My sick beloved! :(

My poor cat. He is 9 years old. I noticed he was losing weight and too much. Also he was walking funny. So I took him to the vet today. They did blood test. It turns out he has diabetes and also some neurological disorder which is why he walks funny, but a few simple doses of vitamin b12 should help with the walking problems the vet says. Also I have to give my cat 2 needles a day, one in morning
and one at night of insulin. And he has to be on special medicated cat food the vet says which is $60 for a 12 day supply of wet cat food. Then I have to take my cat for a check up every 2-3 months to see if he needs more or less insulin. It was a $400 visit to the vet yesterday. Poor cat! In all Ill be paying $150 a month in medical and food expenses from what the vet says for the rest of his life. But thanks to a special someone I can cut the cost down a lot. In all, every one says I should put the cat down, but I dont feel that's right because I had the cat since I was 11, Iv laughed, cried, cuddled and developed a strong relationship with my cat like a father and son type of deal, im 21 now. I dont want to end his life because of money. Its like saying kill me, im sick and im not worth the money which is what I would most likely say. But it may run me dry in the long run. I will have to wait and see until I run outta money and I cant afford the medical bills and things go down hill, then it will be sad, very sad. But I dont want to see the poor soul suffer. I recently lost my job due to job shortage and loss of contract through the company I worked for who I was 100% dedicated too. I was in a accident that killed me and I came back to life a few years ago and disabled me so that I can not function mentally 100% as I used to, it made me not as smart, not able to concentrate long. I would be lucky to get a 50% on my school grades. What do you people think about what I should do in this situation?

If that special someone is able to help you with the bills and if your vet is confident that your beloved pet will be happy and comfy with the prescribed food and treatment, I would go with the treatment route.

If money becomes an issue, I would try to find some kind hearted soul who would be willing to take on the expense.

If the vet comes to the decision that treatment would not have any effect on how kitty feels and gets along, then I would consider letting your pet go.

If either money or the comfort of your pet is an issue, don't make the cat suffer. You have the ability to rationalize any decision that needs to be made and you understand that grief follows loss. Your pet doesn't know any of that.

I am so sorry that you are faced with this. It's never easy.

reply to post by unknown32


Dear unknown32,

I don't like my answer; but, I will give it to you. Firstly, I am sorry for your sadness and your cats pain. A few years ago my father was diagnoses with cancer and he had mini-strokes. They removed a lung, put him on chemo and killed his organs because of the chemo. When it was all at the decision point, he asked my opinion. I said he was gambler and 50/50 odds were worth taking. He told me when got beyond that to not approve him being on life support, that when it was no longer feasible for him to get better, to let him go. That was my father and not just an animal.

I have loved many animals. I have been with some when they passed on and too afraid to be with others when they passed on. I believe you love your animal and I believe that money is hard on you right now. I ask you this, if you actually believed spending the money would save your animal and they would be all happy and healthy again, would you. The problem seems to be the uncertainty. There is a point at which we have to let them go, there is a point at which we are only being cruel by helping them continue. That point is within our heart and only you know when you have reached it. My prayers are that you will know, make the right decision and forgive yourself for having made the right decision. I was there with my dad and I do not belong to PETA. Peace.

It's a shame you don't live in the UK because we have a system here if you are unemployed you only pay £7 for 12 weeks for animal medical bills at the vet for most things that are wrong with your pet. You only need to prove you are not working and get housing benefit to get it.
My dog is 9 years old next month and I have had him since he was only 7 weeks old so I understand why you want to help your cat. They are part of the family and always will be. Hope it gets a bit better soon for you...

reply to post by unknown32

I think that as long as you can afford to and as long as your kitty has a good quality of life, you should try to let the medication and special foods help.
Maybe the vet can offer a cheaper food alternative once the cat is back on its feet.

We had an older dog, twelve at the time, go into kidney failure.
Through tender loving care and some meds she lived a good life for another two years.

Whatever your decision is, my thoughts and good wishes are with you.

Can you get disability because of what happened to you in that accident? That would at least provide an income for you, but could take a year or two to kick in. I'm sure you'll take care of kitty as long as you can and the cat is comfortable. Best of luck to you and your precious cat.

Diabetes can be tough, but it isn't a death sentence, nor does it have to be extremely expensive. My dog, who was 9 at the time was diagnosed with diabetes. She lived for 2 yrs and it wasn't the diabetes that killed her. She got pancreatitis for the second time which was extremely painful, so I made the choice to put her out of pain.

You can get insulin at walmart for $23 a vial and that should last you over a month. Syringes aren't too expensive.
It was cheaper and better for me to make my own dog food, which consisted of lean beef/chicken, brown rice and veggies. You can make batches ahead of time, portion it out, and freeze it.

You will have to check it's blood sugar and I found the true2go meters worked fine. Strips can get expensive, but look on ebay for deals.

I can get you some recipes for diabetic cats, if you'd like. I have the site bookmarked on my other pc, so let me know and I'll go look for it.

Good luck to you.

V.