My cat is ill :( Need advice

[kittykatharine]

I want to say I am so sorry to hear about your kitty being sick. I have a sick one myself, and the decisions we are forced to make are never easy. On Halloween, my cat hercules was found in my garage not breathing well and very lethargic. I rushed him to the emergency vet because he was so sick, and they basically refused to help him unless I agreed to do thousands of dollars worth of tests. Just as I was telling the vet what to do, Hercules passed away. I have spoken to several vets and they gave some suggestions that would explain his symptoms (which are very similar to your cat's). Could your cat have been exposed to any poisons in the house? Is he an indoor or outdoor cat? Cats that are exposed to poisons have problems breathing, they are lethargic, vomiting, and have dilated pupils. The other suggestion was that Hercules had somehow contracted heart worms - even though he was an indoor cat only. Heart worms also cause fatigue, dilated pupils, labored breathing, and appetite suppression. Lastly, there is heart disease and cancer. I would look at some of the threads done by Medusa. She has cats who have suffered from heart disease etc., and have given them a wonderful life. I agree with everyone about seeking the opinion of a another vet. When I was unhappy with the treatment of my cat Sydney who has nasal lymphoma, so I switched vets three times before I was satisfied. I am so happy I changed and the only reason she is still alive and happy is because I changed. It made all of the difference. First you need to figure what is wrong with your baby, and some x-rays and blood tests are very helpful -also typically not too expensive. It is much easier figuring out what to do, if you know what you are working with. Please keep us updated on how he is doing.

[Reachoutrescue]

I am just reading this, and I am hoping and praying your cat is okay. There has to be another vet that is willing to treat your cat and that is much cheaper. My vet is the highest in town, but still no where near that much!! I pray he is okay. Do you have an update yet?

[Pair-A-Dyce]

Thanks, I was unable to reach any vets with today being sunday aside from the few I have already contacted which were 24hr facilities that I had to contact the first time so I will attempt that again tomorrow.

We have been giving him only half a tablet of aspirin and even that he bites off pieces and don't force him to eat the whole thing. All of our cats are indoor, and there was only a 3-4 hour window between me leaving for work and my wife getting home, which we all know can be plenty of time for anything to happen. I'm beginning to question the pneumonia theory because he hasn't been coughing at all during this whole spell, but he has been a once and a while cougher before. Pupils dilated with heavy eyes still, but his breathing has improved slightly as I noted earlier.

I'm really frustrated in that I don't know what brought about this and I can only conclude down to heart worms, cancer, or some type of throat infection since I've noticed him gag a couple times while drinking and the gurgle his throat makes when swallowing. I have money for issues like tapeworms,simple medicines and likewise, but here is a list of the estimate they gave me. I live in Dallas btw

exam- 52
radiograph thorax- 170
oxygen supplem- 176
fluid therapy set up- 162
fluid pump- 36
hospitilization- 130
intensive care lv. 1- 41
injectable ampicillin- 26
clavamox- 35
Range- 837-1255 and this is without even knowing whats wrong yet


So obviously if you do one of those and find something, the prices are quickly going to stack. We only had an extra 100 that night so we could only get the clavamox with the exam already eating half of that. So at this point our hands are forced to find a cheaper x-ray and continue from there, or continue and hope he pulls through, but I'm no expert so I am going to vigorously search tomorrow.

[Medusa]

Thanks, I was unable to reach any vets with today being sunday aside from the few I have already contacted which were 24hr facilities that I had to contact the first time so I will attempt that again tomorrow.

We have been giving him only half a tablet of aspirin and even that he bites off pieces and don't force him to eat the whole thing. All of our cats are indoor, and there was only a 3-4 hour window between me leaving for work and my wife getting home, which we all know can be plenty of time for anything to happen. I'm beginning to question the pneumonia theory because he hasn't been coughing at all during this whole spell, but he has been a once and a while cougher before. Pupils dilated with heavy eyes still, but his breathing has improved slightly as I noted earlier.

I'm really frustrated in that I don't know what brought about this and I can only conclude down to heart worms, cancer, or some type of throat infection since I've noticed him gag a couple times while drinking and the gurgle his throat makes when swallowing. I have money for issues like tapeworms,simple medicines and likewise, but here is a list of the estimate they gave me. I live in Dallas btw

exam- 52
radiograph thorax- 170
oxygen supplem- 176
fluid therapy set up- 162
fluid pump- 36
hospitilization- 130
intensive care lv. 1- 41
injectable ampicillin- 26
clavamox- 35
Range- 837-1255 and this is without even knowing whats wrong yet


So obviously if you do one of those and find something, the prices are quickly going to stack. We only had an extra 100 that night so we could only get the clavamox with the exam already eating half of that. So at this point our hands are forced to find a cheaper x-ray and continue from there, or continue and hope he pulls through, but I'm no expert so I am going to vigorously search tomorrow.

Coming to your own conclusion/s and administering drugs w/out a vet's advice is dangerous. Aspirin can be toxic to cats because they can't break it down as quickly as humans do. Read info at these links:

http://www.petplace.com/cats/aspirin...ats/page1.aspx

http://www.petplace.com/cats/aspirin...ats/page1.aspx

I think that I can speak for most of us here on PT when I say that we know what it's like to have large vet bills. I'm praying that your cat's illness is something simple and easily treatable but w/out the proper testing, you'll never know and can be causing your cat further complications and costing you more money in the long run w/these delays by trying to save money. Sometimes it's the action that we don't take that causes us the most heartache. Most vets, if you talk to them about a payment plan in advance, will agree to it. After this situation has calmed down and your cat is well (I'm thinking positive here), please do some research and find a vet that you're comfortable with and who is affordable so that when one of your cats becomes ill again, you'll be able to get it the good vet care that it needs w/out delay and worry.

Please let us know how Cat is doing.

[jenluckenbach]

I'd like to comment on the aspirin. You must be VERY careful with cats. How much does he weigh? I have a 13 pound cat who takes 1/2 an aspirin every 3.5 days. If he weighed less the dosage would need to be reduced.

All I can hope for is that you can find a more reasonable vet. Some of those prices seem high, but then again, maybe they are normal in your area.

Best of luck.

[Medusa]

Also, there is an organization called IMOM that some here on PT have used. I've not had experience w/them but they help people who have a pet in need of vet care and who are having difficulty meeting the expenses. You can check out their site at www.imom.org. I imagine, though, that it takes some time to apply and be approved and I'm not sure if time is on your side w/Cat. Anyhow, good luck.

[Lizzie]

In your position, with limited funds (and I've been there, I know what it's like), I'd go for the chest x-ray first. My concern with the shortness of breath is fluid in the chest cavity. Although you want to keep your cat hydrated for general well being, giving fluids might be the wrong way to go until you have checked his chest. I've gone through this several times with my cats, all at the end of their lives. I've also had two FeLV+ cats who crashed very suddenly and no amount of treatment could help them. The second item I'd pay for would be a blood test.

Have you checked your cat's mouth? Are his gums or tongue blue. If his breathing is compromised that would be good reason for his lethargy.

I assume because you have FeLV+ cats, that you are used to checking the gums for normal pink color? If they are pale, the cat has gone into the anemia stage of feline leukemia, and that will cause difficulty breathing and lethargy.

I don't understand why you are giving aspirin to help breathing, where did you read this was a good idea? I've never heard of it. As others have said, aspirin and cats are not a good mix.

There are some costs you can keep down by doing the work yourself - such as giving sub-q fluids if there is no problem with fluid in the chest, but some items you just have to grit your teeth and go through with them.