Need advice re: cat

[DVC Kathy]

He has not used the litter box that I am aware of, not eating, not drinking. I have tried all of his favorites. Not obese.

He threw up the entire toy, x-rays showed nothing.

It's a bad sign if he's not even drinking. Cats can't go too long without eating and drinking before things get bad. If you're going for a second opinion, I'd do it sooner rather than later.

Kathy

 

[ilovejack02]

It's a bad sign if he's not even drinking. Cats can't go too long without eating and drinking before things get bad. If you're going for a second opinion, I'd do it sooner rather than later.

Kathy

Im sorry , I know how hard this is.

I agree , sooner rather later. Cats can't deal with weight loss like dogs can. What ever the issue is that is making kitty sick, when they start losing weight quickly then issues arise with the kidney and liver and you have a whole other host of issues, even if what is making kitty ill to begin with is curable.

Hugs to you , again I am very sorry.

 

[hollyluvsdisney]

How old is the cat? How healthy was he before he ate the toy? Did your vet SAY it was going to cost thousands of dollars?

Sounds like an obstruction, this is a treatable condition. I would suggest calling around getting some estimates from different vets, call the local rescue groups and explain your situation. They have access to more affordable vet care. You may have to give him up for them to treat him, but well better than the alternative.


If your good friend works at the vet, ask if she can use her discount to help. She could prob offer some advice.


Before you decide "thousands of dollars" is too much, get an actual cost from more than one vet and shop around. Sounds like you panicked over the potential costs before doing the research. Take an hour or so and call around. You might be able to get the help you need.

I agree with this advice completely! OP, we went through a very similar situation with our cat last January. The exploratory surgery, two nights staying over at the vet (with the vet coming in twice per day after hours to check on him) and a bunch of shots and fluids cost about $900. I thought it would cost thousands, too, but it didn't. Definitely ask for an estimate!

 

[hollyluvsdisney]

It's a bad sign if he's not even drinking. Cats can't go too long without eating and drinking before things get bad. If you're going for a second opinion, I'd do it sooner rather than later.

Kathy

This is absolutely the truth! My cat was eating and drinking VERY little for about 4 or 5 days while we were waiting to see if he'd get better on his own. We went to the vet twice to get fluids during this time frame because I wanted to keep him hydrated.

After the surgery, the vet had his liver biopsied and there was a spot or two. However, the vet felt that it was mild enough that if we could get him eating and drinking again he'd recover just fine. 10 months later, he's doing great. However, I'm not sure what shape he'd be in if we hadn't gotten him fluids at all.

If you are waiting to see if your cat gets better, please get him/her fluids! The last thing you want is to go through with surgery, or for him to get better on his own, only to wind up with major liver or kidney problems. Fluids are not expensive, or at least it wasn't at my vet's office.

 

[torinsmom]

I would not put him down yet. This happened Sat. night, so not much more than 24 hours. Perhaps the toy irritated his throat so it hurts to eat or drink. As far as not using the litter box, nothing in means nothing out. I would try the Pepcid, as someone else said. Here is dosage I found on a vet site:

TAGAMET (Cimetidine)/PEPCID-AC/ZANTAC:
Reduces the amount of stomach acids and can be dispensed to dogs and cats suffering from ulcers, acid reflux or belly ache. Sometimes they are used to prevent ulcers in animals taking other medications. These medications are given once to twice daily. It's best to discuss the exact dosage with your veterinarian.
Tagamet/Pepcid-AC/Zantac Dosage
one or twice daily
Dogs Cats
weight amount
less than 20 lbs ¼ tablet ¼ tablet
20-60 lbs ½ tablet
over 60 lbs 1 whole tablet


Also, you can hydrate the cat by using a syringe and forcing water into the cat's mouth. Or you could ask the vet to use a bolus of fluid subcutaneously for a few days. When I did that for my cat, it was only like $20 for each one. You might also ask about pain meds.

If the cat's throat was scratched by the toy, pain meds may help it to start eating. My cat had sores in his throat b/c of a virus once and I was amazed how quickly he started eating after I gave him the pain meds I got from the vet(Do NOT give them people pain medicine!) They were cheap as well, I think $25 for 4 days supply.

One thing that encouraged my cat to drink/eat was canned tuna juice. I would drain the can and offer him the juice. Then I would add water to the tuna and stir it up for the next time.

Since the cat threw up the toy and the Xray didn't show anything, I bet he will feel better soon, if you just support him now.

 

[hollyluvsdisney]

Wow, somehow I missed that this has only been going on since Saturday night. Yes, you really might want to see if he gets better on his own. My cat didn't, but yours might!

