My sick cat - what to do

I've had a cat for three years today actually, and on Sunday he got sick.  By Wednesday, he was not improving and getting worse in fact so I took him to the vet.  They have no idea what is wrong with him so they gave me an estimate of $1,000-1,500 to do a bunch of tests, x-rays, and blood work.  I agreed to that.

This morning, the cat is a bit worse, and none of the tests are conclusive so they want to do another test which is about $1,000 more.  I said okay.  Now I'm waiting to hear back from that test to see what is going on.

My problem is that I'm a student and can't afford to go over $3,000; I also don't want to lose my cat.  Do I tell the vet that this is the maximum I can  put in and that  if they can't find anything then they'll have to put him down?  It just seems crazy to put down a young cat that they haven't even diagnosed whats wrong with because of money.

I don't know what to do.

Original Post by maryfway:

I've had a cat for three years today actually, and on Sunday he got sick.  By Wednesday, he was not improving and getting worse in fact so I took him to the vet.  They have no idea what is wrong with him so they gave me an estimate of $1,000-1,500 to do a bunch of tests, x-rays, and blood work.  I agreed to that.

This morning, the cat is a bit worse, and none of the tests are conclusive so they want to do another test which is about $1,000 more.  I said okay.  Now I'm waiting to hear back from that test to see what is going on.

My problem is that I'm a student and can't afford to go over $3,000; I also don't want to lose my cat.  Do I tell the vet that this is the maximum I can  put in and that  if they can't find anything then they'll have to put him down?  It just seems crazy to put down a young cat that they haven't even diagnosed whats wrong with because of money.

I don't know what to do.

so sorry to hear that your cat is sick. 

geez that seems HORRIBLY expensive for some tests...

are you sure this vet is trustworthy??

I really can't advise you on what to do, but I think you should talk to the vet and discuss with him or her, candidly, your feelings and financial situation.  They've heard this stuff before, and should be able to help you decide what's best for the cat.

I hope your kitty gets better.  {{hugs}}

For future reference, it might be a good idea to look into pet insurance.  I have it for my dog for this very reason - I've never wanted to be forced to make a decision regarding Lucy's care by financial limitations.

Also, Jules' question is legit.  A vet should be able to help you decide about the additional test by indicating the likelihood that it will diagnose the trouble.  If it's likely to be inconclusive, like the first tests were, he or she should advise you of such.  If they won't or can't, consider a second opinion.

Original Post by purespark:

I really can't advise you on what to do, but I think you should talk to the vet and discuss with him or her, candidly, your feelings and financial situation.  They've heard this stuff before, and should be able to help you decide what's best for the cat.

I hope your kitty gets better.  {{hugs}}

For future reference, it might be a good idea to look into pet insurance.  I have it for my dog for this very reason - I've never wanted to be forced to make a decision regarding Lucy's care by financial limitations.

I had never even heard of Pet Insurance until yesterday when they asked if I had it.  I live in Canada, and I've researched it and a few companies offer it so I will definivitely apply for it if he gets better, and my sister will too for her own cat. 

I do think the tests were legimitate, I guess they were able to rule out a lot.  He just has something weird I guess.

I just feel completely powerless and a bad pet owner.  This little buddy has gotten me through so much.  My family thinks I shouldn't even have taken him to the vet so they definitively wouldn't lend me more money if they have to do more tests or I don't know what.

Please don't feel like a bad pet owner.  You are doing the best you can.

I think that if you can, you ought to call the vet today and ask if you can meet with them about your options.  Some knowledge should help with the stress and worry you are experiencing.  Hopefully they will help you come up with a solution that you can deal with both financially and emotionally.

Original Post by purespark:

Please don't feel like a bad pet owner.  You are doing the best you can.

I think that if you can, you ought to call the vet today and ask if you can meet with them about your options.  Some knowledge should help with the stress and worry you are experiencing.  Hopefully they will help you come up with a solution that you can deal with both financially and emotionally.

I'm waiting for an update from the vet within the next couple of hours.  I will have to discuss what the alternatives are based on the test results and let him know about the money.  We'll go from there.  Thanks for the advice.

