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Originally, I was suppose to move to St. John the fall of 2013. I was just about ready to put my house on the market for rent when a super cute and friendly kitty showed up at my door. She was micro-chipped but her owners didn't want her back. I won't start that story right now because it's just so unbelievable someone could be such a jerk to this innocent sweet cat. I attempted to find her a home but due to her medical issues, my house quickly became her home. I already had 2 kitties so I wasn't sure how this would work out. Luckily it did. She was the sweetest and most lovable cat ever. It was hard to believe she was as sick as she was. Since she was unable to fly, and I refused to leave without any of my kitties, I postponed my move. Because her medical issues were left untreated for so long, it was a long journey to get everything under control. She was a trooper through it all but unfortunately after her 3rd surgery, she took a turn for the worse. My sweet kitty passed away Oct 7th. 🙁
While trying to get her healthy enough to make the move, I decided to make a career move that would put me into a better financial position to move when the time was right. I currently have 10 months left on my contract which is perfect because that gives me plenty of time to rebuild my savings. I spent about $7k on this sweet kitty. The joy she brought to my household was worth every penny I spent and I would do it all over again because she was that amazing of a kitty. I have no doubt that she would have loved being an island kitty and I'm sad that she won't be making the move with me.
The plus side to my delayed move is that it has given me time to re-evaluate what I really need to bring with me versus what I want to bring, what I want to keep in storage stateside until I determine if living on a rock really is for me, (obviously I hope it is but I won't know for sure until I try it) and what I'm completely getting rid of because I don't really need/use it anyways. I will be doing another pre-move visit at some point this winter, partly to get away from the cold weather here (currently it is 45* outside Brrrrr...) but mainly to update my researched info from my last PMV. Yes, I am aware that doing a PMV during busy season will be more expensive but I hate cold weather so it will be the perfect escape to help me thru the winter. I might try to do it around the end of February to be able to participate in 8 Tuff Miles. As a runner, I've always wanted to do that race and well, my PMV has to have a little bit of fun in it. 🙂
Through out this whole time I have continued to read the boards here to keep up with what's going on and research past topics, as well as reading the local newspapers that are available online. So I just want to say Thank You to everyone who has contributed to this board. The positive and negative responses have been extremely helpful in my continued research. I think the majority of my questions have been asked and answered at some point or another. Thanks again everyone!
Posted : November 3, 2014 12:52 pm
Congrats crazyflamingo!
Glad your move is back on and you were able to do such a wonderful thing for the kitty. Not many would take that on nor spend that much to save an animal. She was lucky to have you as her guardian angel.
Posted : November 3, 2014 2:23 pm
have fun on your pmv, and you were very lucky to have had the money to spend on your cat. i am sorry she passed
Posted : November 3, 2014 7:13 pm
Awe 🙁 so sorry about your kitty
Bit shows a lot of character on your part. I too wouldn't have left with my furry kids. I know we've talked a few times before. If u decide to stay on STT vs STJ you can stay with us 🙂 if you come the end of jan and into feb u can house sit for us and take care of our two kitties. 🙂 pm me. Always willing to help out a fellow animal lover!
Posted : November 4, 2014 10:35 pm
Topic starter
Thanks ladies for your kind words! I feel very blessed to have had her in my life, even if it was only for a short while.
A&A, I will pm you.
Posted : November 23, 2014 1:32 pm
Good luck, crazyflamingo. It sounds like your animals are super-important to you, so keep in mind that veterinary medicine here is even more limited than human medicine. The technology and expertise available on STJ and even on STT are light-years behind what is accessible in the average small city stateside. You might even be blessed to have a vet you like here, only to have them move away or retire (happens frequently). I have seen a lot of animals die because of health conditions that would be treatable stateside, but we lack the equipment or diagnostic expertise available here. It's heartbreaking.
Posted : November 23, 2014 7:19 pm
Topic starter
fdr, thanks for the heads up on the limitations of veterinary medicine on island. It breaks my heart to know that many treatable conditions are untreatable there. Thankfully my other 2 kitties are super healthy. But I will definitely keep that in mind should they need medical attention in the future besides regular checkups.
Posted : November 24, 2014 5:23 pm
We have pretty good vets on STT but do miss Andy Williamson since he retired.
Sometimes one must go to 1 or 2 different vets if a problem can't get sorted out with the first one which is what I do if there's a problem and treatmment by first vet doesn't sort it out. A pain but you have to do what you can for the critters.
Posted : November 24, 2014 5:50 pm
Sometimes one must go to 1 or 2 different vets if a problem can't get sorted out with the first one which is what I do if there's a problem and treatmment by first vet doesn't sort it out. A pain but you have to do what you can for the critters.
Yes, and you are fortunate on STT to have multiple options. Currently only one vet resides on STJ, and she is spread thin because she operates practices on three different islands. The practice is seeking another vet but none has been hired yet.
Right now on STJ, if you have a veterinary emergency and the vet is not available that day, you may have no options for treating your animal on island. The choices would be a boat ride to STT, palliative care from a vet assistant (most of whom aren't licensed techs), or nothing at all. Keep in mind also that only a veterinarian can administer euthanasia.
Even if your pet is in the best of health, accidents happen, and there simply isn't much help. I am not trying to be alarmist or critical of any of the available vet care, just sharing the reality so that other animal lovers can get the full picture in deciding to make the move.
Posted : November 24, 2014 7:52 pm
I hear you. It would be nice to have more vets on island but the ones that are practicing here, don't want the competition or to allow new veterinarians in that would start their own practices. This is one of the reasons our shelters do not have their own "on staff" veterinarian. They would save a ton of money not having to pay for all the spay and neuters,alone, that must be done and are spread out to the various private practices not to mention time for an employee to drop off, pick up an animal plus wear and tear on a vehicle and the cost of gas to do so. They pay something like $99 just to have a vet spay/neuter
one cat. The island vets don't do it for free and like it that way.
At least STJ now has a vet. Years ago, Andy Williamson used to pack up his pet vet van and go over to STJ for the day. Or you brought your animal to STT for treatment. He was the only one available 24/7 when there was an emergency. We lost out when he retired and then John Moore passed away so we lost 2 vets at around the same time.
Sorry, didn't mean to go off on a tangent.
Right now, I 've been using 2 different vets. One to buy meds and do baths and the other since one of the dogs had a skin condition that wasn't going away with treatment from the first one. There's one I won't use at all since I had a major blow out with over the care of one of the dogs due to an emergency where no one was available.
Posted : November 24, 2014 10:09 pm
Topic starter
Such great info! Thank you! I am planning to check out vet offices on both STJ and STT on my next visit. I don't have a problem with going to multiple vets if needed to seek treatment. I had to do that here with my kitty that just passed.
Posted : November 25, 2014 5:07 pm
I don't have a problem with going to multiple vets if needed to seek treatment. I had to do that here with my kitty that just passed.
If you choose to live on STJ, don't forget to factor in the added cost of a barge ride ($50+ round trip), or the hassle of parking and transporting your pet via ferry to see a vet in Red Hook. It's nice in theory to be able to visit a vet on STT, but the practical reality of it is kind of a different story when you've got a sick critter.
Posted : November 25, 2014 6:59 pm
True! Pet carriers are cumbersome and taxis don't like taking pets so if you don't have transportation at either end, STT/STJ, it can be a big problem, especially with larger dogs. Finding a taxi in STJ to take you anywhere not on their regular tourist route is also an issue and that's without a pet in tow.
Posted : November 25, 2014 7:31 pm
