Cat has a broken tail and I have no money!

[Catzparent]

Hey guys.

My little girls' name is Willow and she's 4.
Today, after petting her and her growling at me(which she never does!) , I found out her tail is broken 😭

Unfortunately, I really don't have the funds as I'm at uni and work part-time.
I know is irresponsible to have a cat and not have money to pay for injuries like this if/when they happen but she's honestly just help me get through life so I've looked past this.

Now, with her injuries, I've been quoted £700 for the Xray alone. Treatment will be additional to this.

Does anyone know of any pet insurers who cover these sorts of things? There is "preexisting issues" insurance but they're super vague with their terms so I don't know.

If anyone has any suggestions, please PLEASE get in touch. I honestly don't know what to do so if anyone can put me in the right direction, it will be MASSIVELY appreciated!

And what is the poor cat supposed to do in the meantime?

Stupid suggestion

It looks like nothing anyway

I'm with Purely Pets, they can take a while to pay out but do pay out, I've claimed 13k this year. I've just double check my docs and it's 48 hours for accidents, so maybe possible as you say? But would need help with pain now.

My other insurer also had 48 for accidents but I can't remember who it was now.

Sorry that screenshot is unclear but it's definitely 48 hours for an accident.

That screenshot also says they won't pay out for any accidents that happened before the policy was taken out, though

So either OP leaves her cat neglected and in pain for another two days, goes to a new vet and lies, or she commits insurance fraud.

I actually said in my orginal post she wouldn't get covered as there is a 48 hour exclusion a pp said it might be possible, I'm just stating the facts of a policy. It's up to the OP what she decides to do. It is her pet.

Assuming she's taken the cat to a vet already it would not be covered at another vet, as the insurance company will want all vet history where the cat had jabs etc.

I wouldn't do it as I wouldn't leave the animal in pain, however the worst that will happen on the fraud point is the insurance company don't pay out.

The only thing in the way to committing the insurance fraud is whether the cat is chipped and spayed- otherwise she can go to a new vet and act like it's the first time

Well, of course she can do whatever she likes, but the insurance company will want the cats' full medical history and will likely refuse to pay out if she can't or won't provide it.

@Olympi if they suspect her of fraud and have sufficient evidence, they can (worse case scenario) take her to court.

Of course that's incredibly unlikely, but she could be banned from taking out insurance in the future (much more likely).

It you read my post this is exactly what I have said... They will want her full medical history... And will obtain it from other vets...

If you actually read my OP I have shared some helpful info with the OP.

One of my cats had a tail injury recently. Amputation and treatment was around £1500 (covered by insurance).

You can't leave your cat in pain. You will need to get an overdraft, arrange a payment plan or even PTS, but leaving a cat to suffer should not happen.

@Olympi that response was to another poster, not you.

Will it not heal on it's own ? I'm sure it will even if not perfectly. I don't think the solution should always be to have it killed. Painkillers though at least till OP figures out what to do though, find a cheaper vet

No, it won't necessarily heal on its' own - it depends on the break and the general health of the cat, as well as how you can keep them safe while they recover.

OP it is not right that you are leaving your cat in pain with no treatment. The cat needs to be treated by a vet.

People have given you a list of organisations that can help you.

Animal ownership comes with responsibilities and if you can't afford to look after her properly and get pet insurance then you will need to re-home her so she can be looked after correctly in the future.

Your cat will be in lots of pain but animals are good at masking it. Something to do with evolution/ pre domestication to show weakness is not a good survival trait.

so you cat urgently needs pain relief alongside getting it sorted. Lots of vets allow you to split the payment into monthly amounts, so I would suggest that.

please please ring round a few vets to find out about costs as they will be different and also about splitting the payments.

it might mean you need to reign in your personal spending no for a few months but your cat is relying on you to help.

I hope you find a solution fast.

One of mine had exactly the same thing. I was mentally preparing for amputation but it was just an infected bite, no treatment needed except antibiotics.

This, your poor cat 😞you need to be taking swift action today

You should be able to find a vet who willet you pay in installments. Most can help in this way. Ring around.

Good advice here already - please get the cat treatment ASAP - insurance won’t be an option after the injury has happened, but you may be able to get help from a charity.

If you don’t qualify then some vets have arrangements with credit companies (Klarna, carefree credit) to spread the payment. You could also get pain relief from the vet in the short term, and apply for a credit card to finance the surgery.

Finally, if you can’t get the money by any means, you can surrender the cat to a charity/rescue so they can take over ownership and care of the cat so the surgery can be done - they would then most likely rehome.

How stupid a system do we have whereas cat has a loving home but the best we can do is re-home it with all the trauma and lottery that involves -while private equity are making money from vets bills

Please also take out an insurance policy for your pets going forward.

OP please do not commit insurance fraud! It would be really obvious. Insurers tend not to like this and the risk of prosecution would be high. A conviction for fraud would have a huge impact on your life. I know it’s suggested by other people not you but please don’t see it as easy solution.

I am so sorry your cat is injured. I hope that one or a combination of the (legal) ways of getting her treated work out.

If the cat is in a home where the owners cannot provide for medical care, then the cat’s welfare needs aren’t being met in that home.

You will notice that rehoming that is a last resort - I gave lots of other options first which would be preferable. However, it is an option which ensures the cat doesn’t continue to suffer.

Yes, veterinary care costs money, which it always has done and people know that when they choose to get pets. Debating the ideology of an animal NHS isn’t going to help the OP or her cat right now though, which is why I posted what her options are, in the real world situation she is in.

If you're in London, try the Royal Veterinary College in St Pancras. I think they also have a site in Herts