice.)

I just had all six of my cat done and it was $35 for the visit + $18 per vaccination and I got two vaccinations done per cat. 1 for Rabies and 1 for Distemper. If you let your cat outside then you might consider getting the vaccination for Feline Leukima as well which I think is only $15.00 or so. All of my cats have tested negative and are not allowed out at all so I don't get those done. If either of your cats are over 8, it's a good idea to get a full blood workup done to make sure their major organs are functioning properly and for me that costs $100.00 per cat.

Because I brought in so many cats threw they gave me some extras for free... 1 bag of Prescription Diet food per cat + Nail clippings + Butt cuts for the cats that needed it. So, it doesn't hurt to ask for extras if you want/need them done.
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These are the UK prices i pay.

Sophie's first two kitten shots for flu/enteritis £18.40 for each injection.

Rosie's yearly booster £21.21

Sophie's spay in septmember £50.00(Includes painkillers)

JC gets all the shots an outdoor cat would, and also the FIP nasal inoculation. I generally pay about $80. That includes his check-up and deworming medicine.

Originally Posted by turtlecat

...What is pet insurance?

Click to expand...

Smart Money recently published a well-researched and well-written article about pet insurance: http://www.smartmoney.com/ask/index.cfm?story=20040603

Thanks for posting that link! I've been very curious about pet insurance myself.

Vaccinations here in CR is $34, plus general check up or regular visit is $18.