- Joined
- Sep 22, 2016
- Messages
- 27
- Purraise
- 2
Hi there everyone,
I joined this site in search of some support and compassion from fellow cat owners/lovers. I have two cats named Qi and Magic. I've had them since they were 8 weeks old and they will be 5 in November. They are littermates/brothers. Unfortunately, life has been pretty stressful for me since I got them, which I obviously did not anticipate. There's been a lot of moves, some tragic sudden loss and so they have been along for the ride.
I'm at the point where I can no longer keep up with the costs and the stress of some of their needs/issues. I've spent hours upon hours online researching, reading books and articles about cat health, cat behaviour. I've watched videos and pretty much done everything within my physical and financial capacity to try and resolve the issues that I am having with them.
They are my family, not like my family, they are my family. I love them so much and I take the responsibility of caring for them very seriously. I think about how I can keep them, make them healthy and happy, every day. And I just can't seem to get things under control with them.
The key issues I am having are below:
Cost for grain free canned wet food
Cost for Worlds Best Cat Litter (used to be at Walmart for reasonable price but they stopped carrying it)...
Cost of Supplements
Health issues
Behavioural issues
Qi-
urinates outside the box regularly
very loud, incessant meowing
Have tried/am currently:
Feliway diffuser, extra litter boxes (5 in a 1 bedroom apartment) , different kinds of litter boxes, different levels of litter, different locations, clean all urine thoroughly with a recommended enzymatic cleaner, Chinese herbs, expensive urinary care "prescription food", natural food, regular vet visits, regular tests of the urine that come back as fine or nothing to say there is an infection or blood, holistic vet and I'm sure other things I'm not able to remember.
But like I said, I've read all of the forums and done a lot of research on the urinary issue and I am still cleaning pee off the floor every day, sometimes several times a day.
He has damaged property everywhere I have lived, most recently causing a huge falling out with a past roommate due to a damaged rug
He is currently damaging the floor in the apartment I am living with his urine
Magic-
high stage of heart murmur (was not specified by the vet but she said cats with hearts like his don't live past 5 or 6 years old which I don't believe because it seemed she was fear mongering but that's what she said, I hope it's not true...)
can't afford the 600.00 ultrasound on his heart to determine what is exactly going on even though a skilled vet should be able to know quite a bit with just a stethoscope examination, she said I needed the $600 ultra sound to know more
I believe/follow natural/ holistic medicine so don't have him on the heart medications prescribed by a vet and had him on a herbal tincture but cannot afford at the moment (Young at heart herbal tincture by Pet Wellbeing)
He is overweight
Chews through computer cords, headphones etc.
I can't afford a consultation with any of these online experts, I can't afford any more vet visits that just involve paying several hundreds of dollars on urine analysis that comes back with no useful information, talking and suggesting I purchase more books and more medicines. I feel like I read so much and so much of it is "you have to buy my book, my product to make it better". Or put him on Prozac, which I strongly disagree with. The money is just not there and I'm in huge debt as it is because of buying books/medicines/vet visits/high quality food etc.
Right now I'm trying to transition them to a homemade diet, which is not going well so far. They won't even go near their food bowls even if I sneak in one little piece of chicken that I made. I figure that is the only way I can afford to feed them healthy food at this point as I've read a site that talks about raw diet/semi-cooked food and can get it down to 95 cents a day. But they are both extremely picky eaters.
I know I don't know anybody here on this site, I've never posted. And this is a very long post. I'm honestly so desperate for support around this issue. I feel like I'm ready to give up and I'm honestly devastated. I find my quality of life is hugely affected by the stress of trying to maintain these two cats. They are so precious, beautiful cats, very loving, and we are definitely bonded because I've had them since they were kittens, but I just don't know what to do anymore. No one in my life understands because they are either not as invested in their cat's health or don't like cats/have cats....I just don't feel like anybody gets it. I should mention that I myself have a chronic illness that is most likely the core issue as to why I am not able to physically/financially care for them at this time.
Thank you for reading this. If anybody can offer any support, understanding, compassion, or can relate, offer advice, any information at all, I would so greatly appreciate it. Just the thought of rehoming them makes me feel sick with grief but I just don't know what else to do.
