Is my vet taking the piss ? TW

[sharplettuce]

I got a new kitten, now both my cats have worms. I treated them both but called the vet the next day because I'm worried about the little one, as she's been kind of exhausted and slow to move around since I brought her home. The receptionist said I should bring them both in, in case they need a stronger treatment. It's £100 just for a double consultation, and I don't know what treatment will cost on top of that. I'm tempted to just keep them home, treat again in 2 weeks and make sure the little one is getting lots of good food to get her strength up. What do you think

Vets charge what actual private medicine costs to deliver plus a percentage profit (which is necessary to ensure a viable business). Providing medical services is extremely expensive and sadly most people have absolutely no idea and feel they are being ripped off. We just have no idea in this country because of the nhs.
OP try to get your kitten seen- and going forwards get pet insurance it will give u peace of mind and is a must if youre on a budget.

Shitty breeders. Kittens should be vax and wormed before going to new owner shouldn't they?

We got a kitten last year, turned out he wasn't wormed before we got him. Although the breeders where adamant he was fine because he had never been outside, he actually ended up very poorly with them and went down hill very quickly. Ended up taking him to the vets in the middle of the night on the 2day home. He ended up and a drip and in for a couple of days. Cost hundreds but I'm so glad I took him in. They go down hill so quickly, although expensive I would have never forgiven myself if anything happened to him.

OP vets are very expensive, unfortunately kittens are cheap so lots of people buy them and are then shocked.

I bought a kitten from a farmer five years ago. I did go to the farm - he had found her in a shed and just wanted rid of her. She was five weeks old😢.

I knew what I was getting into - kittens that come from farms need different deworming etc. luckily my vet specialises in kittens and I trust him:

she is insured - but also costs a fortune! I think everyone who gets a pet should calculate the annual cost and be okay with a few hundred in vets bills - particularly if you take delivery of your new pet at your front door. This is a massive red flag

As you’ve bought a kitten from an unknown home, I’d suggest getting it checked asap for all health problems not just the worms. As a pp has said she could well have cat flu which will cause the lethargy.

There’s no doubt that she’ll need flea and worm treatment but without a vet seeing her you won’t know what she needs - no one on the internet can truly give you 100% safe advice.

Poor kitten and cat, I just despair reading some threads on here.

Take them to the vets.

I got my kitten from Cats Protection. She was full of worms. I called the foster carer who was surprised and dropped over some panacur straight away.

Sorry to sound like I’m joining in with a pile on but this kitten didn’t turn up by surprise. You should have had insurance in place and an initial vets appointment booked before she even came.

I really think there should be a license for owning pets!

I forgot to say - there’s a very real possibility that the kitten isn’t the age you’ve been told by the person who sold her to you. You may also need nutritional advice from the vet if she’s much younger than you’ve been told.

I've only read the OP's posts, but are you sure of the kitten's age?

Horses and sheep can take a knock when wormed if they've had a high worm burden, does the same thing happen in cats?

And going forward, I wouldn't buy cheap or 'natural' wormers/flea treatments etc. Cheap ones won't work, and cyanide and arsenic are 'natural' too, so don't think that 'natural' is best. Everything has a chemical equation.

I would go see the vet. But I had all this with my kitten. Spent 100s on blood tests and stool samples (thank god for insurance)

In the end I put him on an 8 week course of panacur myself as vet wanted to keep stopping it after 10 days. So the infection Re started. In the end I kept him on it for as long as possible. And the worms where gone and he started putting on weight.

I took him for a check up after. She asked what I did and I told her and she said 'oh yes it's perfectly safe to be on panacur for an extended time...' so why didn't you say that in the begining? 😡 found out myself via litter tray here and various other pet forums.

Just make sure it's definitely worms. and the right wormer for the type of worms. And keep feeding as much as they can eat until worms are gone

"forgot to say - there’s a very real possibility that the kitten isn’t the age you’ve been told by the person who sold her to you. You may also need nutritional advice from the vet if she’s much younger than you’ve been told."

