Diary of a Cat Mom
Diary of a Cat Mom is a reflective cat podcast created and hosted by Dagmar Gatell about understanding cats more deeply — and creating a calmer, more connected life for both you and your cats.
Based on real experiences caring for over 50 cats throughout her life, each episode shares quiet observations, emotional moments, caregiving reflections, and gentle insights from everyday life with cats. From routines, behavior, and emotional wellbeing to grief, gratitude, overstimulation, trust, and the small meaningful moments many people overlook — this is not a traditional “how-to” podcast, but a space for understanding, awareness, and lived experience.
Beyond cat care itself, Diary of a Cat Mom also explores our connection to nature, emotional presence, personal growth, and the way our inner state can influence the animals who share our lives. Because living with cats is never only about feeding and routines — it’s also about energy, safety, trust, patience, and how we show up emotionally in the spaces we create together.
Created for cat lovers who see their cats as family, this podcast offers companionship, reassurance, perspective, and emotional support during seasons of caregiving, uncertainty, healing, change, and letting go.
Diary of a Cat Mom is a personal storytelling podcast and does not replace professional veterinary advice. Every cat is unique, and medical or behavioral concerns should always be discussed with a trusted veterinarian or qualified professional.
You’re not alone on this journey.
We’re learning, loving, and growing together — one paw print at a time.
Diary of a Cat Mom
Pet Blood Work for Cats – Affordable Blood Tests Needed | Cat Health | Ep. 93
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When my cat Snow White started losing weight and having urinary issues, I expected a simple vet visit. Instead, I was faced with hundreds of dollars in senior blood work and thyroid testing.
At the time, all I saw was the additional expense.
Looking back, that blood work changed Snow White's life.
In this episode of the Diary of a Cat Mom podcast, I share Snow White's hyperthyroidism diagnosis, how her ear thyroid medication transformed her quality of life, and explore options that may help make blood testing more affordable for cat parents.
What You'll Learn in this Cat Podcast Episode
- Why blood work helped identify Snow White's hyperthyroidism
- Typical costs of senior cat blood tests
- How cat insurance works
- The pros and cons of pet insurance
- Alternative ways to manage veterinary costs
- Why diagnostic testing can be life-changing for cats
Chapters & Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
00:46 Snow White's Blood Work Journey
02:16 The Cost of Pet Blood Tests
03:15 Understanding Cat Insurance
04:52 Alternative Ways to Afford Blood Work
06:06 Looking Back at Snow White's Diagnosis
06:43 Final Thoughts
This is where I’ve gathered everything that supports me and my cats:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
About the Diary of a Cat Mom Podcast
Diary of a Cat Mom is a personal cat podcast created by Dagmar Gatell, sharing real moments from life with cats. Everything shared comes from lived experience as a cat mom and is not intended as professional veterinary advice. Every cat is unique, and for health concerns, it’s always best to consult your trusted veterinarian.
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Pet blood work, how can blood tests for cats be made more affordable? This is Diary of a Cat Mom. The other day I was giving Snow White her thyroid medicine in her ear, and I started thinking about something. Like this tiny amount of medicine costs around $40 per month. But it has completely changed her quality of life. Snow White is much more comfortable, calmer. Now she maintains her weight and she simply feels herself again, which is a godsend. But before we got to that point, there was one thing standing in the way, the pet blood work. And that made me wonder, is there a way to make pet blood tests for cats free or at least more affordable for cat parents who may not have several hundreds dollars available all at once? When I first took Snow White to the bed, it wasn't because I suspected a thyroid issue. She was having urinary issues that were not improving. And the bed wanted to run a full senior blood panel and an additional thyroid test. And I remember thinking, wow, I didn't expect that. I came in for a urine issue, and now I'm looking at hundreds of dollars. The additional blood work. Depending on what needs to be tested, in my experience, pet blood work can easily cost like between $200 to $500 or more sometimes. And as cat parents, many of us can afford a monthly medication and it helps the cat, but coming up with several hundred dollars unexpectedly for diagnostic testing can be difficult sometimes. Thankfully, we decided to do the testing. And the results showed that Snow White had hyperthyroidism. Now after we started the treatment, she's like a totally different cat. And that got me thinking: what if someone couldn't afford the blood work for the cat? What if the condition could be treated, but the diagnostic itself was financially out of reach for the cat parent? So I started looking into options that might help make blood work more affordable from now on. And one option I found was pet insurance. Like many cat insurance plans allow cat parents like us to spread the cost over time instead of facing large, unexpected bills. Typically, I saw like monthly premiums ranging from about $15 to $35 for younger cats, $20 to $50 for adult cats, and often $40 to $95 for senior cats, depending on the coverage. Most cat insurance plans, they include a deductible before reimbursement begins. And that deductible might be $100, $250, $500, or even $1,000. So usually the higher the deductible, the lower the month's premium. And after the deductible is met, the cat insurance may reimburse anywhere between $70 to $100 of the carpet expenses. So for example, if a carpet vet bill is around $1,000 and your reimbursement rate is 90%, then the insurance company would reimburse $900. Some cover up to $5,000 a year, others to $10,000, $50,000, or even unlimited amounts. Many cat insurance companies also showed a choice between accident-only coverage and accident and illness coverage. And what I saw was routine pet plat work is sometimes available through wellness add-ons. Although many plants only reimburse a portion of that cost. There's also a waiting period before the coverage begins. Like for example, in Snow White's case, she already had been diagnosed with the hyperthyroidism before getting a cat insurance. So most policies wouldn't cover the treatment or take her from that condition. But the cat insurance isn't the only option I found. I saw some vet clinics offer wellness plans on their own where you pay a monthly fee that includes annual exams, vaccines, and sometimes routine pet blood work, which is great. And there are other vets that accept care credit, which allows the cat parents to spread the payments over time instead of paying everything at once. Another option to look into are wellness promotions. Pet clinics run senior pet wellness promotions with reduced cost blood panels and scraping. Another option that I personally find very interesting is creating a pet health savings account. And instead of paying a cat insurance company, you could set aside $25 to $50 every month in a dedicated savings account for your cat. And then over time, that money could help cover pet blood work, cat medication, or even emergency bet expenses. For families facing general financial hardship, I found there are charitable organizations and assistance programs that help sometimes with vet diagnostics or medical treatments. And as I look back on Snow White's experience, I realized something. When the vet first said she needs senior pet blood work done, all I saw was the cost. I saw the price tag. And today I don't think about the cost anymore because I see how comfortable Snow White is. And I see how she's maintaining her weight now. And I can see that she's feeling better, no rough nights anymore. And her life quality increased so much. So without the pet blood work, we may never would have discovered what really was wrong with her and treated her not for it. And that's what the pet blood test really brought us. Not lab results, but it brought us the right answer. It brought us the right cat treatment. Most importantly, it brought Snow White her life quality. I would love to hear from you. Have you ever had an experience like this where you had to make a difficult decision about the blood testing? And do you think there should be more affordable plans or options available for cat parents? Let me know in the comments. And I will see you in the next episode of Diary of a Cat Mom. Don't miss the next entry. There's always another little moment, another story, another lesson waiting to be shared. I will talk to you in the next entry.