My little girl is sick

I'm the new guy, I'm Jason. I'm 23years old. I have had my cat sense the day she was born 5 years ago. Let me tell you a little about her then i'll tell you whats wrong with her..

She's a female house cat, all shots up to date, shes fixed, calico(sp?), an shes the only pet in apartment, an she hasent changed to any new food or anything. But sense the day she was born she would never drink out of still water, so i had to make a bowl that recirclates the water so she'll drink it. Anyway...for the last 3-4 days she keeps throwing up. She'll throw up food, an sometimes just spit i guess. An she'll do it twice then go lay down in a weird place an sleep (like under my bed or on the very top shelf of my closet) which she never sleeps there...She always sleeps in my bed with me. But lately she hasent. My girlfriend doesnt like her, but she knows my cat means alot to me because I've had her so long, but my girlfriend told me her sisters cat did the same thing a few years back, after it finished getting sick it went an layed behind the washer and dryer and died. Do you think my little girl is gonna die? I'm really worried, But unfortiantly im in college an i dont make much money now so i can afford to bring her to the vet. What should i do?!?

An here's a picture of her last Christmas watching me put up lights

Yes you should take her to a vet. And I bet you can afford it, an exam shouldn't be more than $50 and illnesses are usually cheaper to treat if you catch them early. Call your vet and maybe you can get them to accept payments over time.

Look at this article called "when you can't afford a vet" http://www.thecatsite.com/Health/76/...erinarian.html

You may have to make some financial sacrifices to help your cat but she's your responsibility and trying to fix her getting her treated at a website won't do it.

Ask your folks or friends for help. Your cat needs *YOU* now.

Originally Posted by stephenq

Yes you should take her to a vet. And I bet you can afford it, an exam shouldn't be more than $50 and illnesses are usually cheaper to treat if you catch them early. Call your vet and maybe you can get them to accept payments over time.

Look at this article called "when you can't afford a vet" http://www.thecatsite.com/Health/76/...erinarian.html

You may have to make some financial sacrifices to help your cat but she's your responsibility and trying to fix her getting her treated at a website won't do it.

Ask your folks or friends for help. Your cat needs *YOU* now.

Click to expand...

Dident think it was that cheap, I was thinking like 2-300 dollars. I can not pay my cable bill an high speed internet a few months, That would be fine with me. But in the mean time, Does anyone have any ideas whats wrong with her? I live in Michigan, so its not like 110 degrees or anything, its been in the 80's lately. An i keep my apartment like a meat locker, Around 62-65 degrees

She needs to see a Vet. See if you can get a Care Credit Card or if someone will Cosign with you. My Dad did that for my brother. My Stormy was throwing up then I found her almost dead and we went to the Vet but her Kidneys were gone and she had to be Pts the next day. Your Cat could have anything. Stormy would throw up and drool sometimes. There was no other signs she was sick.

We aren't vets and have no idea what is wrong with your kitty. Educated guesses mean nothing either because your cat needs vet care, or she could die.

My 16 year old cat was sick at the end of February and I couldn't afford the bill either.

I made arrangements with the vet to pay a monthly amount. I had to rework my budget and dip into my food and medication allowance for 3 months to pay the bill.

Things you can do to help afford it:

1. Ask about making payments;
2. Reduce your variable spending IE: smoking, drinking, entertainment, eating out, convenience store purchases IE: drinks, snacks. Take a bus or walk instead of driving to save on gas.

You can also offer to help around the vet office to work off the bill. IE: cleaning the office, yard work. Perhaps the vet needs some help around his home such as lawn mowing, painting his house etc.

Someone also recommended this site to me, but I live in Canada and they only help in the USA. You have to answer some questions so they can determine if you qualify.

http://imom.org/

Also, try this link:

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/wh...nary_care.html
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It could be something minor like an upset tummy or she could be allergic to the food you are feeding. I'm sure she is not that sick to die. 5 yrs id a young cat. But do take her to the vet and if you can, maybe bring a sample of what she is throwing up.

Let us know how things are

Jason: Is your cat still drinking water? If not you need to be very concerned about dehydration.

