Put Her To Sleep?
Last year I recieved a call from the Humane Society after I had signed up to be a foster mom for them. I had never done it before as I've always adopted but needed a kitten fix and thought this would work twofold. They called the next day explaining while this cat wasn't a kitten but a 1yr old she was really stressed at the shelter and could I please take her for 2 wks. I was supposed to take her in and get her spayed and hopefully her hair would grow back as she was hairless from the back to her tail due to stress. The man at the shelter referred to her as evil showing me his numerous scratches he recieved when putting her in the box. Soon as I brought her in my house she immediately laid beside me on her back- legs up - much like the classic sheepie sleeping pose. She's always continued to be extremely affectionate and loving. They found during the spaying that she wasn't a 1 old but more like 7 and she had bad teeth. The vet said it would probably cost around 200 for her teeth to get cleaned. I informed them at the SPCA and they said oh she's unadoptable, bring her back and we'll put her down. Whazzat??Put her down??? How can I do that when she's been sleeping in my arms for 2 wks and I'm bonding with her? I said I didn't mind keeping her at my house and would continue to foster her. The clinic only had 1500 dollars left in their budget to take care of the 7 animals in the back that needed their attention. One included a puppy with a broken leg. I understood their heartbreaking decision but now had grown attached to her. That was months ago and of course there is no way I'd bring her back now she's with me for life. Asia became Mama Kat, as a month later I was given 2 little hours old kittens to foster. One still had afterbirth on her as it appeared someone took them away from the mom and left them in a bag at the shelter. No note, no explaination , nothing. It was estimated they were only 2 hours old! They were the size of gerbils. Mama Kat immediately took charge of the little sqealing things and cleaned them and suckled them for the next 5 wks. She had no milk due to being recently spayed but myself and my son fed them round the clock every 2 hours for the first 3 wks. She never left their side. Now, I was attached to the little ones and was tempted to adopt them but felt Mama Kat deserved a home as the kitten would have no trouble getting adopted. A few times I've gathered the cash to have her teeth done only to spend it on one of the other pets due to a priority. (Just last Thursday I spent over 200 on Panda for his ear infection.) Finally, on Tues I took advantage of a Pet's dental clinic's offer of free dental exam (usually cost 75 dollars) to have an evaluation done of her teeth. I should mention she's a picture of health, her hair has grown back to a shiny luxerious coat but she appears to eat much slower than the other cats. The estimated cost for her dental work is 713.01. Nope not a typo! What was thought to have been missing teeth are actually decayed down to the gum line whereas her gums have grown overtop, her canines (fangs) are absessed and need to be removed. This procedure alone cost 179.00 per tooth. It involved sedation and having enough skin to form a "gum flap" which needs to be surgically sewn over the holes left by removal of her canines. Involved in the cost are anesthetic, IV fluids, Medication and cleaning of her other teeth. While 7 appears old to some , my last 8 cats lived to the ages of 19-21 - she's still young! How could her teeth have got that bad and what happened to her before she came into my home? I came home feeling very sad as I don't have the cash to be able to get it done at this time. That's why I wrote what I did in the first sentence..almost everyone said "put her to sleep". Arg! Not an option! The amount is quite substantial and will take me weeks or months to accumulate but I will get it. There is no alternative...so yeah I'm a bit nutty but it depends on priorities. I'm going to shop around (something I haven't done before with my pets) but it means the difference of her having the operation or not, then I'll do it. I must admit I had doubt walking in the house but they all vanished when she greeted me at the door, rubbing her face on mine and cuddled on the couch next to me ..on her back..legs up. I think you guys would all understand and thanks for listening to me. Marianne and the boys plus the girl cats  |
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| Poor Mama Kat and poor mama kat's mom! This is just a thought, but have you talked to your own Vet and asked if you could maybe do a payment plan to have her teeth fixed? I know I've been in this type of a situation in the past and our Vet let us pay as we could for everything that was done by them....unfortunately, if it involves a specialist coming to their hospital, you may have to pay the entire amount up front. I'm assuming that she's able to eat and isn't in any pain so you're able to wait and that's a good thing....We had to come up with over $4,000 overnight for an orthopedic surgeon...: (
Best of luck, Cathy |
| Hi Marianne,
I am so sorry you are going through this. I can't imagine a 7 year young baby put to sleep either.  I typically would only stay with my vet on something, but on this situation I would say shop around and see if the price can come down.
We have been doing research on getting our cats HCM scanned, we have called around and the price has been $450 all the way down to $150. I don't know enough about it to make an accurate decision, but I am going to check into it. I will keep Mama Kat and you in my thoughts and prayers that something can be done soon and that she will grow to be a 21 year old just like your last babies did.  Please keep us updated, I am a cat lover, just as much as I am for dogs...I think I should just classify myself as an animal lover. LOL
Stormi and co. Stormi and co. |
Oh noo. 