One food that really helped my cat after his surgery (I didn't know about it beforehand) was Science Diet A/D. It's a prescription canned food that you have to get from a vet. Your vet might have it. I want to say it was around $1 or $2 per can. Apparently it's really mild, so cats who won't eat anything else will sometimes eat that. It also has a lot of water in it, which is good for cats who might be dehydrated. I had to feed my cat via syringe at first, but then he began eating on his own. It might be worth a try!

 

[needshelp]

DH just went home to check on him during his lunch. He offered him some of his favorite wet food. Wiped a little on his nose. He licked it, then threw up green stuff everwhere, like green bile. I have no idea what that means or what it could be. Doesn't sound good though.

He did get sub q fluids last night so he has those on board at least.

Hoping to hear from the vet in about 3 hours.

 

[mrsv98]

I'm posting under a different name. I'm not looking for flames just honest advice and support.

Our cat is very, very ill. We know that he ate a toy, he threw it up late Saturday night. He has not eaten or drank water since and continues to throw up bile. Took him to the vet last night, they did x-rays and sub q fluids, our bill was $250. The next step is hospitalization, more tests, lab work, more xrays, then exploratory surgery.

We are looking at thousands of $ that we don't have.

My husband and I are talking about putting him down. I feel like that's so wrong but at the same time he is very sick, he's not himself and we can not afford to spend thousands to figure out what is wrong when they may not be able to fix it.

I feel ashamed and guilty and we haven't even made the decision yet. If we do decide to put him down I don't even feel like I can tell anyone because I feel so ashamed.

Please, if you can not be positive or supportive, please do not respond.

When our beloved lad became ill we went from $0 to $5000 in three days. She still died three weeks later and I often look back and wonder who we did it for. If it happened now, we couldn't afford it and we would be in the same position. It is wrenching and you will get no flames from me, only

 

[Scurvy]

How old is the cat? How healthy was he before he ate the toy? Did your vet SAY it was going to cost thousands of dollars?

Sounds like an obstruction, this is a treatable condition. I would suggest calling around getting some estimates from different vets, call the local rescue groups and explain your situation. They have access to more affordable vet care. You may have to give him up for them to treat him, but well better than the alternative.


If your good friend works at the vet, ask if she can use her discount to help. She could prob offer some advice.


Before you decide "thousands of dollars" is too much, get an actual cost from more than one vet and shop around. Sounds like you panicked over the potential costs before doing the research. Take an hour or so and call around. You might be able to get the help you need.

I agree with all of this.

I also suggest offering some form of meat baby food. Some cats really love that. If the cat won't eat it, try smearing a little bit on the cat's tongue. There's also a gel that the vet could give you that's very high in nutrients that you could try. (ETA - I see he vomited after wet wood. That isn't a good sign. I'd wait to offer more food until after talking to the vet again, but then if the vet thinks it's a good idea I'd try the baby food.)

Also, if there's a small obstruction - like a hairball - then vaseline could help. Try putting a little bit on the cat's face or tongue. If the cat swallows it, it can help to coat the obstruction and help it to pass.

Finally, why not explain the situation to your friend. I agree with the bolded. Let her know you literally can't afford the treatment. See what she comes up with. You could even offer to give her the cat rather than putting it down. Maybe she could help in some way, or maybe she really would accept the cat and then cover the treatment herself.

 

[needshelp]

I agree with all of this.


Finally, why not explain the situation to your friend. I agree with the bolded. Let her know you literally can't afford the treatment. See what she comes up with. You could even offer to give her the cat rather than putting it down. Maybe she could help in some way, or maybe she really would accept the cat and then cover the treatment herself.

My friend's response is, it's only money. You will make more. My friend also gets a 50% discount for her vet services and does not have a family to support, she's single.

I love my pets, this is killing me. It's making me 2nd guess having pets at all. We give them a very loving home.

 

[LisaS]

Do you live near a Veterinary school or a vet hospital that treats rescued animals? I live in MA and at Tufts/Cummings Vet school they have a special fund (The Travis Fund) that exists to help people who could otherwise not afford the cost of care for a seriously ill animal. I believe the MSPCA's hospital (Angell Memorial) has something similar. Are there any places like this near where you live? If so, give them a call and see if you might be eligible for financial assistance.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

I would give it a couple days, My stupid male cat ate a little puff bull and was sick for almost a week before his body mananged to pass it.

 

[hollyluvsdisney]

Glad to hear that he's gotten fluids. (I missed that in your first post, too, I need to read more carefully!) At least he'll be kept hydrated, even if he's not eating or drinking on his own.

I really hope that your vet can somehow work with you on this. Maybe they would be willing to apply your friend's discount to your bill? That could really help with costs. I would hope that they would want to work with someone that obviously cares and is trying to help their pet.

