Had to take our Cat to the Vet~

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-15-2001
Had to take our Cat to the Vet~
11
Mon, 04-23-2007 - 9:05pm
He's got such bad teeth and he has had trouble eating the past three days,,, all through he didn't have a fever we took him in because we all know how bad tooth aches are....the did blood work because he is 13 yrs old and the Dr. wanted to get a urine test Kato had such a fit and he would let the Dr look in his mouth... he was hissing and everything so tomorrow after the a urine sample tonight because he hasn't went yet! they will put him to sleep so she can see his teeth and fix them....We are so close to that cat Bill and Kato are just Buddies and two of a kind I hope all turns out well,,, I'll have to rob a bank to pay for this It was 135.oo today and they said it wood be between 360.oo and 699.oo depending what they will have to do,,, yek where is Kitty insurance ... Our Poor Baby I hope It's all over early so we can go get him....He doesn't like the vets office he doesn't like the drive to or from the vet home, I'll be glad when it's over and he isn't in Pain any more....:-(..Linda

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Avatar for elc11
Community Leader
Registered: 06-16-1998
Mon, 04-23-2007 - 10:14pm

Poor Kitty! Did you leave him overnight at the vet's? Then *they* can figure out how to get a urine sample from a cat...he won't exactly go in a little cup on command! I guess they have to catheterize him? Too bad they can't just get the sample while he is knocked out for the teeth treatment.

When I took my grandcat to the vet a couple of weeks ago I asked them about teeth cleaning because sometimes he has awful breath and not just from his cat food. They said that it should be done annually starting at 3 years old, the age that cat just reached. I have had cats before and never had their teeth cleaned, the last cat lived to 16yo and his teeth were okay when he died...is the teeth cleaning recommendation something new? I think it was about $90 for the knock-out and the basic cleaning and there were add-ons that you could get like antibiotics (like I would *want* to spend more money than necessary?) I don't know if I will pay for it or not...since technically he isn't even my cat. Dd thinks that she will start having more money soon, she is attending bartender school and thinks that she will get a job right away. I sure hope so, then she can pay for the cat's care.

Anyway I hope that your kitty is okay and they get his teeth fixed so he can go back to eating. I can just see Linda cooking chicken breasts and fish fillets and mincing them with a knife or putting them in the food processor to make a puree for kitty's dinner!

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-21-2007
Mon, 04-23-2007 - 10:21pm
Poor kitty, I hope he will be ok! I can't believe it has been nearly a year since my favorite kitty left home my other favorite kitty left home and never came back 4 months after that. Fortunately I still have 4, I love my kitties! The first kitty that ran off was named Merriweather.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-21-2007
Mon, 04-23-2007 - 10:31pm

I think to get a urine sample they have to squeeze it out of him, Thats what my vet did to my Merriweather anyway. Maybe that vet was a barbarian or something.

I heard that dry food is supposed to keep cats (and dogs) teeth clean. I've had lots of cats, and only Merriweather had bad teeth, and I always feed them dry food.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-15-2001
Tue, 04-24-2007 - 1:23am

They have a special Kitty letter they use that catches the urine he is spending the night because he hadn't gone yet they called me at 6:00 and asked if we wanted to drive 25 miles there and 25 miles back home tonight... then we could bring him home with his special Letter then bring him and the letter back with him in the morning.... I asked then if he had settled down and she said yes and for tonight he is there with three other cats and no Dogs so he is resting and he had settled down. So I told them he could spend the night because if we picked him up and brought him home he would be car sick again then he would have to be put through it all over again in the morning .... they said that the Vet gets there around 7:30 am so they will call me in the morning. So I will have trouble sleeping I'm sure and I will take the phone in there with me so I'll have more news tomorrow..

They are saying now that bad teeth is leads to kidney failure. So that is one reason the need a urine test. Kato was never a dry food eater so that leads to tooth decay. I'm sure they will have to remove most of his teeth if not all, His breath is so bad he has total gum disease I guess it would be I don't think they would be fixable but they will save all they can he had to have tree teeth extracted a couple of years ago.. I just don't think he has ever had very good teeth....Linda

Avatar for shirley_v
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-29-2000
Tue, 04-24-2007 - 9:58am

Poor kitty! It's tough as they get older and health problems become issues. My cat, Biggs, has to get his teeth cleaned periodically. They say that some cats have problems with teeth tartar build-up and then other cats don't. I presently am feeding Biggs some wet food (reducing diet kind!) and then when after he eats that portion, he gets some dry food that is specifically for helping to keep the teeth from a build-up of tartar. But he has had his teeth cleaned twice in his 10 years and I suspect he'll need it again in a short while, though the vet didn't say during Biggs'last checkup that it had to be this year. It's expensive! We paid something like $400. folks! He's on a reducing diet which apparently takes some time to work...LOL. I'm supposed to drop by the vet's with him to have him weighed but I'm lazy and don't feel like going to the bother. It sure is hard to tell if he's lost weight yet but I do believe he may be an ounce or two lighter! LOL. Well, maybe more than that I really hope!

