Derek Hough Spent $8,000 on Emergency Care for His Cat During Christmas Day Crisis
Derek Hough celebrated Christmas surrounded by family, friends, and a veterinarian for his cat.
“Look what I received for Christmas 🎄” Hough, 39, wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday, December 25. “A plastic bag filled with items Otis ingested and had to be surgically removed, costing $8000! Yay! Grateful he’s alright.”
Hough posted a picture of himself in festive Christmas pajamas holding his cat Otis — alongside a bag containing the removed items from his pet’s stomach. On the photo, he wrote “$8000” and included an animated arrow pointing at the plastic bag.
“Noooooo!!!! So relieved he’s alright!!” commented fellow dancer Maks Chmerkovskiy. Dancing With the Stars pro Sasha Farber also chimed in with “S—” in the comments.
Despite the health scare, Hough appeared to be in good spirits. The DWTS judge continued to share snippets of his Christmas celebrations on Instagram Stories.
He and his longtime friend Mark Ballas enjoyed a “Christmas build,” according to one post. (The duo was assembling a toy car.) Ballas, 38, also showcased his “latte art” in a separate video.
Included in Hough’s holiday festivities was his wife, Hayley Erbert.
“We’re literally stuck together now,” Hough said in a second video on Wednesday. The clip depicted him and Erbert, 30, wearing connected Christmas onesies, making it necessary for them to move in unison.
This holiday season was the couple’s second as husband and wife. They were married in August 2023 and faced numerous challenges during their first year of marriage, including Erbert’s serious health issues.
The professional dancer underwent emergency brain surgery for a cranial hematoma in December 2023 after collapsing backstage at one of her and Hough’s performances. (Erbert danced with Hough for the first time during a DWTS episode in October.)
“It was one of the toughest periods of my life,” Erbert shared exclusively with Us Weekly last month. She elaborated that she is “relearning how to live” following the surgery.
“I could have easily chosen to be ‘poor me’ every single day. But I decided that there is still so much beauty in life, and I want to embrace it,” she stated. “We are genuinely going to be more present and appreciate life so much more.”
Erbert mentioned to Us that she’s “98 to 99 percent back to my previous self” following the surgeries.
“There are minor things here and there, but nothing that will prevent me from living my life and continuing my career,” she continued. “It’s truly a miracle, and I’m incredibly thankful to still do what I love.”
