Last night my kitty let me know he wasn't feeling well. When I went to get into bed, there were several slight wet spots. Then he jumped up on the bed and proceeded to show me he was having urination problems. This morning I got on-line and asked a vet what I should do. He suggested that I not wait until Tuesday to get him seen.

We have one emergency vet in town. When I called, the lady informed me that to basically walk in the door was going to cost $95. Well, ok. Any tests or procedures that they performed were extra. When I described his symptoms, she informed me that the cost could run between $800-$900 and more if they had to keep him until my vet opens on Tuesday.

When I informed her that I couldn't afford the costs, she advised that I "watch" him and if he gets any worse, to bring him in. Otherwise, wait until Tuesday and call my vet.

OK, I don't have $1,000+ -- but I love my kitty dearly and don't want him to be sick and/or die if I could have prevented it.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?? :cry: :cry:

Joyce, it sounds like a UTI he has.
Me? I wouldn't wait. It CAN get worse.
You are only on Sunday right now. and waiting until Tuesday might not be such a good idea.
Is there another vet just a bit further away that might not charge as much or maybe take payments?

My cat had ash crystals build up in his urinary tract and it almost killed him. The vet said that he was lucky to have made it. (I waited a couple days.)

He said this is common in neutered males and comes from eating "cheap" catfood- Meow Mix is what he was eating. So then I had to start buying this horribly expensive catfood. (It was like $45 a bag but it dissolved the ash.)

I would probably bring him in.

(I sent my husband to the vet with my cat once while I was in tears b/c I thought he was dying and they would put him down. I knew I couldn't handle it so I asked my husband to do it for me. Turned out he was constipated. I felt silly, but SO relieved.)

Update--

When I went to change the bed, there were a couple of BIG wet spots on the bed....and he has been going down to his litterbox.

At present, he's ticked at me because I closed the bedroom door. Trying to let the mattress dry out after cleaning it and spraying with Febreeze (which I REALLY hope works!)

And he's still following me around like a little puppy dog and his ears and nose aren't quite so hot as they were earlier...

I would watch him carefully--if he stops eating/drinking /grooming, he will need the vet. The male urethra is very narrow & if he has crystals, he will plug up & suffer from backup of urine & will not get better on his own. In severe cases, the vet will amputate the penis, open up the urethra to remove crystals & create an opening for the urine.

Take away the cheap dry food immediately and either make your own food or at least give him wet food for a bit. Dr. Fox has a web site for making your own pet food. Males are prone to UTIs, especially on regular grocery store cat food. Sorry you are having these problems on a holiday weekend, but it does seem to be the way things are. :?

Hubby is on his way to get some kitty food specifically made for cats with urinary problems...

Is kitty urinating blood?? Oftentimes, the cheaper cat food causes UTI problems. If kitty is peeing bloody urine, I would NOT wait to get him seen and started on meds.

HTH, and kitty feels better

So sorry your kitty is sick. Not much help here, home of dog. Hope you get him straightened out though.

Ninnie

I'm sorry your cat is ill -

I understand your quandary -