Susanne's cat has a hyperthyroid - just recently diagnosed. Her option, expensive pills or an expensive radioactive procedure to fix the thyroid (or eradicate the part that is overproducing the hormone, I think). She's going to go with the latter - and her friend Helen is helping to pay for this.

I hope Kato has his teeth problems fixed soon. We certainly get attached to our little pets, don't we?

Take care,
Shirley

Avatar for nora_adamsmom
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-29-2003
Tue, 04-24-2007 - 11:16am

Hopefully you have gotten good news about Kato by now, Linda.

Our pets all eat the dry food-& it is supposed to help keep their teeth in better shape.I know our first Pug had terrible teeth-& the Vet more or less blasted us for not brushing them!Then we got another Pug-another vet-& she said that animals either have the tendency for good teeth or they don't.That it was not neglect on our part that made Georgia have terrible teeth.(but then the first guy hated Pugs-told us repeatedly how dumb they were!)

We have also had a dog who had a tooth break & then abcess-we felt terrible when we realized what that spot on her cheek was.In retrospect, we figure she caught the hockey puck & that broke her tooth.So Adam is only allowed to play "road hockey" using a much softer tennis ball now-the first dog has gone now, but Lady also loves to play hockey with him on the deck.

(I remember my mother needing to get a urine sample from our dog when we were kids.She washed out a tuna can really well, & every time Betsy squatted (in the snow)Mom would try to slide the can under her.The dog kept moving away-Mom moving with her.Finally Betsy had to go enough to ignore the lady & the can-& Mom was successful.At the age of about 14-I was SOOOO embarrassed, we lived in PMQ's-which is high density area-& I was sure EVERYone of our neighbours was watching my mother.BTW-Betsy was part daschound/terrier-so there wasn't a lot of area to slide a can when she squatted!)

Isn't it amazing how attached we are to our pets?We have always had something-dogs, cats or even budgie-birds.(Parakeets).

Keep us updated, Linda-I know he is like another baby to you & Bill.

Nora

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-16-2007
Tue, 04-24-2007 - 11:35am
I hope Kato is fine Linda!
Our cat was a stray and he wouldn't come near the house
because we already had two other cats but they both died
within a month of each other and then he decided he would
come and live with us. We called him Woody because he
lived in the wood pile for a couple of months. He's only
got half a tail but the vet said he was quite healthy. If
only he could talk....what a tale he'd have to tell
Diane x
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-15-2001
Tue, 04-24-2007 - 12:43pm
The Vet Called at about 10 till 8 they said the never did get a urine sample But, his blood work came back good, so they were going to start any way so they put him to sleep so I'm expecting a phone call in a hour or so...
It's funny I don't Call Kato out pet, LOL He's to Smart for that I say that we are His Pets.......Linda
Avatar for elc11
Community Leader
Registered: 06-16-1998
Tue, 04-24-2007 - 7:11pm
That's good that the blood work was fine. Hopefully Kato is back at home by now, resting comfortably with his "pets" attending to his every need!
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-15-2001
Wed, 04-25-2007 - 4:50am
Kato is home I just gave him a second small dose of pain reliever He had a Dose when we left the Vets But He Mostly just walked around the House for about five hours He ate and Drank water and went Pee but he still didn't want to settle down and Lay down and rest so I gave him some more , they said I could if he needed it, they pulled two of the bigger teeth on the top one on each side she said the were very bad and it cost $527.oo Ouch! it would have only been $699.oo if they would have pulled them all. I hope he doesn't have to go through this again he's getting older now and he lost a little weight but, he still way over 13 pounds so he still looks like he is out of it and the pain drugs have him looking like he's not on the same planet as Me!!
The Vet said she would call me tomorrow and to take him back for a recheck On Monday or tuesday

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