I learned the crocodile method, too.

It points at the smaller number.


$200 may seem steep for a cat bill, but it is nothing to what Tiger Woods had to pay for his pussy.

Thanks for putting it into perspective. :)

Fix'd it for U ;)

Pilau cost a small fortune in vet bills when he was a pup. he was a very sick little thing. Took ages to figure out what was wrong with him, but turned out he had a whipworm infection; contracted whilst in the womb.

I hate being sick in the "womba"

You should try being sick in a wombat.

When mailing the package, you want to state the goods are worth less than a certain amount, because more than is meaningless in this context and might attract the attention of Mr Customs Officer.

So <$15 (Croc would prefer $15 to goods)

When claiming for the insurance, you might want to say they were worth over $15

>$15 (croc prefers insurance money to $15)

I was thinking this through when walking in the park this morning.
I think I have it straight. My problem was positing the missing number as a zero. Instead I will call it an unknown number, with only it's relationship to 15 known.

So I know the value of the goods to be more than $15. So if I was being honest I would write >£15, because the crocodile is eating the unknown LARGER figure.

And if I was being sneaky and trying to con Mr Taxman (which I would never do) I would write <$15 because the crocodile thinks $15 is better than what I really spent.

I know that's pretty much what you write Monnie, I just had to test it out for myself.

Whew. Maybe we can do long division some time. I was off school when they learned that and never did pick it up.

I feel very smug and self-satisfied about this thread.

I came here to diffuse my wonderment and confusion over a 203.00 dollar flea-bite and Sundae ended up learning her math symbols. The system works!!

Yes, I've seen our vet bills increase over the years. My dogs have always been relatively healthy but I do take them in for an annual exam. Texas passed a law that dogs only need a Rabies re-vaccination every 3 years so I've noticed that all the other costs of the exam have gone up to make up for the loss of revenue.

I've always had the rule that if the procedure at the veterinarian will cost more money than I paid for the pet, it's time to say goodbye to sparky. I know friends that have paid for surgery for dogs or cats and stuff. I just don't get it.

America is the only country I've ever been to where people don't treat pets like animals. In most other countries they don't buy special food for cats and dogs. They don't let animals into the house. They don't dress up dogs or cats or buy them gifts at Christmas. They don't allow dogs to lick their faces, etc.

That's how I've always felt. I mean I've had some dogs I really loved, and even a couple of inside dogs (mainly because I was in an apartment at the time and had no yard), but there's never been a time I'd spend a ton of money on a pet, especially knowing how many hungry and homeless people are out there.

I've also never been able to figure out the homeless guy with a dog thing.

Radar, the more of your stuff I read, the less human you appear.

Have you tried to actually figure it out and failed, or is it just a figure of speech and you mean to say that it doesn't make economic sense for a homeless person to have a pet?

In case you are still trying to figure it out, I'd offer that I'm sure each homeless person with a pet will have their own take on the situation and have their own reasons. I would guess though, that those reasons are the same that people with homes have pets. Mainly companionship. I would imagine that having no home is very stressful and depressing, and a faithful companion would be nice.

I can't figure out the Radar with a dog thing. :eyebrow: