Michael Clayton shudders when he recalls the night he came within a whisker of losing his best friend.
It was two days before Christmas and his eight-year-old cat Frankie was in a bad way.
He had been attacked by another cat and needed his eye urgently removed or he would have to be euthanised.
The vet fee was almost $2,000 and Mr Clayton had no way to pay.
“I begged them and begged them to do a payment plan and they said ‘no’,” he recalled.
“My heart dropped. I did actually cry.”
Frankie needed urgent surgery to have his eye removed after he was attacked by another cat. (ABC News: Alana Calvert)
The vet offered him VetPay – a quick-access loan scheme many cash-strapped pet owners turn to when they cannot pay a sudden emergency vet bill.
