My cat is sick and I have no money for a vet

Question
My cat is really sick. He's about 4 years old and overweight (for background) and is an incredibly finicky eater. About a year and a half ago he stopped eating and drinking completely; I took him to the vet and was told he had a liver infection, he was put on antibiotics and IV fluids for several days, then I brought him home and syringe-fed him for about a week until he started eating again. Pretty much the same thing is happening again - he stopped eating for a few days and then didn't drink for a day. For the last two days I've been bottle-feeding him that subsitute kitten milk (about 2 oz a day is all he tolerates) and after the first time I gave him the milk he started drinking water on his own again, and he is more energetic, but he still won't eat. He's always a sedentary cat but he is sleeping in places that aren't usual for him, and I saw him urinate on the living room floor a few hours ago. I don't have a job right now - I'm on state disability - so I have no money at all to take him to the vet, and neither does anyone else I know. I'm assuming he will need the same or similar vet treatment because of the similarity of the symptoms. I live in San Diego. I've called around but I can't find anyone willing to treat him without cash up front, so I don't even know how to go about getting one of those charities to help me! I'm going nuts. Where do I go from here?

Answer
Amber,

It sounds like you've done a great job caring for him when he's needed your help, so keep up the good work.  

With any type of problem like he had (with the liver), they tend to be chronic vs acute.  They will almost always come back and flare up, requiring treatment every time.  The liver can be a particularly tricky organ to treat, so it can get expensive.  

I've been in your situation before, having been laid off from a job, and having a cat with CRF (chronic renal failure).  She was the love of my life, and there simply wasn't one thing I wouldn't do for her.  I'd have given my life in order to get her the medical treatment she needed.  She was my daughter.  And of course she had one of her "crashes" when I'd lost my job.  Luckily, I've been going to my vet for a few yrs, so have a good relationship with them (another very important reason to find a vet you like and stay there so you can establish a relationship).  They, too, wanted money up front, but after talking to my vet, and telling her my personal situation, she went ahead and let me make payments.  She agreed to let me pay whatever I could per month, and when I got a job, I could make larger payments.  That helped tremendously, knowing that she was doing that for me, and was willing to accept $5/month from me if necessary.  

But most importantly, I got online and I can't remember what I googled, but something along the lines of "veterinary assistance" or "veterinary care assistance" or something similar to that.  I was amazed at what came back.  I could tell some were fake, but for the most part, they were all legit.  I picked a few out that offered higher awards, and went through their selection criteria, their application process, and what was needed in order to be considered.  They all had different requirements, and they were pretty stringent.  The 3 that I picked (I can't remember their names) offered up to $2500 per incident, and one of them allowed recurring incidents, so if you have a cat with a chronic condition, they would provide financial assistance with each episode.  

My app process was detailed, as I had to describe what was wrong with my girl, what treatment was needed, how long it would be needed, and the cost.  I then had to provide some financial information for them, as well as a statement of why I was requesting the money.  All but one required a statement from the vet indicating just what I said, and then also required a printed estimate on letterhead from the vet indicating what the approximate cost would be.  

Once I had all that info, I faxed it into them, and waited.  About 4 days later (I also indicated on the app that it was emergency treatment, so I couldn't afford to wait on care as my baby needed treatment ASAP), I got a call from 2 of the 3, telling me that they had approved me for financial assistance, and while they couldn't award me the full cost of the treatment (they never can), they could help me out significantly.  The third one emailed me and told me that they did not have any money left, and were unable to award me anything.  I actually pulled the bills out the other day, as I was going through my late baby's stuff, and I saw the bills.  This particular episode cost me $3429.82.  One organization awarded me $2500, and the other was $400.  

While I still had out of pocket expenses, it helped me out so much, and it wouldn't have been possible without their help.  I would still have gotten her the treatment, even if it had bankrupted me, but at least with the awards, I could breathe a little easier knowing that the majority of it was paid for.  They cut a check directly to the vet, and my concern was that the check would bounce or it would be found to be fake--but all was okay.  They did it in a timely manner, and if I remember correctly, the check was at the vet's within a wk.  It was just so worth it.  I was so surprised at how many organizations and societies were available to people in need.  I don't know if there are as many now with the economy the way it is, but I'm sure there's some out there.  One thing I do need to let you know about, though, is that the money they have available is on a first come, first served basis.  So, it's easier to get money earlier in the yr than at the end of the yr.  You can still get money at the end of the yr, but it may not be as much.  I found that these organizations typically will have something like $20-50,000 available to give, and when it's gone, it's gone until the next yr when their donors replenish it (and it may not be as much, or it may be more).  

You may also want to consider Care Credit.  I've never used it, but my vet had offered it to me a couple of times.  It's a line of credit that is underwritten by a major credit company, like Citibank/Citcorp, etc.  You fill out an app just like you would if you were applying for a credit card.  They run a credit check, and if approved, you then have a line of credit to use at the vet.  You pay it back just like a credit card--a certain amt every month.  I think amts borrowed range from $300 all the way up to $5000.  I've talked to some people who've used it, and they've all liked it and had positive things to say about it.  My vet also recommended it, as have a few others I know in my area.  So that's another option.  

These are the 3 best options I know of.  I wish I could give you names of the online organizations, but I can't find the paperwork (actually I don't have access to it).  I have moved since then, and everything was packed into a box and is in storage, since I wouldn't need it again.  But I know it was easy to search for these organizations, and I played around with different search terms, and so much came up.  Also try "financial assistance for veterinary care."  

One last option is to locate a low cost vet in your area.  There is one where I live that many people use, especially now in these tough economic times.  They use a greatly reduced fee scale, and/or a sliding fee scale.  They've spayed cats for $30, which, at least where I live, is unheard of.  The going rate for a spay here is $300!  So, if you can find a place that offers greatly reduced prices, that may be worthwhile to even travel an hr or so to get there if it helps you get the care for your cat that it needs.  

I wish I could be of more help, but unfortunately, this is all I know of.  I hope it helps in some way!

Savannah