Vet bills...

Thanks, the insurance thing is more about the future as opposed to now... I feel incredibly guilty for not insuring her sooner... Just never expected her to become so ill I mean she's had 16 years of perfect health.

It is hard - you never want these things to happen but unfortunately it's part of Animal Ownership
We had an absolutely amazing Pony whom we Rescued. Due to mistreatment in a previous home He had an array of health problems - the Vet bills cost so much that we were living in virtual poverty. We were fortunate to have managed to stay living in our House tbh - but He was worth it, and we'd do it all over again if we had to
All the Best, make sure you do ask the Vets as they should be able to understand

The vet does suspect that it's cystitis. We just hope it's a one off as opposed to something that is going to become chronic for her. All in all it cost just under £30 which is surprisingly low. The vet was telling us about a male cat which had a similar condition only the urethra (spelling?) had become blocked costing the owners a total of £1,600 to treat... Makes me happy knowing there's people willing to spend vast amounts on keeping their special friends around. Thankfully female cats have a less 'complicated' urethra than males, meaning total blockage is very rare.

She was given a long lasting antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory and that we should see an improvement within the next 24 hours so fingers crossed that she gets better and that it was just a one off! Thanks for your replies too. x

It's unlikey she'll get insurance at her age.
Treatment shouldn't be too costly, your best option is to explain the situation to the vets and ask if you can pay bits off when you can.
My cat is currently in the vets too, suspected poisoning. Wishing i'd had him insured before now He's only 3 years old though, didn't think i'd need insurance for him just yet

Gosh that is awful.. I hope someone didn't deliberately do it


At OP: Insurance companies don't usually pay for new customer's pets which are over 7/8 years of age..So unless you can arrange something with your vets to pay so much a month then I don't know.. I do hope something can be done to save her! I've done work exp at a vets and the amount of pets that get put to sleep because owners can't afford is really disturbing

His kidneys seem to be fine now, they are pretty much normal size. Another blood test tomorrow to check how they're working.
He's having an ex-lap tomorrow too! Very small lump been found in his stomach
He's costing me a fortune! lol.
So far: 2 blood samples, 2 x-rays, 5 days on a drip and now an ex-lap.
He's definitely worth it though!

(Sorry i'm hi-jacking your thread)

Poor little bugger... It hurt so much seeing my cat in pain, can't imagine what it'd be like to see her on a drip. I seriously admire your courage and the fact that you're doing everything you can for him. Hope he gets better!

He's had to be put to sleep :'(
Turns out he had lymphosarcoma in his bowels, which had spread to his kidneys.
Was unfair to bring him round from the surgery
Absolutely gutted!! Words cannot describe how much this hurts right now.
3 years old seems too young!!

I understand that money may be tight but it really is unfair to leave your cat in pain and obvious distress. She actually has rights under the animal welfare act, and by leaving her in this pain you're technically breaking the law. Firstly, get her to the vets ASAP, the sooner she gets treatment the better. Then get her insured, it won't cover you for this outbreak of cystitis but it will cover her for other illness which is inevitable as she ages. Finally, put aside some money each month for emergencies.

Not trying to scare you but one of my cats had a blockage in his urethra and it cost over £1000 to save his life. My little 1 y/o kitten has crystals in his bladder and is on a special diet to control his problem and avoid him having major surgery. Pets are expensive, that's something you have to accept as part of their ownership.

I'm so sorry to hear that... Was it deemed untreatable? I guess he'd be subjected to more and more surgery... poor little thing. I don't know what to say, just try and think of the life you did give him, he could have easily gone to somebody who doesn't care and suffered but you gave him an amazing life by the sounds of that, he couldn't have asked for more.

Yeah it had spread everywhere, his kidneys had basically stopped working too.
The only thing I can be thankful for, was that he wasn't in pain. Showed no signs this was going on inside of him.

....Back onto the subject of your cat
Is this a reoccuring problem? Have you tried feeding her a veterinary urinary diet?
Like RCW Urinary S/O?

The first time we noticed symptoms we got her to the vet in a matter of hours (earliest they could book us in), the second time it happened in the early hours of the morning and it was on a Sunday. Both times her symptoms had completely calmed down upon arrival. Anyway she was checked out and as per usual everything is absolutely fine with her other than the fact that a urine sample has shown her kidneys are showing signs of natural aging. We've booked her in for a blood test amongst other things to get a proper look.

My little chicken, she really is getting old now... She's around 16 in human years. Other than having her eye removed as a kitten (cataract) she hasn't needed to go to the vets, not once, for 15 years. Even now she's actually healthy, just showing the inevitable signs of aging. Bless her, she's so resilient.