View Full Version : My cat's full of sh!t & I have the pictures to prove it.
theGinsue
05-29-2011, 23:04
Before any of you'z wise guyz scream out "this thread is worthless without pics", I have to tell you that it just ain't gonna happen.
So about a week and a half ago my male cat (my "little buddy") was acting a bit peculiar but by the next day he was fine again.
Then, on Friday, he was back at it - skulking around, acting timid, etc. My wife and I took him to the vet where they ran tests and determined he was a bit de-hydrated, but otherwise fine. We were careful to tell them he has has 2 instances where he was in the Pet ER with SEVERE constipation. They chose to disregard this information. Just in case he was developing an infection, they gave him a shot of an anti-biotic and provided us with amoxicillin to give to him and they also gave him a quick IV to push some fluids into him. Two hours and more than $200 later, they sent us home with him proclaiming there was nothing to worry about.
So today he had been hiding (unlike this fella) and when I could find him he skulked and cried a few times and generally acted like he was really sick. So, being the loving pet owner that I am, I took him to the Pet ER this evening (where he remains for the night as, much like Congress, he needs an enema).
The Pet ER listened to his symptoms and history as I described them, gave him a quick physical, then determined they needed to get a urine sample to check for a UTI and get a couple of x-rays. The urine test was clean, but the x-rays revealed that his colon is completely filled with feces. THIS IS THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM - severe constapation - again. They informed me that if we had waited 2 more days it could have become life threatening. I had to sign/approve the estimate for almost $700 for his treatment. This is more than double what I would have paid @ his regular vet for the same treatment, if only my regular vet had just x-rayed him and actually listened when I provided his history. In fact, most of the $200+ I paid on Friday @ the regular vet was for treatment for issues he really didn't have.
So, now here I sit almost $900 poorer than I was when I got off work Friday.
Those of you who are just dog people and can't stand cats won't understand, but this little guy is my buddy. He greets me whenever I come home - even after a trip to the store - by stretching up my leg and wanting me to pick him up. He plays fetch. He drops and plays dead when I make a sound like I shot him. He even flushes the toilet because he like to watch the water swirl. In many ways, this cat thinks he's a dog.
With all of that I still really hate vet bills, but whats a fella gonna do?
Is that something that Castor Oil would fix?
theGinsue
05-29-2011, 23:42
Naw. We discussed that with the ER vet. She said that it isn't safe for cats and neither is mineral oil like you can give to horses.
We have to change the dry cat food we feed him, water it down (yea, mushing cat food - he'll love that. Not.), and also buy and feed him this perscription stuff that greases up the intestines/colon. Of course, it'll cost a hell of a lot more that caster oil would. We've already been to the store to buy him the different dry cat food (vet recommended against a diet of soley wet food). We paid as much for a 7lb bag of this stuff as we usually spend on a 25ls bag of his regular stuff.
I think my cat has joined my wife and kids in thier misson to suck up every dollar of discretionary funds (translated gun and hunting money) I have.
Wow that's crazy. I understand as I have a cat that got very ill once and ended up costing me $2k. I have dogs and cats and they're all my buddies so I take care of them when needed.
Glad your cat made it thru that sh!t storm[Tooth]
You should for sure complain to your regular vet.
scratchy
05-30-2011, 00:38
Thank you for showing restraint on pics of a rocket propelled cat.
2ndChildhood
05-30-2011, 00:48
My budget doesn't have room in it for fixing up us humans much less the pets. When the wife wanted a dog, we made an agreement what our dollar limit would be for medical expenses because otherwise she would bankrupt us for a dog if it got sick.
BPTactical
05-30-2011, 06:44
I feel your pain Ginsue. Last summer one of our guys (we have 4) was acting punky and totally unlike himself, isolating himself and yowling. The wife noticed he had a really tight stomach and was just miserable. Now naturally this was on a Saturday afternoon which mean the only vet open was the Emergency clinic. I am at work so the Mrs carts him off to the ER.
Blocked urinary tract due to bladder stones-they had to do emergency surgery to remove them to the tune of 1400.00.
Ouch! Seems like too much to spend on a cat but what kind of a price do you put on a family member?
You are on the money as far as diet. Dry foods are generally a bad thing for a cat. There is too much ash and useless filler in them and it can cause problems with the poop tube system as well.
Bailey Guns
05-30-2011, 07:52
Good for you for taking care of your cat. You did what you needed to do for a friend.
A lot of people don't understand why we: 1) rescue so many dogs, and 2) spend so much money on vet bills for them.
We rescued a deaf JRT. A few months after that we noticed his eyes looked funny. Took him to a doggie ophthalmologist (yes, there are DVMs who specialize in this) who said he had a life-threatening eye condition where the lens separates from whatever it's attached to. At best it causes blindness, at worst it can be fatal if not treated.
