What does a cat have to do with personal finance? Everything. Well, maybe not everything, but pets really do relate to our happiness and satisfaction in life.
It was a lesson in acceptance and understanding for me.
One night on Christmas Eve about 7 years ago now, my wife was out front of our Brooklyn apartment building. It was a rainy night. She heard a little meow, and when she looked down, there was a beautiful, but wet cat hiding in the bushes.
When my wife brought her in with a couple of neighbors, they were clammoring for us to keep her. I was dead set against it, but I caved to provide “room at the inn” for a few nights until we located the owners. It didn’t look like a stray cat. When the neighbors were kicking around ideas for names, someone mentioned Noel, but my wife instantly thought of “Merry”. The name has stuck and she knows it.
Taking her to the vet after spending a few days with her, we realized she had fleas and needed some shots. The total bill? $500. Ouch. The Vet definitely used some scare tactics to pad the bill. Like his urgent demand that we purchase the flea medication from him, or the eggs might be in our house for months. Lesson learned on that one. I’m now very well versed if a professional truly cares about animals or is just interested in making a buck.
I knew at that moment she was going to be ours for good. I never grew up with pets, but my wife did. I’m so thankful and grateful that I listened to her points for keeping her. Since we don’t have children of our own, Merry is a nice addition to our life that brings us happiness and many laughs. I resisted this for many years and actually never thought I would own a pet.
Fast forward 7 years later and we both realize that Merry is a special little thing. She adds a certain dimension and perspective to our life that I never imagined was possible. She’s really made a difference in our life as a family.
That’s money well spent.
You can check out Merry’s Instagram page here.