Very expensive and worrying holiday

[KrazE]

I've managed to drain pretty much all the funds I had left thanks to the vet; I'm disgusted at the cost!

One of my cats became ill on Weds, his behaviour was completely abnormal from his usual self; I call him the walking stomach, and he stopped eating and drinking.

He vomited his stomach contents early in the morning, and during the day it was just clear liquid.

I took him to the vet Thursday for a 12:10pm appointment, and brought him home today (though that could be temporary).

I paid out $1655.34 and they do not know what is/was wrong with him. I have to call them in the morning to give an update, and if he hasn't eaten, then I have to take him back & they will send him to an emergency clinic (AKA three times the cost) for more blood work & an ultrasound.

He has had xrays, IV fluids, fPLI Snap test, blood work, Urinalysis with cysto and nadda but a very very slightly elevated bilirubin.

While I am happy that he was given IV fluids that he needed, to pay that amount of money already with zero answers has me quite angry.

Right now, I just want him to start eating & getting back to normal. His brother who was normally near him most of the time before he got ill is acting like he is afraid of him, so I'm not sure what to make of that one yet.

Vets gouge people badly, that's how I feel right this moment.

Thanks for cleaning me out for the holidays.

[Sally888]

I feel your pain ive spent a fortune on vet bills from a kitten we took in from the shelter that had a parasite and spread it to all my other cats. Ill never get another shelter cat again...

anyways, that sucks. But I hope your fur baby gets better.

[alicia]

Oh no, that's so frustrating (and REALLY REALLY expensive). Hoping he is doing alright and it was just some fluke one day bug like us humans get.

About his brother staying away from him - our cats do that (and worse) when one of them come back from the vet even if it's just for a 30 minute visit let alone all the things your fur baby went through. They can smell the vet on them and it takes them a bit to settle back in.

I'm sorry to hear about the huge expense at this time of the year. It is never a welcome expense (especially $1600) but the holiday time is just probably the worst. Hoping he will get back to normal for both his sake and the finances.

[matrix82]

I hope you find out what is wrong with your kitty. Props for being a loving kitty owner and taking the cat to the vet. I hope it doesn't cost you too much more money.

The financial pain can be really hard combined with the not knowing what is wrong with the poor thing.

[KrazE]

He ate 3 pieces of his crunchy food earlier, and has a big selection of food in the kitchen right now, so I am hoping he will eat something else soon.

[walkonby]

I sure do know what you are going through. Been there done that. Will probably do it again, even though I swore never again! Hoping for his speedy recovery.

[glowworm2k]

I'm so sorry to hear about your kitty. I've got my own horror stories of vet bills, unfortunately. Then again, I think we all do.

At my vet's, depending on the doctor I see, the vet bill can be astronomical. My favourite vet at the clinic is a young woman who doesn't believe in unnecessary tests or sedation. Vet bills with her are about 1/3 of what they are with the other vet - even though they practice under the same roof! :S

I hear that vets on the Gatineau side of the river - and even just slightly out of town - are way cheaper than in town in Ottawa. It might be worth the drive in future emergencies if money is tight.

Here's hoping everything gets sorted out!
*hugs to you and your kitty*

[opus]

Our kitty was sick awhile ago too. It's hard because it never seems like the vet can give you an answer on anything. We are very lucky to have a vet tech in the family and she has our cat on her plan. We've found that puting him on a heathier diet has helped a lot. That's something to consider for their future health. Really hope he gets better real soon. It's hard near the holidays. Sending positive vibes your way.

[icangarden]

So sorry to hear this. It's bad at any time of year to get horrendous bills but especially at Christmas! Nice to see though that you take pet ownership responsibly and you are to be commended for that. We have two cats that have become part of our household and both were dumped off as kittens at our place by irresponsible owners.

Hope your kitty improves

[eve160450]

Oh I hope your kitty gets well soon. As other posters mentioned I am sure we all have those stories. I had a cat that started having siezures. $1000.00 later and no answers. Went to the internet for some answers. In the end it turned out to be sound induced siezures. Hqad to watch the sounds I made in the house or else I cdould send her into the siezure.

[SharonMe]

That's hard when it happens so close to Christmas.
My cat went through a situation a lot like yours. He quit eating and drinking and looked awful, kept going down in the basement by himself. He got IV fluids at the vet and it revived him but we never did get a diagnosis just a big bill. When we got him home I thought since they didn't find anything, I'd try patting butter on his mouth in case he had a large hairball. He did end up vomiting up a large one, don't know if that was the cause or not but he's been well since. Knock on wood. Hope your cat is OK now too.

[saddlebag]

hope your cat gets better.....vets are very expensive

[avoncallingu]

So sorry to hear about your cat and your financial burden! Is it possible that s/he ingested some string or yarn? That can really wreak havoc with a cat's insides. And it's hard to detect. Did s/he have an x-ray?

[Andit]

So sorry to hear about your kitty. Here's hoping he feels better soon.

Did the vet give him any antibiotics?

Did the vet check for dental problems? If he'll let you put your finger in his mouth (your kitty not the vet ), put a piece of gauze on a finger & rub against his gums (especially at the back where it's impossible to see what's going on).It could be that he has an abcessed tooth & needs to either have it pulled or have a root canal. When my Quincy cat had a bad tooth, there was a bit of blood that could be easily seen.

My friend's bunny seemed off last year & the vet thought the problem was related to her teeth. My friend was convinced it had to do with a spider bite that got infected (D found a spider in her litterbox the week before), & managed to convince the vet to give the bunny a shot of antibiotics before doing anything more invasive. The shot cleared up the infection & the bunny's been perfectly healthy ever since.

Good luck & I feel for you about the costs (Lily dog`s vet costs were $1600 when she got into illicit substances - before the tourists moved here, it was party central for less than desirable folks who were into crack, among other things, ugh).

[Denna b]

So sad to hear. Both the price and your sick baby. Hope he gets better with no further vet bills. My Monzter (cat) had pneumonia this summer. Such a horrible time worring about him.
Maybe the manufacturer changed the formula for his food and he doesn't like it.??