I worked at a shelter and it doesn't surprise me they would say that. They tend to try to put down animals they view as least likely to be adopted and/or old. What surprises me is that they didn't offer up tons of suggestions FIRST about where you can go (places that will pay for your cat's care). Instead they were like oh well, we'll put her down.
You are so kind and a loving person. She is so lucky. Hang in there. You are a lot stronger than myself. Can I live there too? **hugs** |
| Wait a minute......What Dr. charges $75 to tell you what your cats teeth look like?????? That should be done at ever yearly visit anyway and what does a yearly cost????
It's a pretty common thing for cats to have their canine teeth removed. If they are going to have a problem, it always seems to be those teeth. I do most of the dentals at work and have never had to make a gum flap where the canine tooth was. A gum flap is usually made when a large hole is left. Believe it or not, the mouth heals very quickly. If left with a hole it will heal just fine. Please check around for other prices because that is REALLY high. If I were to give you an estimate where I work, I would say Feline Dental/- $125 IV Fluids/pain inj/and take home pain meds- $35 Remove 2 canine teeth-$50 Antibiotic-$30 This may be on the low side for an estimate but is no where near $700 |
| Marianne I'm so sorry to hear that....
It is the anesthetic that costs the most, usually around 200-300 for an adult cat.... although the price you were quoted does seem rather high. My last orange fluffball Oliver needed his teeth done around 5 years old, and it was about 300 dollars to have him put out for the procedure, have his teeth cleaned, one tooth removed and an abcess lanced, and antibiotics injected as well as sent home in pill form. One thing you should ask around about is at any universities in your area, sometimes veterinary students can do it for you for free or very low cost because they gain experience. Sounds scary I know, but all docs have to learn somewhere! I've never heard of a problem that way, we used to practice on each other (playing doctor ) when I was getting my animal sciences degree! |
| Thank you, Hannah!! I'm so glad there's someone who works at a Vet's office that could say this...I've been trying to remember the prices of dental work we've had on our dogs and the only bill I could find was for cleaning, anesthesia, antiboiotics with a few odds and ends subtracted, it $275. At that time the vet we used was on the higher end of the dental price scale...even adding in extractions wouldn't bring it up to $750....did they mention doing caps or crowns with some *bling*!? : )
Marianne, I don't know where you are located, but I hope there are more vets in the area so you can get estimates from them. Best wishes! |
| My sister's oldest basset, Zoe, just had MAJOR dental work done and it was $300 for everything. She's not a cat - but I would assume the prices wouldn't be that much higher if she were. This price was with an extra fee because it was much more involved/extensive that originally thought (and the cost of an X-ray because they found a tumor in her abdomen while she was there).
I'll keep Mama Kat in my thoughts and prayers! Take care Marianne. Kristen |
| Hi Marianne, I too am a cat lover we had one for seventeen and a half years. At age 16 Fuzzy had to have an extraction due to an abscess he had penicillin and out came the tooth he had a cleaning and did well. His only problem was he could not eat hard food and his food was hard and was medicine to dissolve kidney stones so we got some Fancy Feast the smelliest kind and mixed it up and he was fine. Is there any way your kitty can have a few teeth extracted at a time, an antibiotic might help some of the infections. Our bill was around $300.00 that included a full blood work up as he was an old cat. They should be able to work out a deal with you.
Here is a kitty story a friend of my daughter went to a rescue to get a kitty and asked about these 2 orange striped kittens and was told they were young and needed to be bottle fed and they could not do it so they would be put to sleep. An hour later this young lady appeared again this time wearing a coat with 2 large pockets and put a kitty in each pocket they are now big orange striped wimps like Garfield, and my fuzzy cat was too. I will pray that something can be done to help you! Dolores |
| Oh I love you guys!! Thanks for all the suggestions everyone!!
I was a bit dissapointed with my vet as they are the ones that hosted the dental clinic. Unfortunately in my area all the vets charge anywhere from 60-75 for dental exams - a little more involved procedure than when they see them during vet checkups. Feb is always dental health month for the entire province so most vets offer 10-20% discounts. My vet offered a 10% discount on the 713 bill, but that didn't include her blood work on top of that which is 45 for basic and 110 for full screening. I do understand that vets need to make a living and can't give everyone a deal but I have been going to them for 15 years!! I'm really satisfied with their service and will always continue to use them but thought their quote of 713 was rather high. Thanks to each and every one of you I realized I could get a better deal somewhere else. Thanks Hannah, for letting me know that the gum flap procedure wasn't a necessity as you've had the experience. So I shopped around and found one understanding fellow that agreed to do it for 300!! That's doable!! She needs bloodwork done before so her appt is next Sat, then I'll schedule for her dental. It's tough isn't it? I never want to not give my pets the best care possible and idealy money should not be an issue. Still, realistically sometimes we just don't have that cash. From past experience, I keep some money in an account for extreme emergencies should my pets ever come across a life/death situation. Albert's Mommys post brought that home. Compared to what she is going through I feel like I shouldn't be complaining. We just do the best that we can and people with animals always understand why putting them to sleep due to cost is not a factor in most cases. One of my rescues involved 10 year old Ralph that had to have his leg amputated at the cost of 1,000 dollars! My family and I chipped in and Ralph lived to the grand old age of 19 with three legs. What a character he was - jumping up on my moms windowsill and blancing with two legs and tapping at her window with the third leg.
