My cat is very sick..

hi everyone, im new here and need of some advise..
I have a cat that i had for about 11 years now... Last week i was on a trip and got back last night and was shocked to find out my cat hasn't been eating or drinking for 5 days. I immediately took him into emergency room and was told I would be charged total of $1,000 for the treatments and blood tests that they were going to have to do to find out what's wrong with the cat. I get a call from the vet today, and was told that my cat is very ill, has very dangerous level of diabetes with bad liver and needs these treatments that would run me antoher $1,000 and is going to need to stay at the hospital for another day or two depending on how he does and each day would cost me extra $150.
I love my cat...
I would do anything to get him back the way he was but I can't afford to spend $2,000 on vet bills and now i don't know what to do..
Please advise..

Oh, that's a hard one. I understand where you're coming from. It would be next to impossible for me to come up with that kind of money, myself. Is there any way, you're vet will work with you on a payment plan, in order to treat you cat?

unfortunately, there isn't any.. When i took him in last night i had to leave deposit payment of $500... They offered me some sort of pet credit card and I used that for the deposit..

I'm sorry your kitty is ill.
That is alot of money. Are there other vets in your area who might offer payment plans?

This is a very dire situation, and your kitty does need help right away. Your thread will probably be moved to a more appropriate Board where others can help you, but I am so sorry to hear of this illness. Not knowing where in the world you are, it's hard to recommend much for your area. Humane Society has sliding fees and they will not turn people away if they are a full-service clinic. If you even can pay $100 down then most vets should be able to work with you--? ER's are very hardlined because they have a lot of no-pay situations. A regular vet would be better with an immediate appt. It's very hard when your head is so clouded by the urgency of your kitty's needs, but pay something up front, tell them what you can do. Here in the Seattle area many vets are very good about that. Sending really good hugs & vibes to you, too!

I really don't know what to do now.. I tried calling vets in the area to find out if they have any payment plans and most of them are closed and aren't opened til Monday. Should i pick up my cat and find a vet with a payment plan and bring him in on Monday?

Originally Posted by sashacat421

This is a very dire situation, and your kitty does need help right away. Your thread will probably be moved to a more appropriate Board where others can help you, but I am so sorry to hear of this illness. Not knowing where in the world you are, it's hard to recommend much for your area. Humane Society has sliding fees and they will not turn people away if they are a full-service clinic. If you even can pay $100 down then most vets should be able to work with you--? ER's are very hardlined because they have a lot of no-pay situations. A regular vet would be better with an immediate appt. It's very hard when your head is so clouded by the urgency of your kitty's needs, but pay something up front, tell them what you can do. Here in the Seattle area many vets are very good about that. Sending really good hugs

& vibes to you, too!

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I already paid the vet $500 and he's not giving me any other options unless i come up with rest of the money. What should I do???

Originally Posted by thirdmotion

I already paid the vet $500 and he's not giving me any other options unless i come up with rest of the money. What should I do???

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Wow, that is really hardlined. Who is this vet? what state/country are you in? i have never heard of that much coldheartedness in a professional, especially with your good faith payment already!! This does not feel good to me. I'd find another vet very fast via phone and the cancel the payment through your credit card and start over if you can. That's what I would do but I don't know all your details and you need to thin kabout what is best and most urgent for your kitty too.

Originally Posted by sashacat421

Wow, that is really hardlined. Who is this vet? what state/country are you in? i have never heard of that much coldheartedness in a professional, especially with your good faith payment already!! This does not feel good to me. I'd find another vet very fast via phone and the cancel the payment through your credit card and start over if you can. That's what I would do but I don't know all your details and you need to thin kabout what is best and most urgent for your kitty too.

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I'm in Bayside, NY..

I have never heard of such a bad vet either...this guy sound nasty...recently we had cat issues and tons of tests were going to be needed and were were told $400 TOPS...and then the antibiotics worked great and he is fine.......I don't know...at this age, after all this suffering...I am not sure I would not just decide to put the poor baby out of his misery...I know that is tough decision for you and I wish you the best of luck...

Bayside NY? Near NYC - then you're very close to a lot of resources. Here is a link that I just googled for you in your area that lists ALL the animal welfare places....not knowing who is exactly who, it might be helpful to you. You can call one or two that sound right and then ask them for a referral? It lists where they are beside the name, that should be helpful to you.

http://dir.yahoo.com/regional/u_s__s...cue_societies/

Hi, I moved your thread for you. Also, please do not mention the vet or the clinic you are dealing with. That would be appreciated-

That being said, your cat sounds quite ill and will require treatment. If you go to www.meowhoo.com and look under Health and then Veterinarians and or Specialists you will find clinics that focus on cats only. With not eating for five days your cat is more than likely afflicted with feline hepatic lipidosis- along with the diabetes, you are looking at some cost for care, but I can't believe that he wants you to fork over $1,000.00 unless he is going to put a feeding tube in place?

Here is an article about FHL just for your information-

http://www.thecatsite.com/Cats/Cat_H...Lipidosis.html

also we have one written by a moderator who also has had to care for diabetic cats

http://www.thecatsite.com/Cats/Cat_H..._Diabetes.html

I am sorry your cat is ill, they can when they become stressed, when their environment or routine changes, become quite ill rather quickly. I wish you the best

thanx for the kind words and advises... They really mean alot to me right now.

I just got back from the vet, they got the results from blood tests and are still waiting for urine test results.. I was going to pick up my cat with the results and bring him to another vet that offer some sort of payment plans but right now they're still waiting on the unrine results and if i take my cat home today he might not be able to make it til Monday when most of the vets are opened, so i decided to keep him there til Monday..

The bill is already at $1,000 and each day keeping him there is going to cost me $150 additional so by Monday, the bill would come out to $1450....
I already paid them $500 so i have to come up with $950... I'm not sure if i can come up with this amount by monday and even if i do, i dont know how im going to afford to pay for treatments and medicines...
Are there any organizations for financially challenged people, that can help me out with this?
Please advise...

Here is a list of organizations, some of which may be able to help you:

http://imom.org/fa/others.htm