Sincerely,
Heartbroken and stressed cat mommy
I joined this site in search of some support and compassion from fellow cat owners/lovers. I have two cats named Qi and Magic. I've had them since they were 8 weeks old and they will be 5 in November. They are littermates/brothers. Unfortunately, life has been pretty stressful for me since I got them, which I obviously did not anticipate. There's been a lot of moves, some tragic sudden loss and so they have been along for the ride.
I'm at the point where I can no longer keep up with the costs and the stress of some of their needs/issues. I've spent hours upon hours online researching, reading books and articles about cat health, cat behaviour. I've watched videos and pretty much done everything within my physical and financial capacity to try and resolve the issues that I am having with them.
They are my family, not like my family, they are my family. I love them so much and I take the responsibility of caring for them very seriously. I think about how I can keep them, make them healthy and happy, every day. And I just can't seem to get things under control with them.
The key issues I am having are below:
Cost for grain free canned wet food
Cost for Worlds Best Cat Litter (used to be at Walmart for reasonable price but they stopped carrying it)...
Cost of Supplements
Health issues
Behavioural issues
Qi-
urinates outside the box regularly
very loud, incessant meowing
Have tried/am currently:
Feliway diffuser, extra litter boxes (5 in a 1 bedroom apartment) , different kinds of litter boxes, different levels of litter, different locations, clean all urine thoroughly with a recommended enzymatic cleaner, Chinese herbs, expensive urinary care "prescription food", natural food, regular vet visits, regular tests of the urine that come back as fine or nothing to say there is an infection or blood, holistic vet and I'm sure other things I'm not able to remember.
But like I said, I've read all of the forums and done a lot of research on the urinary issue and I am still cleaning pee off the floor every day, sometimes several times a day.
He has damaged property everywhere I have lived, most recently causing a huge falling out with a past roommate due to a damaged rug
He is currently damaging the floor in the apartment I am living with his urine
Magic-
high stage of heart murmur (was not specified by the vet but she said cats with hearts like his don't live past 5 or 6 years old which I don't believe because it seemed she was fear mongering but that's what she said, I hope it's not true...)
can't afford the 600.00 ultrasound on his heart to determine what is exactly going on even though a skilled vet should be able to know quite a bit with just a stethoscope examination, she said I needed the $600 ultra sound to know more
I believe/follow natural/ holistic medicine so don't have him on the heart medications prescribed by a vet and had him on a herbal tincture but cannot afford at the moment (Young at heart herbal tincture by Pet Wellbeing)
He is overweight
Chews through computer cords, headphones etc.
I can't afford a consultation with any of these online experts, I can't afford any more vet visits that just involve paying several hundreds of dollars on urine analysis that comes back with no useful information, talking and suggesting I purchase more books and more medicines. I feel like I read so much and so much of it is "you have to buy my book, my product to make it better". Or put him on Prozac, which I strongly disagree with. The money is just not there and I'm in huge debt as it is because of buying books/medicines/vet visits/high quality food etc.
Right now I'm trying to transition them to a homemade diet, which is not going well so far. They won't even go near their food bowls even if I sneak in one little piece of chicken that I made. I figure that is the only way I can afford to feed them healthy food at this point as I've read a site that talks about raw diet/semi-cooked food and can get it down to 95 cents a day. But they are both extremely picky eaters.
I know I don't know anybody here on this site, I've never posted. And this is a very long post. I'm honestly so desperate for support around this issue. I feel like I'm ready to give up and I'm honestly devastated. I find my quality of life is hugely affected by the stress of trying to maintain these two cats. They are so precious, beautiful cats, very loving, and we are definitely bonded because I've had them since they were kittens, but I just don't know what to do anymore. No one in my life understands because they are either not as invested in their cat's health or don't like cats/have cats....I just don't feel like anybody gets it. I should mention that I myself have a chronic illness that is most likely the core issue as to why I am not able to physically/financially care for them at this time.
Thank you for reading this. If anybody can offer any support, understanding, compassion, or can relate, offer advice, any information at all, I would so greatly appreciate it. Just the thought of rehoming them makes me feel sick with grief but I just don't know what else to do.
Sincerely,
Heartbroken and stressed cat mommy