Cost of living
Help, I can't afford my cat
If money is tight and you are worrying about how to feed your cat or pay a vet bill, please read this before you do anything else. Giving up a cat should be the last resort, not the first, and there is more help available in Bradford than most people realise.
Nobody at The Cat House Rescue will judge you for asking. Most of the cats we take in come from people who loved them and simply ran out of options. If we can help you keep yours, that is a better outcome for everyone, including the cat.
Free and low cost vet treatment
Bradford has a PDSA Pet Hospital, which is a genuine lifeline and closer than many people think.
PDSA Pet Hospital Bradford
The Jeanne Marchig Centre, 1 Lorne Street, East Bowling, BD4 7PS
01274 740070
You need to be receiving certain benefits and living inside their postcode catchment area.
- Free treatment for one pet if you receive Housing Benefit, Council Tax Support, or Universal Credit with a housing element. Any other pets can go on the low cost service.
- Low cost treatment if you receive Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit, or Universal Credit without a housing element, or if you are a pensioner in Council Tax bands A to D.
They can treat, vaccinate, neuter, microchip, do flea and worm treatment, prescribe repeat medication and handle emergencies. What they cannot do is give you money towards a private vet's bill, so if you think you qualify, register with them now rather than waiting until something goes wrong.
Check your eligibility using the checker on pdsa.org.uk before you ring, and have your benefit details to hand.
Cheaper neutering
Neutering is the one cost that saves you money later, and there are three routes worth trying.
Our own vouchers
We run low cost neutering vouchers for cat owners on a low income in targeted parts of Bradford. At the moment that is Ravenscliffe and Thorpe Edge. Email us and we will tell you whether we can help.
Cats Protection vouchers
These cover most of the cost of neutering and microchipping at a participating vet. You should qualify if you receive Universal Credit, Income Support, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Support, Pension Credit, income based ESA or JSA, Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit, or if your household income is under £25,000 before tax, or you are a full time student living away from home.
Full details and how to apply are at cats.org.uk. What is on offer depends on demand and on funding at the time, and it varies from area to area, so contact Cats Protection directly rather than assuming either way.
PDSA
If you are already registered with them, neutering is part of what they do.
Pet food
If you are choosing between feeding yourself and feeding your cat, you do not have to.
Start with your own local food bank. Many Bradford food banks now hold pet food alongside everything else, thanks to the RSPCA's Pet Food Bank Partnership, but they will not always advertise it. Ask when you go.
- The RSPCA has a map of participating food banks at rspca.org.uk
- Blue Cross runs pet food banks and lists them at bluecross.org.uk
- Animal FoodBank UK provides short term emergency pet food across England, Scotland and Wales, at animalfoodbankuk.com
- Our local RSPCA branch is Halifax, Huddersfield, Bradford and District, based at Wade Street in Halifax. As well as rehoming they list microchipping, neutering and veterinary financial aid. Branch office 01422 341160.
Talking to your vet about the bill
This is the bit people skip, and it is the bit that helps most. Vets deal with this every week and would far rather have the conversation than lose the patient. Say plainly that money is tight, before the appointment if you can.
Five things to ask
- Can I have a written estimate before you start?
- Do you offer a payment plan, or work with a scheme like Payment Assist?
- Is there a cheaper version of this treatment, a generic medicine or a written prescription I can fill online?
- Could a nurse appointment do this instead of a vet one?
- What is essential today, and what can safely wait?
Try an independent vet
This is the one that surprises people most. Independent practices, the ones still owned by vets rather than by a corporate group, are very often cheaper than the big chains, and they set their own prices rather than working to a head office structure. If your cat is registered somewhere expensive, you are allowed to move, and it costs nothing to ring round and ask for a price.
Independent practices in and around Bradford worth trying are Baildon Vets, Northcote Vets, Tweed House Vets and Paws & Co Veterinary Centre.
If your cat needs a dental
Paws & Co are the ones to ring if the cost is what is stopping you. They have their own dental suite and dental X-ray on site, they publish their prices openly on their website rather than making you ask, and they will spread the cost over twelve months.
Do not be put off by Tingley being in Leeds. It is just off junction 28 of the M62 and only a few minutes from the White Rose Centre, which for a lot of Bradford is a shorter run than people assume.
Dentals are one of the biggest bills cat owners face and one of the most commonly put off, which is a shame, because a mouth full of bad teeth is genuinely painful.
If you already have insurance
Claim. People often assume a condition will not be covered and never ask. Check whether your policy is lifetime or annual, and whether the vet can claim directly from the insurer so you are not paying up front and waiting for the money.
Small things that add up
- Buy the biggest bag of dry food you can afford and store it properly. The price per kilo drops sharply.
- Wet food multipacks are usually cheaper than pouches bought singly, and wood pellet litter is a fraction of the price of clumping clay.
- Do not stop flea and worm treatment to save money. An infestation costs far more to clear than to prevent.
- Do not switch food suddenly to a cheaper brand. Mix it in over a week, or you will end up at the vet with an upset stomach.
Come and talk to us
If you are struggling, get in touch before it becomes a crisis. We would rather help you keep your cat than take them in.
Details of benefits, catchment areas and voucher schemes do change. Please check with each organisation before travelling or making decisions, as we cannot guarantee the information here is current at the time you read it.