My comments were not entirely serious FF. I was originally going to ask if the cost was due to a CAT scan and thought better of it.

If it was my pet, I'd mortgage my house to pay the bill. I'd just rather not have to. And I think that given the escallating costs of medical care (like for humans), it's become the case that insurance is a must. That was not the case until recently.

Good luck with the cat. Hope it gets well soon (as does your bank balance!).

Femme Folle wrote:

Thanks. I just thought of doing something like that this afternoon after reading JV's post. I have had private messages and emails from a couple of potential buyers, but one is in Norway and the other in London. He couldn't convince me that it would cost less than $100 to ship it to the UK. If anyone has proof that it can safely be done at that price, I'm all ears. Otherwise, I'll have to go with the $400 quote from UPS and DHL if you want it sent to another country. He found one locally, so that was that.

[/quote]

I had an Italia Maranello Bass, and hard case, shipped over from the states last summer(probably weighs about the same as your Ric, maybe more)..just checked through my old emails and the guy charged me $84 through US Postal Service (It was insured for $500) took about ten days and I had to pay about £70 customs charges at this end..much better deal than the likes of DHL..you get robbed blind by couriers unless you have a business account you can use

Hieronymus - Thanks, and that's a great story. I'm glad she made it. Having watched a dog that I loved get run over by a car and then die in my arms, I know exactly how you felt. They're tough, those Jack Russells.

Bill - She didn't have a CAT scan or even a PET scan. Good one.

JSNTV - Thanks, that's good to know. Perhaps I overestimated the size and weight when I got the quote off the USPS website. The weight of the Ric is 4.1 kg and I'm not sure how much the case weighs. It feels heavy to me, but I'm kind of a weakling. I was estimating 25 pounds, with a dimensional weight (based on a package size of 50" x 20" x 6") of 37 pounds. That might be way off.

QUOTE:
£20 a month for pet insurance?

That was for 2 cats lyra - and it's more like £18 if I'm honest.

I get a slight discount (around a quid per cat or something) because I've insured them both.

PetPlan are very speedy at paying out by all accounts. Cats Protection recommended them to us (we got 3 months free after adopting Giddy and Kipper), which must count for something - even though I'm guessing PetPlan bung them a couple of quid for ever policy that is converted to a permanent one.

Edit: and what Pinback said FF - people who buy on eBay are deeply suspicious of 'newbies' these days.

I'll keep that in mind.

responded, jefe.

I wonder if Craigslist would work for you, FF, except that the price wouldn't be bid up.

That is a very good idea - thanks.

Now that I think of it, I thought I read recently that eBay seems to be moving more toward plain old sales instead of auctions, so it's funny that you're not eligible for Buy It Now.