<prompt> Human: this is my first time posting on personal finance so please be kind as i am in a panic! last night my girlfriend called me at 2 am saying her orange tabby cat 3 years old was wincing and couldnt walk. long story short, after spending time googling symptoms she decided it was worth a trip to an emergency vet. that cat will be needing surgery in order to live and they required a 1300 deposit, all in all this will cost close to 5,000 when its said and done. she makes 45,000 a year i make 38,000 and have about 30,000 dollars in debt EACH. with our current spending habits we can only save 400 a moth. our combined Emergency funds are going to be cleared out to cover this. what resourcestacticsquestionsactions do i need to look into to mitigate this expense? are we just screwed? any and all advice will be greatly appreciated! EDIT: this cat is literally her best friend and taking it to a farm up north is not an option NUMBERS BROKEN DOWN: My monthly take home- 2200monthly groceries- 250gym membership- 60 split between usrent- 1000 split between usutilities- 150 split between us gaselectricitystudent loans- 200 a monthcar payment- 230 a monthgas- 75 a monthcredit card- 375 a month covers random expenses, cell phone, health care, car insurance  <response>: Before plunking down the cash, ask yourself if the surgery will result in a perfectly healthy, normal, long life for the cat. If yes, get a Care Credit account for the bill and see if you can raise funds from friends and family to cover the costs.However, if the surgery is going to result in a loss of quality of life for the cat, if its going to continue battling health problems, and if its going to have a shortened life span full of hard medications and special diets, ask yourself if putting it to sleep might actually be better for the cat in the end. Life isnt worth the costs of its going to be full of suffering. I know what is like to have a pet thats basically your child and putting it to sleep is the hardest thing ever, but in many cases its the best solution. Rather than prolong the inevitable. 