Jokingly, I suggested we let the deaf dog go blind and rename him "Helen".
Anyway, we opted for the surgery to the tune of $3k. That was about 4 years ago and he's been fine since.
We've spent about $2500 just this year on routine vet bills and a few emergency visits. Yes, the emergencies ALWAYS happen between 1700 on Fri and 0800 on Mon. Emergency vet clinics love us.
KevDen2005
05-30-2011, 08:58
[Worth]
I just wanted to be that guy....
Not_A_Llama
05-30-2011, 09:18
At very least, I would complain to the regular vet, and seek a refund of the money you spent there.
Have you ever looked at the raw food diet for cats? My friend does it for something like half his cat's meals, and says it helps with all kinds of gut problems.
Feed em KFC chicken, not the skin, just the regular chicken. We had the same problem with a cat of ours (not as cool of a cat either) and we just gave him some of the meat, it had just enough grease or oil in it to lube his system but not make him sick. Oh, and he was more than glad to eat it. Just be prepared to clean the litterbox a lot.
Byte Stryke
05-30-2011, 10:43
I was going to recommend Tuna fish packed in oil.
remember kids:
you can tune a piano,
But you cannot tuna fish!
[LOL]
As much as my shit head cat annoys me.. I'd miss her being my 2nd alarm clock in the morning. Funny thing.. she figured out that she can walk across the head board, wap me a few times on the head.. and her food bowl gets filled.. who conditions who..[Beer]
BPTactical
05-30-2011, 11:59
Ginsue-
If you want some really good info on feline dietary needs give me a call and I will get you talking to my Mrs. She manages a "Pet Boutique" that carries mainly all natural stuff and after the issue we had with our guy, she really did a lot of homework and actually schooled the vet on food.
She knows her catshit.
And cat food[Tooth]
Not sure I'd want to try it, but can a cat be given an enema? Perhaps with a large basting syringe or turkey baster and some warm water? I'm sure they'd put up a struggle though. Better than a huge vet bill, IMO.
I never had pets growing up, Dad was allergic to everything.
if someday I have kids that want a cat or dog, I'll get them.
guess I have a hard heart tho, because if it's going to cost two thousand bucks to keep it alive, then the furry little guy is a goner.
guess I have a hard heart tho, because if it's going to cost two thousand bucks to keep it alive, then the furry little guy is a goner.
You say this not having pets before.. you'd see it differently.[Coffee]
You say this not having pets before.. you'd see it differently.[Coffee]
yep. my wife is super anti-pet. hates dogs. i convinced her to get a dog. she loves the dog more than anything else in the world now, and im not kidding. they look at you with those big eyes just once and youre hooked.
BPTactical
05-30-2011, 14:02
Not sure I'd want to try it, but can a cat be given an enema? Perhaps with a large basting syringe or turkey baster and some warm water? I'm sure they'd put up a struggle though. Better than a huge vet bill, IMO.
DO NOT ATTEMPT to give your cat an enema. You can easily perforate a gut/colon which is fatal.
Animal physiology is quite different than human. Many things that we can tolerate will kill an animal.
Onions for example are toxic to dogs just like aspirin is toxic to a cat.
Ever notice that some cats puke often?
Ever wonder why?
They cant belch typically.
My dad was a veterinarian and when one of our cats had digestive issues(constipation) every morning a dollop of bacon grease on their food usually did the trick.
And no, once you have had a pet and developed a relationship with the furry lil critter you will do whatever it takes to keep them healthy.
Maybe not a fair comparison but to some of us our pets are just as much a member of the family as our children.
I've been told by a couple of people if you get out of metro-Denver area that veterinarians charge a lot less. One guy said his dog's cancer treatment was going to cost over $2000 here in Denver. He was able to get the same treatment in Pueblo for $400. He has a sister there to help. If it isn't a emergency situation it might be worth calling around.
This is just hearsay, not personal experience.
Hope your cat buddy gets well.
BPTactical
05-30-2011, 14:22
I've been told by a couple of people if you get out of metro-Denver area that veterinarians charge a lot less. One guy said his dog's cancer treatment was going to cost over $2000 here in Denver. He was able to get the same treatment in Pueblo for $400. He has a sister there to help. If it isn't a emergency situation it might be worth calling around.
This is just hearsay, not personal experience.
Hope your cat buddy gets well.
This +1
My dad has made this statement in the past and through my wifes work we found a vet in Jeffco who is substantially lower cost.
