AIBU to get my cat put down.

[AssumeItWasSomethingClever]

Our cat is 5 years old. He had an abscess under his front leg which we got treated and cost us £160. About two weeks later he started to be lethargic and I felt another lump. Took him to the vets, they said it was another abscess and that they'd syringe it. They quoted us £200. They then discovered that there was another abscess behind the second abscess and that the flesh behind it had started to decompose. They then said it would be £600. He's then had further complications which was yet more money. He's now ripped out his stitches twice costing a further £400 each time. We've got pet insurance but we've surpassed the claim limit. We've got an almost 1 year old and I'm a SAHM so we've only got 1 wage coming in.
It's worth saying that I love the cat and do not want to put him down! If a vet even would. He's otherwise in good health but we can't afford to provide him with any further treatment. I'm at a bit of a loss here and was just wondering what I should do. I was thinking of taking him to a shelter but I'm concerned they'd also put him down.

It does make you a bad owner if you think 'oh can't afford this, oh well i'll put it down' i would always be able to afford it, no matter what. You always find a way!

Some people really are fucking clueless about the real world. If you lost your job for example, and you were faced with putting food on the table for your children or paying £2k on vet bills where exactly would you find the money?

er... pro-choice...not relevant imho.

But I wouldn't blame you for putting him down, OP.

I hope PDSA or another charity can help you, OP. My cats used to get abscesses from fights with other animals. Is that how they are usually caused, could the fights be prevented?

@ragged just done a quick eligibility test on the PDSA website. We're not eligible as we're not claiming any benefits.
The first one we got treated was caused my a bite, the other ones were deep down and older. The vets can't say what caused them unfortunately. We tried keeping him as a house cat when he was younger but he literally climbed the walls and tried to jump out of the upstairs windows. 🤦🏻‍♀️

@AssumeItWasSomethingClever you learn something new everyday I guess - that really sucks though, I"m sorry.

I would ring around the local vets in your area and see if you can get a payment plan. Not all vet surgeries are allowed to offer them as I think you need to a certain level of insurance or something in place to do so, so it's worth shopping around.

Good luck - I really hope you manage to find a solution.

WOW! Some awfully judgemental people on here. The OP got the cat five years ago, she was probably working then and could afford eventualities like this. Her circumstances have now changed.

Assume - I'm sorry to hear about your situation. I do think you need to check if there is something more sinister going on. Other posters have said he's a "healthy cat", but he's certainly not healthy if his skin is necrosed. He could have a flesh eating disease, a poor immune system hence the reason for the repeated abscesses and non-healing skin. Has the vet done any blood tests?

OP YANBU as long as you’ve exhausted all other options - necrotising abscesses sounds painful poor thing.

But, I’d also advise getting a second opinion - and if you can find a vets practice that’s also got an equine/large animal practice attached to it. I’ve always found them to be much more reasonable and pragmatic about treatment costs versus outcome versus money available (I think it’s because large animal vets fees get real expensive, real quick even with the best insurance). Those practices are also more likely to offer payment plans in my experience.

Who fancies selling their kidney for OP's cat then, step forward ye Keyboard Warriors.

adaline you clearly don't know a lot about pet insurance. A £2000 limit per condition per year is commonplace. If the cat had 5 things wrong in a year then it would pay out £10k. Other policies have an overall limit of say £10k or £5k. I would imagine OP's limit is 2k per condition. Very normal.

OP you sound lovely. It's not fair to say 'you can only have a cat if you can afford 10k a year in vets bills', that is ludicrous. I would consult a different vet and explain you cannot afford thousands in treatment and see if there is a lower cost option, say long term antibiotics or something. If the cat has a serious condition causing non stop abscesses, then yes, the kindest thing would be to PTS. It's also unfair to subject an animal to endless painful treatment. They don't understand and it's not fair on them. Good luck

Well that’s not how pet insurance works - they just would exclude any pre-existing conditions! They don’t refuse pets, and vets don’t do in house insurance

Our cat is a fighter OP, and has had some terrible abcesses over the years. Cat mouths are cess pits of bacteria.

They can be horribly slow to heal, especially if the cat is able to get at them and lick it. Our vet did do some tests to make sure that he wasn't diabetic or had an underlying condition. What's yours on special food for and could this be causing the wounds not to heal?

@Oscaree Thank you very much for your words. They haven't done any bloods. I was going to ask them to as I know diabetes can cause abscesses for example. The only problem now is the additional costs that would incur.
@BanjoStarz Thank you. I shall look for tomorrow!
@InSpaceNooneCanHearYouScream thank you. He's just so miserable at the moment. Like you say, he doesn't understand and it breaks my heart.

OP your dcat has had five wondrrful years with you that he may not otherwise have had.

How sad for all of you. I'm going against the grain and if a cat (or other creature has necrotising abscesses they are v unwell and in great pain).

If there were no NHS how many people would have a child? How many people near life's end, otherwise in horrid pain have had an extra slip if morphine?)

