What to do about a cat?
One of my cats has really gotten out of hand, so bad that I am borderline taking him to the vet and putting him down, I just don't know what to do with him. About a month ago he stopped using his litter box. I locked him downstairs in a cage for a week, then I let him out in the basement but locked down there for another few days. Then I started to let him up, but only when I could watch him. He only went to the bathroom upstairs in my mom and stepdad's room. So whenever he went up there I would chase him back downstairs. After awhile he was okay. Then I noticed blood in his urine. I took him to the vet, spent $180 to not find the reason for the blood. No bacteria, no crystals. With the blood he had leakage. So back down in the cage he went for about another week until the leaky bloody bladder problem cleared up on it's own. Then for a while, things were fine, back to normal.
Then last Tuesday there was bloody urine on mom's and Mike's comforter upstairs, on their bed! So back downstairs in the cage he went, where he is still at right now. I can't afford to take him back to the vet, and he is now costing me $30 to dry clean that comforter. Damn cat is costing me money I don't have.
I took him to a barn to see if they could make him a barn cat, no, they didn't want him. I can't put him outside, it is too cold. So he is locked in the cage, in the basement where he has been since Tuesday.
I don't know of anybody who wants a cat. I am thinking of either taking him to the SPCA, or to the vet to have him put down, or just leaving him in the cage till spring when it warms up and I can then make him an outside cat. What do I do about him?
If there is blood in his urine then he is sick. That vet you took him to is WRONG. Something is causing it, it's not normal for a cat to have blood in their urine.
Problem is, I can't afford the vet bills. I have a newborn baby and I am unemployed. I have had this cat for 4 years with no problems. He was always a great cat, and healthy. I know blood in the urine is bad, but there isn't much I can do to help him, unfortunately. I just can't afford to take him to the vet to get him healthy again. He will just have to get over this on his own.
he won't get over it on his own, he will just get worse. Did your dr give you antibiotics to give him?
Many of these types of problems in cats (ESPECIALLY MALES) are caused by, or aggravated by the food they are fed. If he is eating dry food, wean him off completely. He should only eat wet food. Buy him the highest quality food you can afford. It may seem like a lot, but it will ultimately save you money in vet bills. Also, he needs to go to the vet to receive a course of antibiotics. At the very least, do you have a health food store or natural pet store near you? There are some very good natural products on the market. These are made specifically for cats to deal with urinary infections and such.
He will just have to get over this on his own.
:o
When you take on a pet you also take on the responsibility of caring for that pet when it is sick or injured. Putting an animal to sleep when it becomes expensive to care for is cruel. Please don't do this. At least try calling a rescue group. They may be able to hook you up with a vet that will work with you on cost and payment.
I just wanted to add a few more things. First and foremost, please do not euthanize this cat. If you can’t take care of him, he will at least have a chance at the shelter. His illness can be treated. Certainly a course of antibiotics will be cheaper than euthanizing him. Maybe the vet will allow you to set up a payment plan?
In addition to what I suggested before….
Close the door to the room he pees in.
Keep his litter pan sparkling clean.
Add water to his food.
Stress will also aggravate this problem and it sounds like this cat is pretty stressed. Caging him in is not helping his situation.
taking him to the SPCA,
Please do.
I understand that you cannot afford vet bills, but killing him for being sick isn't fair to him. It may be something minor that can be easily corrected with the right treatment.
He's not going to "get better on his own." I mean, maybe I think of animals differently than some folks, but if I had a child in my care who had a rash, or an ear ache, or a sore throat, I wouldn't say "it might get better on its own." Small things like that can be symptoms of bigger problems... and neither a child nor an animal can tell you if they otherwise feel fine or are having other symptoms that aren't visible. It's important to figure out what it is and get treatment to avoid bigger issues that may stem from it.
Find him another home. Locate a no-kill shelter. You've always said he was a sweet cat, so I'm sure there is someone out there willing to take care of him and get him better so that he can provide companionship and joy to a person or family who will love and appreciate him for many years to come.