Man, I hate when pets become ill... my cat has a sever under active thyroid and is skinnier than an Ethiopian during a drought, but we still feed her like she's Kristie Allie. But this reminds me of when my dog was acting up. I came home and found him on the couch acting a little skittish and almost had symptoms like he was having small seizures. He was even a little afraid of me and he, like Ginsue so eloquently put it, is my "little buddy." So after a visit to the vet and neuro tests and a good physical the doc finally asked "There isn't marijuana in the house is there?" I immediately remembered my little brother's boss gave him pot brownies for Christmas and called him to see if they were left sitting out. Sure enough, the dog ate 2 brownies and was stoned beyond what he could handle. Brother is not allowed to have pot in the house any more, and Bear (the dog) napped and ate like royalty! Scary, expensive and ended up kinda funny as an afterthought. Had me so worried. People who don't own pets, or treat them like one of the family just don't understand the lengths we go to keep our best friends healthy.
Thank you for showing restraint on pics of a rocket propelled cat.
+1 on that! I was thinking there was going to be pics or a video of a cat taking a dump half its size or something
A raw diet is the best way to go for a cat. Our last cat of 17 years died of kidney failure. My wife did a lot of research and found that a dry cat food diet will eventually cause this type of death. Another nice benefit of the raw diet is that the cat box odor was reduced by about 90%! Which is really great since the cat box is in the bedroom to keep the dog from extra treats. It's amazing what we will go through for our pets. To keep our cat going we gave him an IV every day for a year till his kidneys quit. Hope yours has a fast and full recovery!
Man, I hate when pets become ill... my cat has a sever under active thyroid and is skinnier than an Ethiopian during a drought, but we still feed her like she's Kristie Allie. But this reminds me of when my dog was acting up. I came home and found him on the couch acting a little skittish and almost had symptoms like he was having small seizures. He was even a little afraid of me and he, like Ginsue so eloquently put it, is my "little buddy." So after a visit to the vet and neuro tests and a good physical the doc finally asked "There isn't marijuana in the house is there?" I immediately remembered my little brother's boss gave him pot brownies for Christmas and called him to see if they were left sitting out. Sure enough, the dog ate 2 brownies and was stoned beyond what he could handle. Brother is not allowed to have pot in the house any more, and Bear (the dog) napped and ate like royalty! Scary, expensive and ended up kinda funny as an afterthought. Had me so worried. People who don't own pets, or treat them like one of the family just don't understand the lengths we go to keep our best friends healthy.
The chocolate in those brownies coulda fawked him up too. Chocolate is bad juju for dogs.
The chocolate in those brownies coulda fawked him up too. Chocolate is bad juju for dogs.
It wasn't bakers chocolate (the worst kind for dogs)... but yes, chocolate is bad for dogs and all... and I heard that milk/ice cream is also bad for dogs, is this true?
We have raccoons that shit in the flower boxes,,, don't think a vet is gonna help.
cms81586
05-31-2011, 15:39
Never had cats but I know how I feel about my dog. Here's toyour little guy doing better!
CMS
theGinsue
05-31-2011, 21:27
$1000 later and they were only able to clear a few turds out of him. They sent him home last night after deciding that he'd work the rest out on his own and that they'd given him all the treatment they could at the moment.
henpecked
05-31-2011, 21:40
$1000
OUCH.....
looks like August maybe a no?
It wasn't bakers chocolate (the worst kind for dogs)... but yes, chocolate is bad for dogs and all... and I heard that milk/ice cream is also bad for dogs, is this true?
My dogs get a small bowl of milk a few times a week and cheese is their favorite treat. My last dog lived till he was 16 and had a ton of exercise and the same diet. They drank milk as puppies so I couldn't see how it would be bad for them
$1000 later and they were only able to clear a few turds out of him. They sent him home last night after deciding that he'd work the rest out on his own and that they'd given him all the treatment they could at the moment.
$350 a turd roughly. That is some expensive shit! Literally! Hope he does better and the new diet fixes him up!
theGinsue
05-31-2011, 22:02
$1000
OUCH.....
looks like August maybe a no?
Sadly, it's looking more and more that way. I can't catch a financial break this year. Every time I turn around I'm sliding deeper into debt and my discretionary funds have evaporated. What really kills me is that it's all gone to the wife, kids, and now pet. When do I get to spend some of my hard earned moeny on stuff *I* want? (rhetorical question) UGH!
My dogs get a small bowl of milk a few times a week and cheese is their favorite treat. My last dog lived till he was 16 and had a ton of exercise and the same diet. They drank milk as puppies so I couldn't see how it would be bad for them
I checked it out and talked to a veterinarian friend and he said typically most dogs are lactose intolerant, but their noses and stomachs are much more sensitive than ours and if nothing happens after a bowl of milk or ice cream, they'll be ok.
As for Ginsues money woes- That sucks, but the good news is everyone should be in good health now, your cat will probably have some hard BMs for a few days, but I think you'd rather pay $$$ to keep him around and pawing at your feet than the alternative...you could always cut the rest of the family off until you can get yourself something nice. Kraft is always on sale!
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