It's a cat, it's ill, it is probably in acute pain and likely to deteriorate. Money is an object.

OP you have done your very best. DCat has been given happy, lovely years. YANBU and if you want another cat you are a wonderful owner and should get one.

And one other point.. animals are not people. You cannot carry on treating an animal whatever the cost...it's not fair on the animal. For example I had a 13yr old cat with cancer. My vet explained we could put the cat through extensive cancer treatment costing thousands but it would not be ethically right to inflict that on a cat. He gave our cat steroids costing about £60 so that he had a happy few months pain free, and then he was peacefully put to sleep.
There is a wider question- is it morally right to spend 15k on a hip replacement , and inflict considerable pain, on a dog which will only live for 10 years? I don't think so.

Thank you @InSpaceNooneCanHearYouScream & @OhTheRoses for your lovely words.

@Waveymaevey his original condition makes him more susceptible to other ailments hence why the premium is so high and the cover low. In regards to your comment about my vets In house insurance not existing, I shall tell them on Friday that they're offering a scam service.

YANBU. Even if you did have the money for treatment, at some point you have to think, is this really fair on the cat? You could spend £££ getting abscesses removed monthly from the cat, but it wouldn't be ethical to do so.

You have given the cat some happy years with yourselves which it wouldn't have had to if staying at the cat shelter (especially as they probably would have PTS it much earlier as it would have cost them too much to keep).

I would pts in your situation, this isn't an otherwise healthy cat. I'm not a believer in preservation of life (human or animal) at all cost. Most of the time it would be kinder to let them go.

OP I can't really help with your dilemma but just wanted to say I get dog food online from a website called medicanimal. I was the same as you but a friend recommended it to me rather than buy from the vets. It was about 20% cheaper and DDog has had no problem with the food in the last 12 months or so we've been ordering from there.

Op, make the decision you can best live with. I have four cats at home and have spent an unbelievable amount on their care. I have never had to face putting a beloved cat to sleep due to finances ( our lovely vet does payment plans, it is a blessing. She has been our vet for 20 yrs and knows us very well) Please do make inquiries before deciding. 💐

@Enchiladas, I’m pro choice btw. Not sure what you are getting at with that with this question but I’m damn sure it has nothing to do with Ops post.

There are some really frighteningly stupid, judgemental people on this thread!

You sound like a very caring pet owner who is trying everything they can for a pet. He doesn’t sound like a healthy cat, nor does he sound like he’s enjoying his life as things stand. And you’re never going to get another insurance policy that’s worth anything because he has so many pre existing conditions. It’s a real dilemma.

I’d try a different vet or two. Get second opinions and if there are other ideas/options mull over them. But as things stand, I wouldn’t blame or judge you for coming to the sad conclusion that PTS may be the kindest thing to do at this point. He’s had five good years with you and you’ve tried for him. (And that’s from a huge animal fan with a houseful of rescue pets who isn’t stupid enough to say that keeping something alive at all costs is always the best thing).

OP, I am so sorry posters are raging at you. This is a very real & anxiety-inducing dilemma for you. I think owners can be surprised at how expensive vet care can be. The recurring abscesses may well be symptomatic of an underlying condition, and you may be looking at many£££ for treatment, and still lose the cat.
I think you are in a legitimate dilemma for which PTS is the only solution. If this is what you finally do, don’t feel guilty, you did what you could on a limited budget, & PTS is humane.

Oh OP, sounds really hard and I hope you are able to find a way forward.

Like a PP, I was just going to suggest ZooPlus as a site which may offer you much cheaper food. It stocks the stupidly expensive (through the vets) prescription type food my cat eats so you may be able to find yours. It's a very popular and safe site - although they do use Yodel

OP if there is any part of the wound still accessible, please get some Activon medical grade Manuka honey - it works absolute wonders killing the bacteria inside the abcess and is only a few pounds online (amazon and ebay both sell it). What food is he fed, both medicanimal and zooplus are good websites, and we may be able to recommend others.

Could you say what part of the country you are in, as some people may be familiar with local "no-kill" rescues?

OP - are you close to a university vet hospital/practice at all? In a similar vein to the equine/large animal practices mentioned above, their scale means they can sometimes take a more pragmatic approach to costs... I’ve had some horrendous vet bills and insurance issues, so you have my full sympathy.

We've got a body suit from the vets but he's even managed to worm his way out of that.

My cat had a medical pet vest - it was a bit too big (even though it was the smallest size) and she escaped from it so I took in a hem at the waist so it was shorter and fitted better. She never escaped from it after that.

I also use Medicanimal - their prescription food and meds are significantly cheaper. it horrified me how big a mark-up the vet applies. I think they count on people thinking buying online isn’t trustworthy but it is!

No, you wouldn't be unreasonable to have an unwell cat which you can't afford to keep put to sleep.

Saying you should never get a pet again would mean most people would never have a cat or dog, because not