A quandary

This is a tough one.

Here's a story from Newsweek.com written by a man who paid $11,000 in medical bills on his 11-year-old cat.

We are talking multiple surgeries and treatments, for cancer and two bouts of pancreatitis.

The man admits to being a well-paid, single university professor. I'm assuming from the statement that, while it might have made a dent in his bank account, it wasn't such a burden.

At what point do you say enough is enough, no more procedures, no more treatments? How do finances fit into the equation?

Does it all boil down to quality of life — your pet's and yours?

I have to take Kate to a kennel in a few weeks, and one of the things I'll be asked by the staff there is, since she is an older dog, what would I want to tell them to do if there were an emergency. What should they tell the vet in terms of allowable procedures?

I mean, I love Kate, but ...