Posted on 06/28/2006 9:00:54 PM PDT by Huntress
Dear FReeper animal lovers:
I have a dilemma regarding my cat and could use some advice. I have had Norman the cat for six years and he is a very beloved pet and companion. He got sick this morning, and my vet says he must have surgery or he will die. Here is the problem: the vet quoted me a price of $1800 (yes, $1800) for Norman's treatment; this includes what he has already done in an attempt to cure the cat without surgery, the surgery itself, and care after the surgery. $1800 is a tremendous amount of money but still within the bounds of what I can afford (barely). If I pay for the surgery, it is going to hurt financially. If I have the vet put Norman down, I think I will feel guilty about it forever.
My parents and many of my friends think I'm out of my mind for even considering spending this much money on a cat. What would you do if you were me?
I would have to spend the $1800.00. I'm sorry I hope all works out.
I am so glad to hear this. I live on a very quiet. private street. There are only five neighbors. I have a kitty door and a fenced yard. My cats come and go.
A few months ago the youngest of our brood dragged himself to my bedside at 3:00 am, yowling in his loudest voice. It was obvious from observation that his hip was dislocated.
The vets say this can be reset only if they get to it within a few minutes. After that the swelling prevents resetting the hip joint. The alternative is surgery.
This came at a very inconvenient time, but I sucked it up. You don't have pets unless you are attached to them. The patient is fine now. I'm glad to hear of your success.
Best wishes to Norman on a healthy recovery :)
You're welcome, and glad to be back!
I once spent over $1000 on emergency surgery for my beloved kitty, Crystal. I barely had the money and it definitely hurt financially. I certainly did get strange looks, and one friend even exclaimed in shock, "You spent $1000 on a cat!?". But I knew I did the right thing. She was only 2 at the time, and I cherished her dearly until she died of cancer last year at 15. I say go for it.
If you can be assured that the cat will be "cured", then that may help in this difficult decision. However, if this is just a stop-gap measure, then let him go. Just, my way of thinking, and I have two cats that I love dearly.
We have an Abyssinian that had a urinary infection, he was peeing bloody urine. The vet we have now who is a great vet BTW recommended Science diet dry, I forget which one, maybe SD. Knock on wood, he's doing fine. One other problem he had was an allergy to certain foods so we had to eventually go to the duck and rice food so he would be getting a different protein. After a while we put him back on the Science diet and he's doing fine.
I have and have had a lot of cats and if you use quality dry food, they're fine. The thing you need to make sure they get is taurine(sp?).
What is the diagnosis? What is his sickness?
YES!
YES
I agree...get a second opinion.
Our 4 year old dog collapsed one day and was very sick. He was diagnosed by our vet with an autoimmune disease (AIHA.) We were told if he didn't have a transfusion right away, he'd die.
The cost of the treatment was going to be $2,000 to start and probably much more after that...and we just didn't have it, so we brought him home to die. He didn't seem to be in any pain, just extremely weak, so we just nursed him over the next couple of weeks.
The dog is 9 years old now, and doing just fine. You just never know.
What is the problem with the cat? Only 6 years! So young. It would depend on what the problem is ... sometimes surgery will only buy time. If it buys a cure I would try to save the cat.
Good luck to you and little Norman.
My 11 year old cat, Allie, came down with hyperthyroid and the cost for treatment was about $1,500. I decided to spend the money because she would have surely died. Her metabolism was revved so high that she was starving to death, even though she ate voraciously. She burned the calories so fast, she couldn't get enough. Her heart rate was so fast the doctor could not measure it.
Allie is now 17 and had to have x-rays done recently. After looking at the x-rays, the vet told me that she has the body of a 10 year old, and will most likely live for several more years.
In my case, it was well worth it. Also, after she recupterated, she and I became closer. It was as if she sensed that I had saved her. I've not had a moment's regret.
I am very glad to hear this, congrats to you and Norman! I've been working with a sick but very loved cat as well, she's doing better with every passing day and worth every penny I've spent on her. FWIW, I think you made the right choice.
When does Norman come home?
[I fed the Science Diet dry formula to deal with Wilbur's tendency to plug for years--BUT that food is what precipitated Pyewackett's diabetes!.
Cat people, dump the dry food! Your vet may not even know about this more recent work! It isn't about one company against another--the same companies make dry and canned. It's about % calories from carbohydrates. You are risking Kitty by feeding them a relatively high carbohydrate diet.
Corn is for HOGS and CHICKENS, not Kitty. They'll eat carbohydrates--with relish, we'll all seen cats break into wrapped loaves of bread, cookies, etc.--but that doesn't prove that is what they should be eating, because they will also lap up antifreeze causes them an agonizing death.
Feed low % calories from carbohydrate canned food, be it ever so inconvenient, and avoid diabetes and urinary tract hell.]
I don't think we would do anything different, were the same circumstances repeated. And for us $2,400 is a pretty big chunk of change.
What is Norman's prognosis, should he receive the surgery?
You and Norman are in my prayers.
I would get the advice of another Vet. It is a hard choice to make. I have had to put one or two pets down. If you have to do it, I have found it better to go into the room where they do it and pet or hold it while it is done. It hurts when you do that, but it gives you better closure.
The only problem with canned food is the cat doesn't like it. She will sniff at it, walk away, and the dog will eat it. Which is funny, because he can't stand canned dog food. I should check my cat food labels. I know there are dry dog foods that are meat based. I wonder if they have the same for any dry cat foods.
>The only problem with canned food is the cat doesn't like it. She will sniff at it, walk away, and the dog will eat it. Which is funny, because he can't stand canned dog food. I should check my cat food labels. I know there are dry dog foods that are meat based. I wonder if they have the same for any dry cat foods.<
ALL dry food contains some form of carbohydrate (wheat, rice, corn) for processing purposes, even if they contain meat.
I've tried water fountains to increase water consumption, but never had much luck.
What you are looking for is a lack of carbohydrates in the formula--I buy only foods with 5% or lower calories from carbohydrates in the formula. There is a table online showing these values for dozens of brands--this is not a marketing scam, because you can choose from Wal-Mart's house brand (yes, they sell some acceptable types) to wildly expensive brands you may never have heard of before. It's not about the brand name.
When I changed my 3 cats' food, I had two immediately dig in, and one resister. Orville nibbled at first, and yelled at me for the menu switch, but he got over it long before he got really hungry.
When I eat tuna, I save the tuna water for the guys. You might save tuna water and pour that over the canned food. Most cats go crazy over this.
Try different brands. I feed mostly Wellness and Fancy Feast, sometimes some of Wal-Mart's formulas as well.
I haven't read your whole thread yet, but could you possibly make payments to him. I mean since you've been such a good customer over the years, maybe they'd let you do that.
I have the same problem, but am treating my cat with pain medication for the time being. My vet will re-evaluate but I know down the line I'm looking at a $1000 operation. I'll do it though I'm sure.
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