# Advice about my cat



## Six (May 29, 2006)

I adopted my cat, The Bub, from a local shelter. He's awesome. I call him my satellite- he follows me all over the house and is never too far away. 
A few weeks ago he was feeling sick and not eating. He was drinking and using the litter box, so I thought he just ate something or felt bad. 4 days later he was obviously really sick so I took him to the vet. Turns out he had a bad UTI and his kidneys started to shut down. I was horrified. $1500 later and a weeks stay at the vet he is back home. 5 different pills once or twice a day, 2 liquid supplements and 300mL injections (daily) of fluid and we're playing vets at home. Today was his check up. $200 and 40 minutes later I am absolutely at a loss. In 2 weeks I have to pay that much again for a check up- just to keep my cat alive. I am taking 20 credit hours of class this quarter, cannot work a lot because of it, and recently broke my collarbone. I am soo screwed with money right now. I can't afford to go back to this vet.

Should I try to change vets mid way through the treatments? 
What if I can't pay for his treatments at all? Is there a place that will take him and try to help him? I feel bad, I know a cat is a responsibility but I have to apply to grad schools this month, take the GRE, and do so on very limited money. My parents wont help me and all I can do is use credit. I don't want to give him up and I certainly don't want to euthanize him because I can't afford the treatments. This is breaking my heart. Anyone have any advice? 

The vet I've been going to charged me $98 for bloodwork, $35 for the visit, $22 for the blood pressure check, and $16 PER BAG OF SALINE FLUID. Then she suggested acupuncture! :mad2:


----------



## WhiteDevil (May 7, 2009)

accupuncture for a kidney/UTI? 

I think you are getting hosed. You can change vets, most the time its for the better.

Petco has low cost vaccines, see if they can refer you to a low cost vet, some vets will do the work pro-bono you just have to find the right one.


----------



## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

I would call around. There can be quite a difference in vet prices. You might also try neighboring smaller towns. I wouldn't worry about changing vets as they can always call and talk to the other vet. I would also ask some serious questions

1. What is his prognosis? Can he get well?
2. How long will healing take and what continued care will he need?
3. What is the projected cost?
4. Will there be any lasting illness and costs associated with these?

Once you know the answers to these questions then you can decide what to do. I would not mortage my future or risk my education for a pet.

There may be some cat rescue organizations that may be able to help you with costs. I wish you a good outcome.


----------



## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

Just joking but... Have you thought of studying to become a veterinarian?

Hope the cat gets better!

--Nikolay


----------



## Travis.808 (Apr 2, 2009)

A vet tried to extort us in a similar fashion DEF get a second opinion. The prey on your love for your helpless pets. Good luck with your situation and I hope the cat gets better.


----------



## Six (May 29, 2006)

Looking into another vet.Thank you for all the kind replies. The situation just plain sucks.


----------



## Nevermore (Mar 26, 2007)

A site that I discovered recently is http://www.catforum.com. They seem to have a lot of knowledgeable people posting on there. However, I have been trying to register on there so I can post and I never received a confirmatory e-mail to allow me to post. I have e-mailed the administrator and never hear back. Maybe you'd have better luck. You can at least read the posts and do searches which might answer help.

I'm curious, how old is the cat?


----------



## JPKeenan (Aug 28, 2009)

As funny as it sounds there are places that sell pet insurance. Some of them reputable, actually check your car insurance place (I know Geigco and Progressive offer renters' insurance and I think that pet insurance).

What have you been feeding the cat? Seems like a no brainer but feeding lot of dry food you need to set out more water for the kitty. Supplement with canned food every other day or so. Look around the web and look for the link between cat food and UTIs. I forget if it is the ash content or other stuff in the food that can spawn the UTI.

You can also get the meds a bit cheaper from a place like petmeds.com and Docs Foster & Smith.


----------



## Nevermore (Mar 26, 2007)

JPKeenan said:


> As funny as it sounds there are places that sell pet insurance. Some of them reputable, actually check your car insurance place (I know Geigco and Progressive offer renters' insurance and I think that pet insurance).
> 
> What have you been feeding the cat? Seems like a no brainer but feeding lot of dry food you need to set out more water for the kitty. Supplement with canned food every other day or so. Look around the web and look for the link between cat food and UTIs. I forget if it is the ash content or other stuff in the food that can spawn the UTI.
> 
> You can also get the meds a bit cheaper from a place like petmeds.com and Docs Foster & Smith.


Re: dry food I've been reading a lot about this and apparently cats should not be given dry food. They don't get enough water. Cats are designed to get their fluid primarily from the prey they catch as they are notoriously poor drinkers. Canned food (or raw) will supply this. Dry food also has too many carbohydrates. Even the grain-free ones.

An even better group to check out is the yahoo cat FLUTD group. My cat has had 2 bladder stones and I'm learning a lot there.

I hope your cat is doing much better.


