Joined
·
117 Posts
My vet just diagnosed my young cat, Niles, with luxating patella, mainly in his left hind leg but also a bit in his right, she thinks. She said this is the first time in years she has seen the condition in a cat, but she sees it in dogs often. She said it's a really expensive surgery to fix, and a lot for a cat to go through. I got the idea that even if I had the money for and wanted him to have surgery, she might advise against it.
I'm a relatively new cast owner. I adopted Niles last February when he was 6 months old. So he's not even 2 yet--he will be in July. It breaks my heart that this young, energetic cat has a disability. It's been getting worse and worse since December, though it hasn't seemed to have gotten worse in the last month--maybe this will be as bad as it gets? He has a noticeable limp most of the time, and sometimes it looks like he is bowlegged when both legs are bothering him.
I don't know what to do. My mom actually took him to the vet because I was sick, so I didn't even get to talk to the vet myself. I am unemployed and probably will be so for a long time because of some chronic health problems. My parents are paying for all of the cat stuff, including vet bills. Aside from some supplements that the vet recommended (which my mom paid for), there's nothing I can afford to do for Niles.
Does anyone have any experience with this disability? Anyone have any good sights or videos I can watch so I can be sure he was diagnosed correctly? Should I get a second opinion? The only place I could afford to take him right now would be the low-cost clinic at the SPCA, but I guess that's at least something. She said the surgery to fix it would cost thousands. Should I start a savings fund now and hope that in a few years I might be able to afford to get this fixed, or will so much damage be done by then that it won't even matter? Is this kind of surgery even very successful? Ugh I HATE that it wasn't me taking to the vet--I've never had anyone take him tot he vet or anywhere else before, but I was so sick last week.
I am so depressed about this. I feel so sorry for him and I feel like a horrible mother. I'm thinking it was terrible for me to even adopt a cat when I couldn't afford any expensive medical treatment for him. I never thought he'd need a procedure that would cost this much at such a young age. He has gained so much weight lately because he's been running around less (yet he still runs around and jumps a lot--which worries me too now, because I keep thinking he's making it worse). I am a mess about this.
Please anyone if you have any helpful words or info, let me have it.
I'm a relatively new cast owner. I adopted Niles last February when he was 6 months old. So he's not even 2 yet--he will be in July. It breaks my heart that this young, energetic cat has a disability. It's been getting worse and worse since December, though it hasn't seemed to have gotten worse in the last month--maybe this will be as bad as it gets? He has a noticeable limp most of the time, and sometimes it looks like he is bowlegged when both legs are bothering him.
I don't know what to do. My mom actually took him to the vet because I was sick, so I didn't even get to talk to the vet myself. I am unemployed and probably will be so for a long time because of some chronic health problems. My parents are paying for all of the cat stuff, including vet bills. Aside from some supplements that the vet recommended (which my mom paid for), there's nothing I can afford to do for Niles.
Does anyone have any experience with this disability? Anyone have any good sights or videos I can watch so I can be sure he was diagnosed correctly? Should I get a second opinion? The only place I could afford to take him right now would be the low-cost clinic at the SPCA, but I guess that's at least something. She said the surgery to fix it would cost thousands. Should I start a savings fund now and hope that in a few years I might be able to afford to get this fixed, or will so much damage be done by then that it won't even matter? Is this kind of surgery even very successful? Ugh I HATE that it wasn't me taking to the vet--I've never had anyone take him tot he vet or anywhere else before, but I was so sick last week.
I am so depressed about this. I feel so sorry for him and I feel like a horrible mother. I'm thinking it was terrible for me to even adopt a cat when I couldn't afford any expensive medical treatment for him. I never thought he'd need a procedure that would cost this much at such a young age. He has gained so much weight lately because he's been running around less (yet he still runs around and jumps a lot--which worries me too now, because I keep thinking he's making it worse). I am a mess about this.
Please anyone if you have any helpful words or info, let me have it.