 

[DisneyWhirled]

My friend's response is, it's only money. You will make more. My friend also gets a 50% discount for her vet services and does not have a family to support, she's single.

I love my pets, this is killing me. It's making me 2nd guess having pets at all. We give them a very loving home.

I'm sorry you are going through this. I love my kitties, so I can totally empathize.

Can the friend use her 50% discount to help you? If she is going to flame you, she could at least help!!

 

[needshelp]

Unfortunately she can't do that. I used to have a discount there as I was a former employee but they did away with that when the vet changed owners.

I do volunteer work with a local cat rescue, I have reached out to the president regarding discount treatments or care but haven't heard back.

Here is my husbands thoughts:

He is suffering, any sort of treatment we do will be miserable for him and they may not work. He is ready to put him down. I feel like I am failing him.

Thanks so much for all of you listening.

 

[scrapquitler]

I'm posting under a different name. I'm not looking for flames just honest advice and support.

Our cat is very, very ill. We know that he ate a toy, he threw it up late Saturday night. He has not eaten or drank water since and continues to throw up bile. Took him to the vet last night, they did x-rays and sub q fluids, our bill was $250. The next step is hospitalization, more tests, lab work, more xrays, then exploratory surgery.

We are looking at thousands of $ that we don't have.

My husband and I are talking about putting him down. I feel like that's so wrong but at the same time he is very sick, he's not himself and we can not afford to spend thousands to figure out what is wrong when they may not be able to fix it.

I feel ashamed and guilty and we haven't even made the decision yet. If we do decide to put him down I don't even feel like I can tell anyone because I feel so ashamed.

Please, if you can not be positive or supportive, please do not respond.

I went thru this with one of my kitties. He ate thread from the spool sitting on my sewing machine. We did decide to raid our emergency fun and pay for the surgery and hospitalization. In the end, it cost us something like $1800. Thankfully, he lived and his intestine was not torn.

Fast forward about 5 years: he did it again. This time we just didn't have the extra money. We told the vet to keep him hospitalized for a few days and see what happens. We were prepared to have him put down if he got worse. We waited about 4 days, and he improved. He passed the chunk of thread in his feces, no ruptured intestine. The vet said it was a miracle, and it cost us maybe $400?

So keep your fingers crossed, he might pass it and be okay, If worst comes to worst and you need to have him put down, yes, you'll feel bad, but sometimes you just can't do anything else but ease his suffering as much as possible.

 

[dakcp2001]

How many vets have you called for an estimate?

 

[needshelp]

No one will provide any sort of estimate until he has been seen by them. We do have an appt today at 4:30 with a different vet, but historically they have been more expensive than the one we were at yesterday. The one yesterday is really the best vet our area has to offer.

 

[LuLuO]

My friend's response is, it's only money. You will make more. My friend also gets a 50% discount for her vet services and does not have a family to support, she's single.

I love my pets, this is killing me. It's making me 2nd guess having pets at all. We give them a very loving home.

We have been in tough situations with our animals. Unfortunately, finances do factor into treatment decisions. I know the guilt that you are feeling too. (((((hugs))))) I am very saddened that you are feeling pressure from your vet. Our vet always gives us a range of treatment options, if available, depending on our financial situation and they never fault us for taking the financially conservative approach.

I would call around until I found a vet who would be willing to end the kitty's suffering without having to endure another vet visit.

 

[bumbershoot]

If we decide to do this I can not take him back to the same vet because I have a very good friend that works there and she would never forgive me for making this decision.

On top of everything you're dealing with with the cat, it's rotten that she would do that to you.

My friend's response is, it's only money. You will make more. My friend also gets a 50% discount for her vet services and does not have a family to support, she's single.

I love my pets, this is killing me. It's making me 2nd guess having pets at all. We give them a very loving home.

If it's only money, can she give you an interest-free loan?

We had a cat, she had problems...she was older, allergies, drooled, clawed things, could not be around other animals of ANY kind (previous 4 homes had other animals, the animals would attack her) and it turns out toddlers were bad for her too (no other homes had children, ours was the first)...she got a horribly nasty sore on her leg that took a year to heal up despite antibiotic liquid, special washes, and ultimately a powerful antibiotic shot (from the holistic vet, funnily enough), she continued to have problems of various kinds. The friend closest to me kept telling me to just give her away...but I knew no one with that sort of household, and it would almost certainly end with her being euthanized when no one adopted her. I got NO help, just "give her away", and the friend certainly wasn't going to take her.

It was rotten.

And our experience, along with the experience I had as a child with pets watching my mom go through heartbreak after heartbreak, we haven't gotten another pet despite hubby and son very very much wanting one. Just can't handle it when they die.

The one yesterday is really the best vet our area has to offer.

What's best for one owner/pet pair isn't best for all. You might be surprised.