----------



## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Nevermore said:


> Re: dry food I've been reading a lot about this and apparently cats should not be given dry food. They don't get enough water. Cats are designed to get their fluid primarily from the prey they catch as they are notoriously poor drinkers. Canned food (or raw) will supply this. Dry food also has too many carbohydrates. Even the grain-free ones.
> 
> An even better group to check out is the yahoo cat FLUTD group. My cat has had 2 bladder stones and I'm learning a lot there.
> 
> I hope your cat is doing much better.


I wonder about your statement. I have fed my cats dry food for years. One lived to be 17. The other died of cancer at 12. They never had stones or kidney infections or anything. I've never given them wet food. I do make sure it's very high quality dry food, (actually it's been Science Diet brand).


----------



## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

Absolutely look into another Vet.

We have had many cats and we had a wonderful Calico (Button) who developed a UTI and had genetically small kidneys. We spent hundreds before they realized what was wrong. We were too late in properly treating her infection and her kidneys were damaged. For the next 2 years and on a daily basis we treated her with saline solution/subqutaneous (sp?) injections to flush out her kidneys and keep her alive.

Good luck to you and your kitty. Vets recommend dry food over the canned stuff BUT you need to read the ingredients. If cornmeal is one of the first few items listed get another brand that is more healthy and always give them a treat of canned cat food meat/fish on a regular basis.


----------



## vancat (Nov 5, 2004)

Six, 
This summer I went through the kidney failure thing with a 15 year old cat. It was indeed expensive. Definitely not for the thin wallet. 

You might think I'm nuts, but I trust my vet & do not think she ripped me off, $2K+ later. There is technology these days to keep a cat with CRF (Chronic Renal Failure) alive and happy, even though it's expensive.

He was on an IV for a week, then we had to do the subcutaneous injections DAILY. Plus weekly visits and bloodwork,and other meds. The home subQs were very stressful but effective. It kept him alive and very happy for another month, and he could have gone on for quite some time. Unfortunately another affliction that was unmanageable gave us no option but euthanasia. Horribly sad. We loved him so much and miss him every day. (his picture is still in the pet thread)

I'm sorry you have to face this without the funds you need. Good luck!
penny


----------



## Nevermore (Mar 26, 2007)

Tex Gal said:


> I wonder about your statement. I have fed my cats dry food for years. One lived to be 17. The other died of cancer at 12. They never had stones or kidney infections or anything. I've never given them wet food. I do make sure it's very high quality dry food, (actually it's been Science Diet brand).


Well, there are people who smoke who live to be 100. The information that I've been coming across a lot is that dry diets are very different than the diets that cats evolved to eat. There's some good info here: http://www.catforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9107 , http://www.catinfo.org/, http://www.catinfo.org/zorans_article.pdf

What I have read about dry diets makes sense to me and I have stopped all dry for my cats. I realize it may not be the decision for every cat caretaker. FWIW, Science Diet is not a good diet - too many carbohydrates in their food, and a lot of by-products. Wellness Core is a better dry diet. An example of good canned food is Evo 95%. This is just my opinion that I formed after researching the issue.


----------



## SkinniMini (Mar 26, 2006)

Six,
as a Mom to 3 cats, I feel for you! I would also suggest another vet, but would they order another round of tests that were already done? I don't know how much info they could get from the previous vet.
There is also another good cat forum where you would get a more timely reply, they are very good-
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/
It's a very active site.
I hope that everything turns out to be okay with you & your little one.


----------



## Burks (May 25, 2006)

We went through an expensive treatment as well. Our bills ended up close to $1k from our vet. When we moved back to our hometown we found a vet who worked from home, was well respected in the farming community (he did a TON of farm work for free), etc. What was a $150 check up bill was cut down to $25. Medications were either free (like flea stuff), the cost of the medication to HIM, or a small 10-25% fee above cost. He takes excellent care of all our animals and my families. Nice thing is, he is always available for emergencies since he works from home and is retired. 

Searching out for a new vet would be a good idea, if you cannot keep up with the costs. It's a shame we sometimes have to put a price on our beloved animals...


----------



## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

Six,

I'm so sorry to hear about your situation. My wife and I were in a very similar place earlier this year when our 8 yr old female started showing acute CRF symptoms. We were doing the special wet food force feedings, sub IVs, and pills. Our vet's a little on the pricey side but we have a good relationship with her and she doesn't have us do things unnecessarily. We ended up spending close to a 1K on bills and supplies for Magic's last week of life. It doesn't sound to me like you're getting ripped off; your kittie's just very very ill.


I agree with the other posters about the quality of dry food causing health problems in the long run. Magic was fed crap for a long time and all involved (me, the wife, and the vet's staff) feel Magic's illness at such a young age was due to her previously poor diet. If you can afford it, try Royal Canin brand foods, they're the best dry brand we've found.

Regards,
Phil


----------



## Rockylou (Nov 5, 2008)

Six,

Very sorry about your kitty.

Here's a good site: http://www.itchmoforums.com/index.php

The Itchmo group are friendly and helpful. They follow the pet food industry closely, and are quick to post alerts and "recall" warnings.

Just curious, but what were you feeding your kitty prior to the kidney problems?


----------

