Tax deductible cats and dogs: Bill would let pet owners deduct cost of care

 

 

NAPLES — Pets could soon pay for themselves if a bill that allows owners to deduct the cost of caring for their animal’s passes.

If approved, the Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years (HAPPY) Act would amend the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax deduction of up to $3,500 per year for pet care expenses, including veterinary care, according the House Resolution 3501.

“I think it’s great,” said Stacey Huber a veterinarian at Animal Oasis Veterinary Hospital.

Huber, who learned about the bill through a reporter, said veterinary care has gotten expensive for people and, many times, pet insurance doesn’t cover some of the expenses.

If approved, Huber said this tax deduction could help pet owners who have pets that have illnesses and diseases and need long-term treatment.

The tax deduction could be nearly as much as a deduction for a child.

Last year, a taxpayer could claim a qualified child, who is 19 or under 24 and a full-time student, as a dependant for $3,500. In 2009, the deduction will climb to $3,650, according to IRS spokesman Mike Dobzinski of Plantation.

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Esquimalt may restrict feline fertility - Bylaw would require spaying or neutering

Esquimalt is considering a bylaw that would make it mandatory for cats over the age of five months to be spayed or neutered. A draft of the bylaw will be at council on Oct. 13.

The cat Spay and Neuter Action Committee gave a presentation Monday night about the ongoing problem of unneutered felines procreating. A female can easily have three litters a year, they said.

North Saanich and Central Saanich have a spay-and-neuter bylaw, as do seven other municipalities in B.C.

Education alone doesn’t make a difference, said Anna Becker of the action committee. “We’ve been doing that for 30 years and the cat population in Victoria is still growing.” Several animal-advocacy groups, including the SPCA, are in favour of the bylaw.

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Having Trouble Affording Veterinary Care? : The Humane Society of the United States

Having Trouble Affording Veterinary Care? : The Humane Society of the United States

Kitten rescued from busy roadway finds a home

CALGARY -- A kitten that was found wandering along a busy Calgary roadway and had bystanders scrambling to rescue her from under the hood of a car in the bone-rattling cold, has found a home.

Tanya Marzoff said on Tuesday that her 17-year-old daughter Ali claimed the feline as her own moments after the dramatic rescue, but said the kitten found her way into many hearts during the ordeal on Saturday, a day in which temperatures reached -40 C with the wind chill.

Ms. Marzoff was the first driver to stop when the kitten was spotted in the middle lane of the busy street.

"She obviously needed a home and we are going to do everything we can to make her feel like she's part of our family. But everyone really wanted to help."

The family has named the kitten Honda, after the vehicle she was rescued from.

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