Thanks again everyone for responding..I feel much better! Marianne |
| That's wonderful news that you have found a vet willing
to do the procedure at a reasonable rate. We wish your cat well and a speedy recovery after the procedure ! Please give us updates... |
| Marianne,
There truly is a place in heaven for you! I fully understand why euthanasia is not an option - she's a part of your family! Now what you should do is go back to your original vet and tell them the price you received from someone else and let them explain why the difference. I'd be interested in hearing the response! Good luck, and keep us posted! Chris |
| Any updates on the kitty cat? |
| Hi,
Thanks again everyone for your input. I'm bringing in MamaKat to have blood work done on Saturday and then will schedule her dental after those results are in. She's been more affectionate than usual lately..it's almost as if being in the cat carrier brought back memories for her and she's saying..no..I'm good..see keep me. Ha Ha! Okay maybe it's just me thinking this...
I'll keep you guys posted when she's had her surgery. Marianne |
| ok i know this sounds silly but when i had to take my moms peke in for dental work i took him to canada. What would have cost my mom 1000 bucks or more only costed me 400 canadian. vet costs are much less there. I now hold a spot at an ontario vet clinic and one here in the states. If you are close to the border or willing to travel or could plan a vacation see if you could get a vet in canada to do the dental work. |
| ahh, how happy you found a good samaritan!!
i dont think i could afford those little pet necessities either if it weren't for credit cards! I make $7.50 an hour so I totally understand where you are coming from! let us know how she does  and why don't we have a pic??? hehehe |
| Marianne,
I was so thrilled to hear the wonderful news about Mama Kat! I think I heard my cats sigh a breath of relief upon me telling the great news.  Please keep us updated on her.
Stormi and co. |
| Hi Again,
Boy I feel like I want to cuss like a trucker (no offence meant to any truckers out there.) Had the appointment with the vet that offered me the deal, but first had to bring her in for blood test. I went on Sat and he asked that I put the crate down and please fill out the forms. I did so and he took her in the back and returned a few mins later and put the crate down on top of the front counter and didn't say another word, after telling me he'll call tomorrow with the results. I finished filling out the forms and went up to the counter and she hands me the bill...45 dollars for blood screening which I had expected but an additional 30 dollars for checkup. Grrrrrrr I wouldn't have minded except I wasn't even in the room..and didn't even get a chance to point out the problem areas that the previous dental exams had show. Like did he see which areas had the tooth worn down and now covered by her gums? Checkup? Dunno he must have been the world's fastest vet as she wasn't in the room with him more than 5 mins tops. So after paying the 75 dollars, I thought perhaps when he calls tomorrow I will have a chance to go over all of this. No luck...I wasn't home his message was ..blood was good, please make an appt with the girl at the front. Click. I was even insulted he called his receptionist "the girl" and didn't even use her proper name. So now 75 dollars poorer and not feeling at all comfortable with this vet. I have thought of calling and asking for the blood panneling results so as that would save me having to get it done again. Eww feel so uncomfortable now about going back there..but I probably shouldn't as I paid 75 dollars for the service. I will either shop around again or do as one of the posters suggested and approach my vet to see if perhaps we can get the cost down. I had hesitated to do this as always wanted to save doing that if it was a life or death situation. Still poor MamaKat, although not showing it she must experience pain with such bad teeth. Mr. C..not an option as I already live in Canada. :O) But thanks for the suggestion. I'll keep you guys posted and thanks again everyone. I should list a website that I have in photos as it has pics of all of my gang. Marianne and the boys |
| Sorry to hear you had a bad visit. Not all vets are like that.
Why don't you go back, ask to meet with the vet, and tell him exactly how you felt about everything that happened. Ask for a copy of your results and then tell them to have a nice day. Dr's should treat every owner and pet with respect, and this vet obviously doesn't care. |
| I agree with Hannah! Confirm that your bad feelings of this Vet are valid (I'm sure they are) and get the results from the test and go elsewhere. |
| Hey Marianne,
What happened with your cat's dental? Did you ever find a vet?? |
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