Here is some info and links from a few vet websites (not meant as a substitute for a vet visit).

Vomiting occurs for a lot of reasons in cats. The most common causes are inflammatory bowel disease, kidney disease and hyperthyroidism, but other disorders can cause this problem, as well. A number of my clients have reported a decrease in vomiting when feeding one of the new hairball formula foods -- several companies make these. Hyperthyroidism
will eventually require a trip to the vet to diagnose, unless your vet is willing to make a housecall. You can work on trying to figure out if the other problems are present using serial urine samples and response to dietary changes while waiting to see if this is necessary, though.

Click to expand...

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

http://www.vetinfo4cats.com/catvomit...#37;20vomiting

Yes she's still drinking water, but not as much as she usually does. I made an appt. for monday. Thanks ladies, I'll let you know what happens.

I hope she will be ok. My Stormy was only 5.

Glad you have an appointment for your girl. It could be any of quite a few things. My Spyder had similar symptoms a few years ago and I took him to the vet and turns out he was very constipated and had to get an enema.

As a recent university grad, I understand the reluctance you have to take her to the vet. I also realize the vomiting seems like a pretty common problem and that people should have an idea of what might be causing it. The difficulty is that vomiting IS a common symptom of MANY different illnesses. There is no way for anyone to tell over the internet what might be wrong with your cat. Because she is vomiting regularly AND acting unusually, it is very probable that she is quite sick. Cats tend to act normal, despite illness, until they are quite ill.

I can tell from your writing that you really care about your cat (what is her name?). For her sake, and for your's, please take her to the vet. Please make arrangements ahead of time about how you might pay. Perhaps your parents could help you out, if that is an option. While it may only cost $50 for an office visit, I would also be prepared for the cost of possible blood tests/x-rays, which could come to a couple hundred dollars. I promise you, it will be worth it.

A few months ago, after moving out of my parents' house, I got a cat. A couple months after getting her, she got very, very, sick. Before I put her to sleep, I spent about $2000 on her vet bills (don't worry, that included many trips to the emergency vet, several blood tests, x-rays, and many medications). Although it was at a time when I really could have used that money for other living expenses (not only did my expenses increase when I moved out, but I was moving down to half-time employment from full-time), I do not at all regret it. She was my baby and I needed to make her better, whatever the cost. I suspect, that while the idea is daunting (and I'm sure your costs will be nowhere near mine), you will be very much the same.

Call the vet right away. However, since it is Sunday night, I imagine you will be waiting until tomorrow to get her in. If she is still eating and drinking, that is great. If not, try to get something into her. An all meat baby food (no garlic/onion) may work for the time being. If she is not drinking, get a syringe from the pharmacy and syringe some water into the side of her mouth. It is very important that cats eat and drink, as failure to do so for extended (and not THAT extended) periods of time can result in serious conditions aside from the initial illness.

for you and your kitty! Once you go to the vet and they have an idea of what might be wrong (or even some test results), the good folks here at TCS will be very useful to give you some practical information on how to help your cat!

Sorry, as I posted my long post, the thread got a little activity and I see that you have an appointment and that your cat is still eating/drinking (yay!)! Good for you!

tomorrow at your vet!

any news yet?

Hi Jason - Any updates on your kitty? She is definitely not feeling well since she is not sleeping in her usual spots. That's always a sign when they change their behavior. My kitty had a problem with throwing up like that a few years back and it turned out she had become allergic to her food. We switched the brand and now she is fine. Please keep us posted. Oh... and by the way... ditch the girlfriend

Vet......the not wantting to be around you is not a good sign. Good luck. Keep us posted!
K.

Sorry it took so long to let you guys know. It turned out to be hairballs....I'm so happy. The vet bill was exactly $91.04 Which isent THAT bad, I just wont pay this months cable bill untill next month. No big deal.

Thanks for the help ladies

That is wonderful news! Thanks for the update.

So glad that it wasn't anything serious

Did you get some hairball remedy? If not you can use plain ordinary Vaseline Petroleum Jelly. It's nontoxic. Sometimes if they won't lick it, you have to smear it on the top of their paw so that they lick it off.