Don't put him outside in the spring, if he's always been an indoor cat he's not really prepared to be an outside cat suddenly. He won't know about cars, or wild animals, or diseases he could get from eating rodents and birds. He's an indoor cat. Find him another home.
I don't like saying this, but I know you posted a similar story about another cat you had previously. and he ended up dying. I would strongly suggest not getting any more cats if you are unwilling or unable to provide medical care when they need it. Locking a cat into a cage is not the answer. Locking him up will only get him more stressed and he will get sicker, not better.
Please find a cat rescue group to take him and don't get any more cats.
It probably hurts him to pee, which is why he doesn't want to use the litter box. From what you've said it sounds like this is very similar to what is happening to him. The article even says it is often triggered by stress, and I suspect a new baby and a move to a new home would be very stressful for him. He probably isn't getting the attention he was used to, and he certainly isn't since he's in a cage in the basement now.
You can easily just search for "blood in cat urine" and find tons of articles about it. I used Google myself. That may give you more information... and at least you should be able to get together some questions and call a vet to get some answers. That won't cost you anything, and you'll be in a better position to either help him or find someone who is willing and able to.
I also agree, don't get anymore animals. You can't predict when they will need medical attention, and that costs money. It's your responsibility as that animal's caregiver to provide them with everything they need to live a happy, healthy life. If you can't do that, whatever your circumstances are, do not have animals. It's not fair to them.
Warning! This is going to be harsh.
If your son had a urine problem would you put him down?! Medical problems like blood in urine and UTI's do not just disappear on their own. There are such things as payment plans. When Bella got sick and almost died(!!) we had a payment plan set up after her course of treatments (in the amount of $2500!). If you no longer want to appropriately care for the cat you took in to be a part of your family then the very least you can do is find a new home that can.
I have one more thing to say and then I'll stop. If you were sick, would you want to be punished and put in a cage? I can't quit thinking about your poor sick kitty. I wish I could come get him.
I have one more thing to say and then I'll stop. If you were sick, would you want to be punished and put in a cage? I can't quit thinking about your poor sick kitty. I wish I could come get him.
Me, too. I am in Central MA, if you were closer to me, I would take him :'(
Many of these types of problems in cats (ESPECIALLY MALES) are caused by, or aggravated by the food they are fed.
Please take care of your cat. Give him to someone who can take care of him. This is EXACTLY what happened to my dear Lucky, my first cat.
From what you say it does sound like a feline UTI - our Leon gets them every now and then. Forewarned is forearmed, so if you decide to go back to a vet I would be very firm about the fact that there is a problem and give a clear and accurate history when asked. If not then like other people said, a shelter is probably your best option, or pet insurance in the future, if that exists in the same incarnation as in the UK.
I am sympathetic, by the way. If you have a baby and a house, unfortunately paying the bills and putting food on the table are always going to be a priority, but I don't think putting your kitty to sleep is going to be necessary. Worry not!
:cat:
The last six month's of my Jordie's life were spent mostly locked in the laundry room. And I regret every moment of it. Because I just didn't know why he started peeing on everything. I cleaned spots. I rubbed his nose in it. I put down tin foil. I tried everything and he didnt stop.
When I took him to the vet the day before Christmas and was told his kidneys were shut down I knew it was my fault. For not taking him into the vet the first time he peed where he shouldn't have.
I rescued that beautiful half Siamese brown kitty from behind a water heater. He lived under my bed for six months because he was scared of everyone and everything. When he warmed up to someone it was me. He slept on my pillow and snuggled me though good times and bad. And I killed him with my ignorance by not taking him in for treatment sooner. Jordie has been dead 7 years and I still want to cry over losing him as I did, by not getting to love and cuddle him for as long as I could.
Either get the kitty help or find it a good home or no kill shelter that will.
