Vets are so expensive! Anything cheaper?

We have 2 kittens who are needing to get spayed in the next few months and also need vaccinations. I've been looking at local vet prices and they are outrageous! It is going to be so expensive for 2! I don't know if it is my area that is expensive or if it is generally more expensive to do here. Does anyone know of any place like PAWS or something similar that could do these sorts of things for an affordable price?!

I was going to suggest PDSA. Don't know your situation.

According to Wikipedia: Today, PDSA treatment is only available to the pets of those in receipt of Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit. For those eligible, treatment for sick and injured animals is free of charge. Recently, the PDSA started providing eligible pet owners with preventative services such as neutering, vaccinations and microchipping. These services are the only treatments that are not free; however, they will be offered at cost price.

contact your local cats protection branch to see if they offer vouchers towards the spaying. We got one for a stray we took in last year and it ended up costing only about £26 to have her done. Our little boy goes in on Tuesday and again we got a voucher so he's only going to cost £19. I've heard that the RSPCA offers vouchers as well, but I don't know the details.

Also, I've found the chains are more expensive as they will charge you for every follow up and a full exam for everything. We go to a small vet practice and follow ups are included in the original price and a lot of the time we don't need to see a vet just the nurse which they don't charge for.

My friend's dog had some trouble with one of his claws and her, chain, vet charged for every single follow up. Our big cat had an accident where one of his claws was ripped out and we only paid for the initial visit.

I'm actually a bit annoyed because I've never come in over our insurance deductible with the big one, and he goes to the vet fairly regularly.

I hope Cats Protection or RSPCA can help

Thanks, Pengi. I will try researching and finding one in our area. Thanks BostonDiner, we are not on benefits so that wouldn't apply to us. In our area, to have two cats spayed and get their vaccines is going to cost us around 300-400 pounds! Yikes!

Wow! I'm so excited. I just called the local Caring for Cats and the lady was so nice and helpful. She is going to send us a 90 pound voucher to go towards the spaying. She recommended a good vet in our area that is very reasonable as well. It is going to cost us about 30 pound for the spaying instead of 170! I feel like it's too good to be true! Thanks for the info, Pengi!

Glad you were able to get some vouchers for your kittens...

Just a suggestion - I'm guessing these two kittens are going to be your pets? I think your vet will undoubtedly mention it but I will too just in case - get your kittens insured! Health care is expensive, whether you are a person or a cat! Pets are a luxury, and they can get expensive if the worst happens (road traffic accident, etc.) and in those situations insurance can be a godsend!

Good luck!

Thank you. Yes, I've heard about pet insurance but I didn't know how common it was to get it. My friend has it for her thoroughbred cat. Where can I get insurance?

Thank you. Yes, I've heard about pet insurance but I didn't know how common it was to get it. My friend has it for her thoroughbred cat. Where can I get insurance?

Its much more common here than in the US (maybe 30-40% of clients will be insured at a vets practice, compared to a very low maybe 2-3% in the US)! I can't comment on which plans are the best from my own experience, as I've just moved here and haven't had a chance to work with the insurance companies yet but I've heard good things about PetPlan and most large supermarket chains seem to offer insurance as well. I would talk it over with your vet and do your own research online as to which is right for you. Good luck :-)

I'm glad the cat charity was able to help! There is a big problem with non-neutered cats (since it is so common to let them out) so I think they try to get people to neuter as much as possible. 

About the pet insurance, it is very common here.  Everyone I know with a pet has it.  We are currently with More Than for our big cat, but haven't done the little one yet - he'll probably be with Sainsburys as the coverage seems comparable and more than hiked up our monthly charge by some ridiculous amount and won't change it even though we have moved to a place that should have cheaper premiums (if that makes sense...)

Your vet will probably be the best person to talk to about what they recommend.  Keep in mind that some insurers will allow the vet to bill the company directly, others require you to pay and then reimburse you.  Plus, I'm convinced that having insurance just guarantees that you won't actually have anything cost more than the co-pay to treat.

Thank you. Yes, I've heard about pet insurance but I didn't know how common it was to get it. My friend has it for her thoroughbred cat. Where can I get insurance?

Last time I took my cat to teh vet (about 2 month ago) it seemed very common, most people seemed to have it. I've not had it for my cat (and she's 18 now) and only really had 2 occasions when she's needed a course of treatment from the vet (this last one cost £200, I was shocked when blood tests cost at least £120 and it didn't find anything wrong with her!)
Just search online, there's plenty about - Tesco, Direct Line etc etc.

Have you tried Vets For Pets? Never been but I think they are cheaper.
http://www.vets4pets.com/

They are currently offering vaccinations for life for £99.

Wasn't there a pet insurance company in the UK called Blue Cross? I always thought that was funny.    But yes, it would be very useful to have coverage for your animals -- it can get expensive.