senior cat vomiting

[steel]

For the past 3/4 days my senior male cat (approx 14 yrs) has not been able to keep his food down. He has been healthy since i got him 10/98 & i dont know why hes always vomiting now. He vomits a dark brown liquid & the the dry cat food up. He has eaten dry cat food since i have had him (12 yrs). I did change the brand a few weeks ago. I cant afford a vet cause im totally out of work & borrowed money to pay my rent. YES....its VERY bad in ca. Is their any pet organization that can help me out ? No vet in my area will do anything for free. I live in yucaipa, ca (92399). Any help would be appreciated cause i dont want to have buddy put down. http://community.webtv.net/rpp64/cat

[Catty1]

I have no bright ideas...unless you find a vet that takes payments; apply for Care Credit for pets.

The last - and I hate to suggest it - is that a shelter or humane society would look after your buddy's medical needs BUT you would have to surrender him.

I hope some options come your way! Prayers for your boy! He needs help fast.

Do you have any of the old food around, or can you get a small bag of it?

Prayers going out.

ETA: You could at least contact these people and see if they know someone who can help you - or MAYBE they can: http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/clubs/mercer/

Also, the vet school there has a small animal department...call them and see if they can help no charge: http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vmth/s...al/default.cfm

[Karen]

Make sure he's not getting dehydrated, give him fresh water at least. Are there any vet schools near you that might see him?

Try calling Angell Memorial in Boston - yes, it's far away, but they might have some advice for you, and they are there 24 hours a day. (617) 522-7282

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so sorry to hear this. My senior cat Storm is now 14 1/2 years old and last year in Oct. he also started vomiting almost daily. It turned out that he has small intestional disease which I guess is a form of IBD. He's been taking prednisolone and now takes 2.5mg every morning. I also give him 5mg of pepcid at night which is 1/2 of a pill. Since you've changed his diet it could also be the food. Try to see if any vet will accept payments. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent his way.

[steel]

I have never ever seen the economy as bad as it is now. My step mom & father are kinda well to do but my step mom calls the shots & shes very mean & she told my sister to tell me to put buddy down. I start a new job next week but its weekends only & min wage. I havent worked for min wage since i was a teen many yrs back. My main job has been landscaping & maintanence work but its all dried up now. No one is hiring & if they do i always get outbid. Buddy just ate so im hoping he holds it in. One thing i have truely learned though is when you're down & out you really find out who your friends & family are. I have no "true" friends & my sister is the only relative in ca that treats me right. My dad, step mom, ex bro in law, nephew & cousin treat me wrong & ill never forget it. Sorry for being off topic. Thanks for the posts & advice. We have no animal clinic nearby. Los angeles is 70 miles west & i drive a 25 yr old gas guzzler car. Life is not good. The local vets here seem to care more about making money then the animal. Thats discusting! UC Davis is in sacramento. Sacramento is quite aways away & my old car would never make it. The nearest big cities are riverside & san bernardino.

[TommyCat]

Hi,
I'm sorry your senior kitty is sick. Here is a link for some pet care assistance that I got from another pet message board I visit. There is one that helps pet owners out of work or disabled. I sure hope your kitty can be seen by a Vet. I hope this link works, too. Keep us posted.

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/...show/535?cid=2

[Catty1]

james, I don't know where your sis is...I Googled free vets in Yucaipa CA, and that is what I got. I was hoping she or a friend could drive you there.

Maybe just call or email them and see if they know someone near you.

Hugs and prayers for Buddy!

[steel]

james, I don't know where your sis is...I Googled free vets in Yucaipa CA, and that is what I got. I was hoping she or a friend could drive you there.

Maybe just call or email them and see if they know someone near you.

Hugs and prayers for Buddy!

Sacramento is in central ca & over 300 miles north. Im in southern ca about 45 mins from palm springs.
I did email cal davis but no reply. Their is a pet assist program here in yucaipa. The place is called YAPS (yucaipa animal placement society) But im not a senior so they wont help me out. Im more or less going to be forced to have buddy put down. Some jerks have said "hes old so put him out of his misery". Its not easy letting go a companion you have had for 12 yrs.

[Catty1]

Did you check the link TommyCat posted?

Call YAPS back and see if they know of another organization that will help. Call any shelters/humane orgs and see if they know anyone.

If NOTHING else - will any of the vets take a payment plan? If so - maybe your sis can help out to get it started.


If it comes down to a choice, surrender Buddy to a no-kill place so he can at least get treatment.

HUGS.

(Think of what a vet will charge to put him down! Try to find a payment plan)

[TommyCat]

I'm thinking with your senior kitty his teeth could be bothering him, and the dry food may be difficult to chew. My kitty is 11 years old and has had two dentals recently with infected teeth. Have you tried some wet food like Fancy Feast or another brand just to see if it makes a difference? Try mixing some of his usual dry brand with the wet and see if this helps.