I don't like saying this, but I know you posted a similar story about another cat you had previously. and he ended up dying. I would strongly suggest not getting any more cats if you are unwilling or unable to provide medical care when they need it. Locking a cat into a cage is not the answer. Locking him up will only get him more stressed and he will get sicker, not better.
Please find a cat rescue group to take him and don't get any more cats.
I second this. Urinary problems can most definitely be brought on by stress. One of my girls gets them occasionally--the last one was when we moved, the one before that was when we were out of town for a period of time.
Don't be angry at him for something he can't help. It's not his fault that he has blood in his urine, and it's not his fault thatyou don't have the money to properly care for him. He's not trying to spite you--he's sick.
If you can't afford vet bills for something fairly inexpensive, like a urinary problem, then you need to find somewhere else for your cat. If you can't find a home for him yourself, try to find a no-kill shelter. If you can't find a no-kill (or if they are completely full, which is usually the case), I would maybe recommend putting him down yourself. Before anyone harps on me for this, let me explain. Open admission shelters (shelters that take all animals that come through their doors, but also euthanize a lot of them) are overcrowded as well, especially with the shitty economy. If your cat has health problems, he will likely be put down instead of treated because they don't have much space, and they are going to use that space for healthy animals because then they don't have to spend money to treat the unhealthy ones--it's cheaper to euthanize them. I know this because I work in animal rescue and dogs and cats are put down every day for very minor illnesses that are inexpensive to treat. It's awful that it happens, but it's reality. It depends on the shelter, but this is the case for many county/city-run shelters. If he is going to be put down at the shelter, it would be better for him if he was with you when he dies than in a noisy, scary shelter with people he doesn't know.
Please don't get any other pets until you are financially stable enough to care for them. Keeping an animal that is sick and in pain locked up alone in a cage in the basement qualifies as neglect, which, as mdvegan stated, is borderline abuse. Please find him somewhere else to live ASAP or humanely euthanize him.
Warning! This is going to be harsh.
If your son had a urine problem would you put him down?! Medical problems like blood in urine and UTI's do not just disappear on their own. There are such things as payment plans. When Bella got sick and almost died(!!) we had a payment plan set up after her course of treatments (in the amount of $2500!). If you no longer want to appropriately care for the cat you took in to be a part of your family then the very least you can do is find a new home that can.
It may sound harsh, but it's the truth. Don't take something on that you can't handle. Bumps in the road happen. You can't just rid yourself of something because it becomes inconvenient. You can't toss out a living, breathing, feeling being. IMO. Especially when it's in pain/sick, rather, just because it is in pain/sick.
eta: please just consider a better alternative than euthanasia.
If you have a branch of the ASPCA accesible, they are often helpful with payment plans for simple treatments. Their vets are good and helpful, because they would rather help you help your cat than have him end up there, or dead.
I went through something very similar with my cat. It happened right after I had graduated and university and was flat broke. Since I was living with my parents and the problem was effecting them as well they stepped up and paid my vet bills. My cat had a UTI and crystals. He went to the vet 3 times to get it treated properly and he also had to switch foods. He was on valium for 2 months since it can help curb the urge to go outside the litter box and it also makes crystals easier to pass.
If you are living with your parents why not ask them to foot the bill and you can pay them back when you have the money. This is a living creature we are talking about not a broken appliance so just getting rid of him really shouldn't be an option. My cat also developed a behavioural problem following his medical problems. This involved retraining him to the litter box so we did lock him in a bath room where he had space and a window so it wasn't a cage in a basement. After awhile he was allowed out while supervised and then during the day, finally he was allowed out at night when my mother got sick of hearing him yowel all night long. He is doing much better. He still is not allowed in the rooms he was urinating; in being my room, the spare bedroom, and my parents room. We have also started using Feliway diffusers which I bought from a seller on amazon (much cheaper than the vet). These release a pheromone which helps cats fell comfortable, calm and safe. It maybe something to look into they have high success rate when it comes to solving behavioural problems.
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