I can't afford my vet bill

[oldmind]

My 9 month old cat isn't well. 2 trips to the vets with anti inflammatory meds and she still isn't right. They've told me to bring her back tomorrow for bloods and possible scans and I could be looking at over £1k for treatment.

I'm a single mum of 3 kids with additional needs. I've just gone back to work but only work 12 hours per weeks as I just cannot do anymore.

I did have insurance for her but I cancelled it as the insurance company I chose were terrible and haven't replaced it yet - I only did this a few weeks ago! A random payment came out of my account and I cancelled the whole thing.

Is there anything I can do?

Please don't tell me to not have pets if I can't afford them.

Has she had all her vaccines?

Sorry but animals can't talk and explain exactly what's wrong. Theyve tried some medicine they thought might work and it hasn't. They are now wanting to do bloods to try find out more information. 2 visits is nothing in my opinion.

I just want to add you can love an animal to pieces and still decide to put your financial situation, which directly impacts on your children, first.

I also think it is 100% morally okay to rescue a cat without being able to afford exhaustive treatment for every hypothetical medical problem it might develop. Without having insurance. You did not commission this animal's existence. You've provided a home, you haven't neglected or abused the animal, it is neutered - that's where the obligations of rescuers end imo. Lovely if you can afford to and want to throw everything at a sick pet. But okay if you don't. Don't feel guilty and do make a rational decision xxx

Yes she has, she is also neutered and chipped

You have no reason to be annoyed with your vet - animals can't talk so it's often a case of trial and error when it comes to treating them. Two trips and anti-inflammatories before moving on to more invasive treatment is pretty standard.

You'd be even more annoyed if they did a load of unnecessary tests and it turned out she just needed some rest and metacam!

Get a 2nd opinion. My friend was quoted £6000 for a hernia operation.

A different vet said no hernia just infection swelling which cleared after antibiotics. Beggars belief really.

Vets aren't miracle workers. It can take months in some cases to accurately diagnose issues - pets can't talk.

You have two choices if you can't pay; PTS or give the cat to a rescue - either way the cat is no longer in pain because rescues have vets on speed dial to deal with emergencies like this. You need to do what's best for your pet.

If this were me id be very clear with the vets about the money and what I can/can't afford.

I'd agree to blood tests and see if that shows anything.

Hold off on scans for now.

Will the rescue take her back or help with the costs?

How long has she been off food and has the grunting? I'm my a vet by the way but my cat recently had a grunting sound that was a bit like a strange constant purr. Ended up being nothing and went away. Probably got too close to a plant or some sort of irritation. Does your cat go out? Could she have ingested something toxic?
Have you treated for fur balls? How ill is the cat? Is she drinking and still active?

Don't get into credit card debt, without knowing your situation I don't think that's good advice.
Always best to be honest and see what they say x

Sorry I'm not a vet that was supposed to say. Just to be clear.
Just giving some thoughts to help get her diagnosed quicker hopefully save some of the money on tests.

Never put an animal to sleep unless they are very unwell.

To be honest I don't get why people cancel insurance citing they can't afford it and will put the money aside each month....at that age my kitten insurance was less than £10! Given the cost of vets fees - well publicised at the moment - saving £10 a month you'd be saving for decades to cover the cost of basic treatment

To be honest OP - you can't afford her - working 12 hours a week I'd be surprised if you could afford even annual vaccinations - you should surrender her to a rescue really

Most vets will let you do a payment plan. Or PDSA as others have suggested. I hope you can find a solution.

One other thing you could do is ask for a loan from Universal Credit. They let you take out loans for emergencies and you pay it back over 12 months.

How many is "a few weeks"? You might still be covered by your insurance until the when next payment would have been due.

Get the treatment done and when it's time to pay just say you haven't got it and offer to pay it off. What can they do? They hardly gonna keep the cat 🤷🏻‍♀️

Most vets offer a payment plan through a third party provider. Whether you’ll be accepted depends on your credit score.

Is it your vet aware you are uninsured with low income?

Lots of them will expect initial payment or proof of insurance for this exact reason.

Disgusting advice

If you got her from a rescue and she’s been very sick in a relatively short space of time, definitely speak to them. I’d be surrendering the cat back if the alternative was significant debt.

Erm, take you to court? Send the bailiffs round to collect any monies owing?

One of the worst pieces of advice I've heard.

What can they do? Debt collection, black listing!
Check to see if there is an independent vet you can use as an alternative. Otherwise be upfront with your vet on what you can afford and ask them to make sure any procedures are within budget. Loans, credit cards, selling a car etc is all well and good, but if you are fiancially stretched consider what the long term prognosis is and make sure that the priority for the cat is quality of life.

Speak to your insurance company. Explain that when a large amount was taken unexpectedly you cancelled as you have minimal income and significant caring responsibilities. Had you been more financially resilient and been less under strain with the stress of caring for three children with additional needs, you’d not have had to make the knee jerk reaction you did with your coverage, hell if they’d communicated effectively wrt the payments you would not have had to cancel. These two factors have also meant you haven’t been able to correct the situation eg sort out the policy. Raise a complaint about the payment situation if needs be, make it clear that you panicked and cancelled because of the unexpected payment.

I would check if your insurance is definitely cancelled. I’ve just renewed mine, 4/5 weeks late! They renewed it from the renewal date, but from the way the conversation went, I very very much doubt they would have paid out if anything had happened in those 4/5 weeks, even after I’d renewed. Definitely look into charity vets. Re the cat itself, both of mine have cost me £1000 within a few months of getting them, 1 wasn’t insured at that point, 1 they refused to pay out (long story! 😡). For the one where the insurance refused to pay out, we were told by scans, tests etc that he had all sorts wrong internally, but tbh that’s all come to nothing. He’s now mainly settled down but it has taken over a year. You may never find the cause of your cats problem, but it should definitely be looked in to. As a pp said, it’s often trial and error with animals.