Good point- this is very very common. If a pup or kitten turns up in our clinic in anything other than decent body condition, parasite free and healthy looking, I take the seller's assurances to the new owner as to age, flea and worm treatment, vaccination status and "vet checked" (when??) with a very large fistful of salt...and if if it looks OK I might still have a small pinch of salt, depending on the history and the paperwork.

Wtf is this post?
The kitten is so poorly and if you have an animal who is very unwell you take it to the vets. You don't even post on here, or take into the consideration of the costs. You would just go if you cared enough about the poor cat.

I'm surprised they don't want to see today. When we got our kitten he was sick a few times. We rang out of hours and they said as he was young they would rather see him as they can go down hill very quickly. Cost us nearly £200 for nothing but I would rather have gone than leave him.

@sharplettuce
Can I ask how much you paid for the kitten and what due diligence you did regarding how old it was, it's history, if it had already been wormed and de-flead etc as it's not really clear from your posts? Did you see photos of it with it's mother / litter mates? What excuse did he give for bringing the kitten to you, rather than you collecting it from his home and seeing the mother?

You need to tell the vets exactly what product you used and how much you have already given it. That way they can make an informed decision regarding further treatment. Kittens can go downhill very quickly and die from a worm burden. A distended tummy can be worm burden and is the most likely scenario, but it could be other things. Are it's gums very pale? If they are, then the kitten is already very poorly and needs seeing quite quickly, especially if it lethargic too. Kittens should never be lethargic.

My friend is a vet, and she says, "often people ask me whether I should do x or y and I always want to say "you should have brought them in sooner and then it wouldn't have had to be either." Most people end up leaving it later than they should, and then it either costs more or causes the animal more suffering, or both.

The Op has contacted the vet and told them what is wrong with the kitten/ it’s symptoms and the vet have told her that it isn’t an emergency and to take the kitten in tomorrow. The kitten is drinking and eating fine. You’re all acting like the kitten is dragging itself helplessly across the floor. This is just an assumption on everyone who is freaking out’s part. The kitten sounds like it has worms and is a bit tired. No doubt that the kitten should see a vet but it isn’t an emergency and no need to be horrible to someone who is clearly concerned about their new pet.

Thank you, I would be taking her in if I thought it was an emergency ! I'm always a bit shocked whenever I post anything on here, I forget what they're like !

There is so much wrong with your post that I don't even know where to start... Do you know ANYTHING about kittens? Expecially ones from unethical sellers? Kittens go downhill so quickly that one minute they seem fine or just a little lethargic and within an hour they can be dead if they don't get to the vets in time.

If you buy from an "unlicensed dealer" you are perpetuating the suffering of more and more kittens, you aren't "saving" them. If they manage to sell this poor wee thing then they will just breed more, and more and more. And then, when they get bored or the poor mum cat can't breed anymore, they will chuck her out of the streets to die a terrifying and probably prolonged death. And if she has a difficult pregnancy, do you think they will take the cat to the vets? No, they will throw her out on the streets, possibly in mid-labour, with some kittens still stuck inside her, dying and the ones born starving to death or being eaten by predators.

I volunteer for a small local cat charity and yes, we've had this several times. We currently have over FIFTY kittens in our care and a load of adult cats and every single one of those will be fully vaccinated, neutered, wormed, de-flead and come with 5 weeks of insurance before they are rehomed. Because that is the only responsible thing to do.

Your attitude is disgusting and I despair.

I don't think there's anything wrong with going to the vets tomorrow if the OP has explained the symptoms to the vets and they think it can wait. However, the OP was also asking whether she should wait 2 weeks and try to treat the worms at home. This doesn't seem the smartest move, or in the best interest of her cat or kitten, considering she got the kitten off some random person and knows nothing of it's background.

The more OP posts the more I think she’s either a terrible owner or is taking the piss.

If you’re not worried, OP, why did you post?!?!! If you are worried stop being so damn tight fisted and take the sick kitten to the vets

I love my cats, and I am going to the vet, I said this 10 pages ago

What I took from that was the OP was asking whether people thought it was necessary to take her older cat to the vet just because the new one had worms.

Thank you, I would be taking her in if I thought it was an emergency !

It worries me that you don't think lethargy, listlessness and a worm infestation in a (at most) ten week old kitten is anything other than an emergency, tbh.