So the other day my beautiful cat Gemini started to limp. At first he was just putting reduced weight on it, but now that a day has passed he is not putting any weight on it at all. Its his hind leg, and it seem really swollen. Tenderly feeling it hasnt revealed any obvious sign of breakage, but I’m certainly not ruling it out Being so late at night right now, I’ll take him to a vet tomorrow. I’m worried about what it will cost. I’m a poor guy, and my roommates (all of us are fulltime students) (who also are very close with this cat) are willing to contribute financially. The only way I think I’ll be able to take the cat in and have him looked at is if the vet is able to take payments. Will most vets accomodate people like me? Will they take payments? And assuming this is just a simple fracture or infection, how much will it cost - roughly? We’re all worried sick…
So sorry to hear about your kitty. FWIW every vet I’ve ever taken my critters to have had some sort of payment plan available. Obviously they want to get paid but I’ve never seen one yet that would turn away a sick or injured animal just because the owner didn’t have full payment up front. They valued caring, responsible pet owners and were more than willing to work with them.
By all means get Gemini into the doc ASAP. He’s suffering and needs help. You and your roommates might need to sign some sort of promise for payment but I’ll betcha Gemini won’t be turned away.
Best of luck to all of you, two-and-four footed. Keep us posted on how Gemini does, okay?
Veb
I’m sorry to hear about Gemini, but vets generally take payments esp when there is a financial need for it. Even with emergency surgery at an animal hospital (and I’m not sure where you are located) they give you an estimate about how much it will cost, and ask you to put a deposit down. My cat had a hairline fracture on her leg once but I dont know what the total was. I can find out in the morning what the cost was.
I’ve had to take my cats to the vet several times over the years and I have never once been asked to pay up front. One of my cats broke his back leg after jumping on the stereo speaker, knocking it over and having it fall on him. Vet put a pin in it and he was fine. Cost us 300 bucks, but we didn’t mind.
J
My beloved cat Pepper got started in the car engine and broke her leg…put a pin in it and $400 later she was fine. This was over ten years ago; I don’t know what they charge now, but I’m sure they’ll be more than willing to work out a payment plan. The important thing is Gemini’s health.
Btw, Pepper is fifteen now…and a crochety, fabulous little old lady…and the only sign that she was ever ill is the fact that she won’t tuck that paw underneath her like she does the other one. I think perhaps that paw is stiff/arthritic; she’s refused to fold it ever since the accident.
Good luck with Gemini!
Before going to a particular vet, call first to make sure they accept payment plans or promissory notes. It can sometimes be embarrassing to tell the vet you don’t have enough money in a lobby full of people after the services have been performed. There are still quite a few vets who will work with you, but there are also quite a few who are less willing these days–not because they don’t care, but because they are tired of being shafted by promises of payment that never come (vets may write more than 50% of their accounts receivables in a given year). Other options are services like CareCredit, an instant loan service backed by banks, but be forewarned, the interest rates are very high. Your best bet is to pool some money beforehand from friends and family and have payment ready. A vet will typically charge anywhere fro $20-40 for an exam, and from $50-$100 for x-rays. Good luck to you and your kitty.
BTW, (not to scare you or anything, but …) a broken leg is not necessarily a ‘worst case’ financially. My cat suffered a ruptured ligament in her knee last year, and had it replaced with an artificial ligament. $600. :eek: I don’t know if the vet would have taken payments, as I actually had $600 available at the time (for a change).
Best of luck with your kitty.
I work at an animal hospital, and we normally don’t bill (exceptions being other animal shelters and clinics). However, you can call the vet first and ask for the prices of an office visit and x-rays, and find that out before-hand. Also, if you are willing to go in for the exam and can pay for that up front, most doctors will do the exam, give you several treatment options and work with you to find the best one in your budget. I also know that our office will sometimes waive office visit charges for owners with little money and very sick animals, or sometimes give away medicines that other clients have paid for and left (like left for weeks even when they were notified) or paid for and returned. Also, our doctors will hold checks for payment on a case by case basis.
My reccommendation is to call the vet, talk to the staff, and if you can pay for the exam, get in and have your cat seen. And let the doctor know that you have your cat’s best interest in mind but things are tight financially. Most vets are willing to work with you if you ask.
All the vet’s I’ve asked have taken payments. Hope all is well
Thanks to all those who replied…
We took Gemini in to the clinic at our local Humane Society. They told us we could put a third of the cost down and make payments on the rest.
Thankfully it turned out to be relatively minor - they shaved his foot and it turned out that he had a nice sized bite - it had gotten infected. She prescribed some kitty antibiotics and gave him an antibiotic shot in his paw. We’ll just be soaking his foot a few times a day and giving him an oral antibiotic once a day for the next two weeks. Altogether it came to a grand total of $43.87 - I couldn’t believe how cheap it was.
So he’ll be ok. thanks again.
i’m glad things turned out well.
i am looking forward to the soaking the foot thread. i can’t imagine what i would do if i had to soak one of my girls foot.
good luck and i hope he recovers quickly.
>>i am looking forward to the soaking the foot thread<<
Hmm, let’s see, possible titles for that thread:
~~~~*~
How do I get my cat off the ceiling?
My cat spit a pill in my eye
Deep Gouges in my Flesh
Cat Destroys Bathroom, Flees Country
Seriously, though, congrats on doing the right thing for your cat. I am glad to hear that it was nothing as serious as a fracture.
You can always get a new cat for free from the pound or ads in the paper, you know, if you can’t afford to fix this one.