Catty has given you some good advice. I hope you can get him to a Vet.

[steel]

Buddy stopped throwing up & is holding his food down. Now he has a cold. Today is day 3. I was told that if he still has it by day 7 then to get him to a vet or the humaine society. I guess he had a stomach virus for 4 days but his appetite is back. You dont have to take your pet to the vet everytime he/she gets ill. The vets want you to so they can make money. Had i taken buddy to the vet for the throwing up it would of cost $33.50 + meds. I did ask the vet tech about giving me a break due to being broke but she said no. A vet charges anywhere from $50.00-$100.00 to put a cat or dog down. Yrs back i paid $30.00 to put my 12+ yr old cat put to sleep. Since then i have had 3 of my cats put to sleep at no charge at the humaine society of san bernardino, ca. They are terrific people. Its been almost 2 yrs since i was last their (bootsy/age-15).

[Catty1]

I am glad Buddy is holding his food down. I hope his cold gets better...does the Humane Society also have a vet that could have a look at him if it gets worse?

Best of luck in your job, and I hope Buddy has many more years with you.

[Catlady711]

Buddy stopped throwing up & is holding his food down. Now he has a cold. Today is day 3. I was told that if he still has it by day 7 then to get him to a vet or the humaine society. I guess he had a stomach virus for 4 days but his appetite is back. You dont have to take your pet to the vet everytime he/she gets ill. The vets want you to so they can make money. Had i taken buddy to the vet for the throwing up it would of cost $33.50 + meds. I did ask the vet tech about giving me a break due to being broke but she said no. A vet charges anywhere from $50.00-$100.00 to put a cat or dog down. Yrs back i paid $30.00 to put my 12+ yr old cat put to sleep. Since then i have had 3 of my cats put to sleep at no charge at the humaine society of san bernardino, ca. They are terrific people. Its been almost 2 yrs since i was last their (bootsy/age-15).

Glad to hear Buddy's vomiting has stopped. If he's eating good now just keep an eye on him. If you see yellow or green discharge from his nose, drooling, not eating, raspy breathing sounds, unusual litterbox activity, or anything out of the ordinary, then don't wait to have Buddy looked at.

Vets (or at least good vets) don't tell you to bring the pet in just to make money. They do that because legally they cannot treat a pet they haven't seen, and there are many causes, and treatments, for things non-specific like vomiting. It would be unethical for them to dispense general medication for an unseen pet for something they have not properly diagnosed. If they gave the wrong medication for that particular illness they could cause harm to your cat, could be sued, and have their licenses suspended or revoked. They are simply doing what they need to do by law and those laws were set up to protect your pets.

I know that doesn't make you feel better when it's your pet that's suffering and finances aren't plentiful. But I did want you to understand that most vets aren't doing it to be mean or empty your pockets, they truely are doing it for the best interest of the pet.

Vet prices will vary all over the board based on the area you live in, the number of doctors and staff at the practice, the size of their building and the amount of equipment they have. In general a vet hospital is going to cost you more for the same thing than a vet clinic because of overhead costs. If there is a clinic in your area they'd most likely be less expensive. You might want to call around to different ones and get their pricing to compare.

Many vets don't take payment plans except with good, long standing clients. Too often many of them have been burned when unknown clients were given a break and offered payments but then didn't pay or wrote checks that bounced and incurred additional fees. The hospital still has to pay the bills from that themselves and wouldn't be able to stay in business if that happened very often. So many have opted to limit or accept no payment plans to keep the doors open for others. I know that has to be frustrating to some pet owners to understand when their pet needs help. From a hospital's point of view it's kinda like loaning money to a total stranger while you still have to pay your own bills.

Humane Societies can do things cheaper because they often have vets that volunteer their time, or work for cut rate to help out, and the H.S. get donations that help cover expenses that a vet hospital or clinic does not get. The biggest difference would be in the amount of equipment they have available to help your pet. Some H.S. are large and well funded some only have the basics.

[steel]

Buddy is looking better. Hes not weezing anymore & doesnt have watery eyes. He still sneezes time to time. My bro has multiple cats & his friend is a vet in colo. He told me to give buddy a lil bit of amoxicillin in his food. I opened the capsule & sprinkled a tiny amount in his small amount of tuna. Each capsule is 500 mg but i would never use the entire capsule. I lucked out cause i had a toothache & infection so my doctor gave me some amoxicillin last aug 2010. The prescription only drug works. I have 4 other cats so if they get buddys cold ill know what to do. I have 6 capsules left & they exp 8/4/11. My cats are strickly indoors & i dont plan to get anymore. Their ages are 4-14 (?) yrs. Thanks for all the advice. Cal davis did reply back to me & they are the only ones in the state of ca that offer free vet care to the homeless & poor.