Rags might have cancer

I haven't been here for awhile. I first logged on a couple of years ago when I adopted a pregnant cat and named her Rags. She gave me 6 babies and I kept 4. The runt, Cuddles, died of pneumonia and I rehomed one.
Well the situation now is that a couple of days ago Rags started feeling bad and didn't eat much. I took her to a vet (not my regular vet because it was Saturday and he was closed). The vet felt a mass in Rags' abdomen. He suggested x-rays to see what it looked like, but he charges $300 for that. I brought her home and I plan to call my vet tomorrow and see how much they charge for x-rays. I can't afford much and I'm afraid that this is going to be bad news anyway. After x-rays would be surgery to remove and check the mass to see what it is. This is some really pricey stuff and I am not doing too well financially. I'm planning to at least try to get the x-rays, but I don't know what I would do after that. If my vet can work with me on a payment plan, maybe I can do more. I'm seriously thinking of euthanasia. She is not eating much, just drinking a little broth. I think their might be blood in the urine, but it's hard to tell because it mixes with the litter. She obviously doesn't feel well, but doesn't seem to be in horrible pain. She sometimes gets up to greet me when I go into the room, but sometimes she just lays there.
Well, I guess I'm just looking for some support and maybe ideas if others have been in this situation.

BTW, Rags was spayed 8 months ago and there was no tumor then.

From what you have described, it could be anything from your worst fear to an abdominal obstruction which is completely operable.
How long has she been showing different behavior? Eating, drinking, playing, .....any changes and when did they start?

A couple of months ago I had her in at the vet because I thought she was urinating more often than usual. He did a buch of tests and everything showed normal. She was put on antibiotics just in case. I still thought she was peeing too much, but "normal" varies from cat to cat. I have one male that seems to drink and pee a fair amount, but he is 9 years old now and has always done it. He always checks out fine at the vet. In short, I know now that she's had some urinary problems for a couple of months, but other than that has seemed totally normal. She's had a good appetite up until a couple of days ago. She also acted well and seemed to feel fine. I'll ask about the x-ray, but I think this is bladder related and is most likely a tumor. It is in the area "where the bladder is supposed to be" according to the vet who saw her yesterday.

My vet charges me $85 for x-rays.
Please, please try to get her to eat... Baby food (no garlic, no onions), tuna, whatever it is, please try to make her eat... Put a little in your finger and put in in the roof of her mouth - little by little give her something.
Don't just leave her to eat as she wishes, as on the top of what is going on, her liver can shoot down, and then the mess will be complete.
Have you thought about Care Credit?
http://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/whycc.html

You can apply for it online, or with your vet - it is like a credit card, for medical and vet bills only - it can help you a lot.
Please do not give up on your baby now... This can be anything... fight for her and with her - you are the only one she has. Your vet should be able to help you with the bills, they usually do.

Today I took her to my regular vet. He gave her shots of B12, B Complex, and Baytril. He sent her home with some cans of D/AD food and some Clavomox with a pain medicine in it. The food comes with a big syringe to get her to take it. I fed her with the syringe at the vet's and she kept it all down. He wants to see her again on Wednesday morning. He says he wants to try to build her up and then do surgery. He wants to skip the xrays because he thinks he can accomplish more by going in and seeing what it is. He charges less than Banfield, but I am still having a hard time figuring out where the money is coming from. He gave me some of the meds today to help out, but I still paid around $130. That was doable, but the price is going to go up. I already have CareCredit and I'm almost at the max. I have 8 cats and 2 dogs, plus myself using the credit on the card so it goes up faster than I can pay it down. I was going to concentrate on paying it down for a few months to get some room on it then this happened.
Well, I'm about to get off work and I can go home and see if any of what we did today helped her any. I will get her to take some more food when I get home and then right before bed.
One more thing. She peed in the crate and once at the vet's. The urine did not look bloody. At least there's that.

Please don't give up Gayle. I also use the care credit. Thank goodness for it. Try not to borrow trouble until you know for sure. She looks like a lovely girl. I sure hope this comes out ok. Please keep us posted.

I'm a great one for jumping to conclusions, but this could indeed be other things besides cancer. Don't panic just yet. It sounds like you've got an understanding vet and I hope you can find a way to afford her treatment. There may be resources here that others can direct you to, better than I can.

I have four cats with health issues and the costs have me reeling, so I can sympathize with what you are going through! But we have to do the best we can. And we do!

Sending good vibes to Rags, who looks like a sweetheart!

She doesn't look a whole lot better tonight, but I did get some more of the food down her and the medicine.

Here's a pic from when she was healthy

My American Bobtail has breast cancer. She has xrays every 6 months at $76. She just had her third surgery for tumor removal (about every 9 months) at $249 w/o bloodwork (which she had done at the prior surgery 10 months previous.

Sometimes it might pay to shop around a bit.

My vet charges $275 for surgery w/o bloodwork. With the bloodwork it's probably about $115-$170 more, depending on how many tests they do. If I can do the surgery, it will have to be without the bloodwork. I just don't think I can afford both.
Was your Bobtail very sick when she went into surgery for the first time? Rags is very weak and lethargic. The vet said her gums were pale and yellowish which means anemia and jaundice. She didn't have those problems even as late as last Saturday. I'm just hoping she makes it to Wednesday and maybe the surgery will give us some answers.

I'm sorry to hear about your cat, Rags. She is very cute! My beloved Buster also had blood in his urine and was diagnosed with bladder cancer in October 2009. Don't feel bad if you can't afford treatment. I spent nearly $10,000 to save Buster but he only lived an additional three months. Bladder cancer is very aggressive and rarely responds to chemotherapy. When Buster's bladder tumor was removed, it grew back within a matter of weeks. Sometimes I regret putting him through all the medical procedures and spending all that money. I am happy for the three extra months I had but at what cost?

If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask.

Thank for your reply and I'm sorry about your Buster. Rags seems to be feeling better today and eating on her own. I still take her in tomorrow and I'm not sure what the vet wants to do. I can't afford both bloodwork and surgery, so maybe he will just do the surgery. I'm just hoping that whatever it is it's operable.