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Mon 23 Oct, 2006 06:44 pm
Our kitty cat, little momma, has a cancerous tumor on her leg. We've spent $500 already just to be sure that it's a cancerous tumor and that it hasn't spread all the way to her lungs. They want another $400 for a biopsy, which I thought they already did but apparently they didn't do it well enough, and amputating her leg is the only possible treatment, which I can guess will be in the thousands. Our budget is really tight right now and we would have to go into debt to give her the care she deserves. On top of that, I don't really like our vet. We went there while the regular vet was on vacation and had a lovely young substitute do the first round of tests. She was much more positive about it and said that, though little momma would probably lose the leg, she'd probably be fine after that and that she'd seen it many times before. By contrast, the regular vet keeps focusing on the worst case scenario and assuming that the poor kitty is done for. She wants us to pay for a gazillion tests just to find out amputation would truly cure her.
I'm all confused about what to do. She is a truly sweet kitty who we love and who has always been good to us. We'd hate to lose her, but I don't have an extra couple of thousand dollars right now. Still, what if this doesn't have to be a fatal cancer? What if she can live another 5 or 10 years (she's only 3)? If any cat deserves the best care it's her. At what point does the expense become unreasonable for an animal?
I love cats but draw the line at 30.00 when medical expenses are involved.
Thanks gus. I feel like I've already paid too much, but hate the idea of her dying a long slow cancer death.
Actually, one time I spent a couple hundred dollars trying to save one of my cats. It had a urinary tract infection and the vet felt it was necessary to keep the animal overnight. My cat was there for several days and one day I called to check on its progress and the vet told me he was very sorry, but the cat had passed away.
He then asked me if I wanted him to make some sort of burial or cremation arrangements for a nominal fee. I told him I would pick up the cat and bury it myself.
Upon my arrival the vet was in the back talking to someone about their dog or some such thing and he saw me walk in the door, motioned for the other person to hang on for a second, walked into a room, came out with a shoebox and tossed it on the counter.
Didn't say a word, just tossed the shoebox on the counter and walked back to talk to the other customer.
I couldn't even believe my cat would have fit in such a box, but sure enough it was crammed inside.
I cleared my throat and said, "Excuse me."
The vet looked up from his conversation and said, "Yes?"
"I just wanted to thank you for the lovely coffin and the beautiful floral arrangement. I didn't expect you to go to such measures. Have a nice day, you friggin freak."
I walked out the door and I am still, to this day, getting bills from that vet, which I promptly tear up and toss in the garbage can.
Oh God, that's really awful gus, really.
FD, can't you see the other vet now?
Does she have another practice somewhere?
I spent $500. on Jack. I'd do it again.
Re FD's cat: Is there a University or teaching environment where the cat might be helped by students?
I'd euthanize her before letting her suffer.
I'm sorry. These things are so painful.
Jack's 13 and living with my son, but I dread the day we lose him.
Chai wrote:Oh God, that's really awful gus, really.
Yep, some people are only in it for the money. My new vet is a woman in a neighboring town and she seems to have a heart.
Unfortunately I didn't get her name, or yeah, I'd much rather talk to her.
Gus, I never know whether to believe you, but if that story is true then good for you for telling that dick off!
It's true, freeduck. You'll have to trust me on this one.
Lash wrote:
Re FD's cat: Is there a University or teaching environment where the cat might be helped by students?
Great idea, I'm looking into that now. I'm hoping Emory University, or one of the other local U's has a veterinary school.
FD - Are you really in Hotlanta? If so, go to the UGA animal hospital in Athens. I loved that place.
As to whether you spend the money or not...... Well, maybe I'm not the right person to ask (I have spent thousands and thousands of dollars on each of my three pets - only one is still alive and he's diabetic). I'd get a second estimate for operation costs. But, do it quickly. Even if the cancer hasn't spread by now, it might at some point. Did the vet name the type of tumor? Is it in her muscle or bone? Did he tell what it rated (I think animal cancers are rated from categories 1 to 3).
If you need testifying, Gus..
On the money, I don't have it. Which I feel fairly guilty about, the lack of expecting of humongous vet bills when I adopted a dog.
I have somewhat taken on the attitude of my not so long ago business partner, who was raised on a ranch, always has many animals around her and her life, has a primo vet, and little money.
She once rescued a dobie she saw hurled off of a truck on, I think, the 610 freeway, paying up the kazoo for the dog to have his pelvis fixed, and so on. She was doing moderately ok then for money, in an insecure business - but even if not, she probably would have gone into debt (or more debt) for it.
She usually has a dog and one or three cats and presently has turtles and an extremely large and costly to maintain horse, which she rides several days a week, grooms most days a week. Out there slogging around getting mud off the mare repeatedly in rainy season in a rainy neck of the woods..
But, her attitude is, it's a dog/horse/turtle. I will say goodbye now. Prolonging bill rack up time is something she can't do, past a certain point, even if she wanted. And - I think - that, given the diagnosis, that this is arguably as kind as it may be cruel.
Hard for me - when Pacco goes the sorrow may kill me.
Fingers crossed for kitty.
littlek wrote:Did the vet name the type of tumor? Is it in her muscle or bone? Did he tell what it rated (I think animal cancers are rated from categories 1 to 3).
The first vet said it was a fibrosarcoma, probably vaccine related. It is at the site of her last vaccinations (a year and a half ago). One of the problems is that we don't know exactly how long she's had it. She is an indoor-outdoor cat who comes and goes as she pleases and she could have had it for a long time before we noticed it. But to us, it seemed to appear overnight. We thought she was injured. Well, when I tell that to the vet (the second one) she thinks that means it's a fast moving cancer. And maybe it is.
Yeah, osso. That's where I'm torn. And to be honest, I'm not sure how far I'd go for a human -- unless it was my kid. Even myself, if it got to where we had to spend everything we had to buy an extra year I think I'd just prefer to say goodbye now.
It's definitely a weighing of cost and suffering vs. projected quality and length of life.
ARGH! Those vaccines!
So, what was the first 500 bucks for? And, which leg is it?
Well, the first was a needle biopsy combined with a feline hiv test. The whole idea seems to be to rule out certain inevitable death by other means before addressing the cancer. When those results came back, the regular vet was back and she recommended an x-ray to make sure it hadn't gone to her lungs. Now she wants to do another, apparently bigger, biopsy before recommending surgery.
FreeDuck.
Based on what I've read I would say let the cat go...but it's a hard decision to make. I have three and the eldest got skin cancer on her nose a few years ago. Everyone told me to just get her put down, including the vet. I didn't, spent about a grand, she has recovered and is now 19 years old going strong. In your case though this is a major expense and a major surgery for, what seems like, a fairly unsure outcome. If you do go ahead it may be worth the extra tests just to be more certain of the chances of a good result.
I feel for you and the cat and I would understand wanting to do everything you can...but...
As far as quality of life goes, as long as they get all of the cancer and it doesn't come back, a cat that age should adapt pretty well to the loss of a leg.
Do you have kids? I only ask because that would affect my thinking if I was in your position.
I would look at this as an opportunity to make money. China Feast down the street from me pays me $40 for every cat I bring in.
I'm sorry. Guess you have to just put a number on it, and try to stick by that number. Nobody here can tell you what is reasonable to you. I don't like cats and wouldn't think twice about putting one to sleep, but I could see having a real tough time going through this with a dog.
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