Definitely get pet insurance as soon as you can.  If you don't use it, it's worth not having to make a decision of how much you're willing to pay for illness or injury.

What are your cat's symptoms and what treatments have you tried?

It doesn't make you a bad pet owner to be unable to pay for unplanned emergencies.  Everyone has a budget and obviously you're willing to do more than just provide food and water.

Did you get your cat from a breeder?  If so, give them a call and see if any of the family have similar symptoms.

Original Post by smwhipple:

Definitely get pet insurance as soon as you can.  If you don't use it, it's worth not having to make a decision of how much you're willing to pay for illness or injury.

What are your cat's symptoms and what treatments have you tried?

It doesn't make you a bad pet owner to be unable to pay for unplanned emergencies.  Everyone has a budget and obviously you're willing to do more than just provide food and water.

Did you get your cat from a breeder?  If so, give them a call and see if any of the family have similar symptoms.

He keeps his jaw open 90% of the time.  He also seems to be trying to caugh something sometimes.  At home, he had stopped eating and drinking for about a day before I took him in.  Also, when he was there, he had a fever and was dehydrated.  However, vets don't think its a neurological problem because he can close it the other 10%.  They did blood tests, a barium test and x-rays, and put a scope down his throat, and haven't found anything that would cause the problem.  They did put him on painkillers and antibiotics yesterday, and hopefully that will cure the problem that they haven't found. 

That's the thing, at some point, I have to say when.  I did speak to the vet yesterday about the max amount of money I could afford, and we agreed that with that much, he can stay there until Saturday morning with this IV and medication, and that gives him a chance to get better and for the stuff to work.  But after that, we'll have to start thinking of the alternative.  I also have to keep in mind that my poor kitty will have been there, scared and wondering what is going on for three days then and thats not humane either, especially if nothing is improving.

The cat was a stray so hard to say.

I've never heard of any symptoms like that.  I'm glad you talked to the vet about costs as it makes no sense (I know some animal lovers will hate me for saying this) to bankrupt yourself trying to find out what's wrong.

I'm sorry that you and your cat are going through this.  I hope that he does improve.  I know that whenever I used to take my cat in the vet wanted to give me the valium since I was so stressed that my cat was sick.

Original Post by smwhipple:

I've never heard of any symptoms like that.  I'm glad you talked to the vet about costs as it makes no sense (I know some animal lovers will hate me for saying this) to bankrupt yourself trying to find out what's wrong.

I'm sorry that you and your cat are going through this.  I hope that he does improve.  I know that whenever I used to take my cat in the vet wanted to give me the valium since I was so stressed that my cat was sick.

Well, $3,000 is a lot, and some of it is borrowed.  Right now I'm still waiting to get an update on whether or not he's doing better today.  I called when I got home at 1pm, and the person I spoke to at the clinic though the vet had already given me a call (but I had no messages when I got home), so I told her that nobody had called, and she told me she would tell the vet to give me a call. 

I'm starting to get frustrated as well because I guess its a big clinic, and so far, every day has been a different vet in charge of him, and because they are slow to return calls.  I don't mind if different vets treat him, but it would be nice to get the updates from the same person so that we could feel like we are on the same page. 

Whoa whoa, I've had my pets go through a lot of tests and none of them have ever gotten close to $3000! X-rays and blood work wouldn't even reach $1000. I think you should seek a second opinion, because if you can't afford to save your kitty, the worst will happen.

I sincerely hope your kitty gets better, and you are not a bad pet owner!!! It is not your fault he is ill, illness is out of your control. You're doing everything within your power to help your kitty and that makes you a fantastic pet owner.

Is he able to go to the bathroom? Pee and poo? Because his mouth open could be from pain, dehydration etc. I have been in similar shoes as you with my cat, he ended up having to go to the emergency room where he was saved (he had stones clogging up his penis, so he couldn't pee). He kept his mouth open, tried throwing up a few times, he would hide a lot and sit funny.

You could also talk to your vet and see if you can set up a monthly budget, I know some will do it if you are a regular. I really hope your kitty pulls through!!