Derek Hough’s drops $8K on massive vet bill for his cat’s Christmas health scare

Derek Hough dropped $8,000 at the vet on Christmas after his cat, Otis, had an emergency health scare.

“Look what I got for Christmas 🎄,” the “Dancing With the Stars” judge captioned a photo of himself holding Otis shared to Instagram on Wednesday.

“A plastic bag filled with stuff Otis ate and had to be removed from his stomach costing $8000 ! Yay!”

Although the 39-year-old had to drop a hefty amount on the unforeseen vet visit, he added, “Glad he’s ok 👌🏼 🐈‍⬛.”

It’s unknown what the shredded up items in the bag were prior to Otis eating them, but Hough was in good spirits as he smiled big in the snapshot.

One fan took to the comments to joke that the cat appeared “unrepentant” about the mishap, while another wrote that Hough appeared to have a “face of no regret,” despite dropping thousands of dollars.

Others jumped into the comments to weigh in on how relatable it can be to have an unexpectedly expensive vet bill.

“Glad you were able to afford it! I don’t know what I would have done…do a GoFundMe or something…,” one admirer wrote.

“I had a cat that was expensive but it broke my heart every time she got sick. She did live to be 19 and a half years old though. We love our pets so much that we do all we can to make them better,” a second netizen commented.

A third fan couldn’t help but try to make light of the rough situation. “Been there! I’ve asked to see it, too. My husband said we wanna see what we’re paying for 😂😂,” they wrote.

Later, Hough and his wife, Hayley Erbert, took to Instagram to celebrate the holiday despite Otis’ health scare.

“We’re literally stuck together now . Poor @hayley.erbert 🎄❤️,” the “World of Dance” alum captioned a video of him and Erbert wearing a two-person onesie.

After the duo — who tied the knot in August 2023 — playfully danced together in the onesie, he asked her if she was “merry happy” to be married to him, to which she replied, “I’m merry happy you married me.”

In December 2023, Erbert underwent emergency brain surgery for a cranial hematoma from a burst blood vessel.

In October, Erbert told Page Six that she was on “cloud nine” returning back to the ballroom for “Dancing With the Stars.”

“I’m doing really good, especially after tonight,” she exclusively told us. “I’m just kind of on cloud nine right now. It was a beautiful experience to be back in the ballroom.”