No one is trying to trip you up or put you off, we're just telling you how it is. What about when you move out and have rent, utilities, council tax and such to pay? Will you be able to afford to put so much into the piggy pot then? I also work 2 jobs, and there's no way I could afford my recent vets bill for Cameo if I didn't work where I do, as I also have a house to pay for, a car to run, insurance to pay, phone bills, gas bills, electricity bills and I don't even have to pay council tax on top of that. Cameo has so far cost over £1000 for three weeks care. It'd take a hell of a long time to rebuild that savings account.
I know the specific instance here is not my concern, but as animal responsibility is a concern of mine, I will offer a brief personal story -
I live out in the country in the United States, and people are careless about animals here, they just throw them out and think they can fend for themselves or that I have nothing else to do since I own a chunk of land and have beasties of my own. However, all those beasties are rescues, 3 dogs, 5 cats, and now a guinea pig, and except for the GP they are all spayed or neutered, and of course they have their shots, etc. That's a bit of money. 2 years ago a lovely white Lab pup was dumped at my house. I wanted so terribly to keep him as he was perfectly behaved, and I really did have the financial resources and space to do so, but I took him to the local shelter after much internal debate. I missed him then and I do now. BUT - - - life has a way of sneaking up and biting us in the butt when we least expect it; 4 months after I turned him over, I had septic shock from an infected kidney and a heart attack and could not take care of myself, much less a new animal or the ones I already had. Fortunately I had someone come and take care of the existing menagerie and would have continued to do so had I
died, which I nearly did. (BTW, when I rescued my middle dog from an impoverished friend after a car hit the dog and broke her leg clean in two and also her pelvis, it cost me in American dollars well over 1,145 British pounds, and you KNOW that went on credit cards.)
I think the moral of my story is:
Don't mistake people's concern about animals for a personal criticism (yes, I get asked sometimes, "But what about your animals? Do you have insurance in case something happens again? Your family is not here, do you have someone lined up to take them?")
Even if a person can handle responsibilities one minute, the next something might happen so things need to be kept to a minimum just in case, no matter who you are.
One day the mental health stigma will be gone! I however, fully embrace being crazy
Oh, yes, I don't suffer from my insanity, everyone else suffers from it! In the meantime, I do what the sweet voices in my head tell me to do.
