Anyone know a reasonable vet, preferably in South Houston? My cat is sick, has a fever. Our vet checked him out, did tests, gave him medicine, and the bill was $450 and we are supposed to bring him back in. Is a cat fever really $450? That freakin sucks. Next time I guess I'll let the cat try to get better completely own his own, until it looks like it's going to die. No feeding tube for you! Is this a cat thing? Are dogs tougher? This is my first cat, I don't know.
I would have let the animal heal itself. Animals are fascinating when their sick. They always seem to get better. The only thing I take my cat to the vet for is shots.
I had a 14 year old cat that was sick once. Cost me about $2000 in costs before they finally decided putting it to sleep would be a better option. The cat had heart problems that were initially hard to diagnose. Had I known early on I would have had him put down and saved us both the suffering.
I could tell he was acting different for a few days. He was too weak to jump up on things and he can JUMP, and he wouldn't eat either. I thought it might be something serious and I didn't know it would cost that much. Oh well. Now I know... These are the type of things that make me wish I lived in a small town again..
You don't even want to know my vet bills. My cats are like my children. If they need fixing, cost is not an issue.
If you have a regular vet, you can often simply request antibiotics for your cat at around $30 or $40 if the cat has a cold or something similar. I've done that many times. You just need a vet you trust and who knows you.
They won't. You have to suggest it. With my vet, I'll just say, "Hey, my cats are all developing colds. It's that time of year. Can I get just some antibiotics to give to them? If it gets worse for any of them, I'll bring them in." Then, they just ask for weight, etc. You have to get to know your vet a bit, but it is worth it.
$450 for Cat fever? Yeah, right. I've never heard of that before. I'd start checking out different vets if I were you.
I'm not in Houston but here is my experience with vets. City vets have nice buildings, tons of space, etc. You go in for booster shots and you pay $150 before you leave. I take my dog home to my parents who live in the country. There is a vet there that does all animals (pets, livestock, etc). His office isn't fancy, he only has 2 rooms for his patients, but i get the same booster shots for $65. My dog is 8 years old and I took him to the city vets for about 3 years. Finally I took him back to Doc Alloway and not only was I out of the clinic faster (since he doesn't try to book an appointment every 10 minutes) but my dog gets the same care at a cheaper price.
We had a good vet for many years in Clear Lake i'm not sure if he is still there, but he probably is -- his office was off of Bay Area and Torrey Pines (I think). Mail me if you need more info.
I just got my new found kitties nuts clipped today. With pain killers and some special kitty litter the bill came out to $105. I am not at all a cat person but I found this dude on the side of the freeway and had to take him. Hey Jeff the vet said to keep him indoors for 10 days, is that right!? A week and a half?! Poor guy is cryin' his ass off right now wanting to get out of the bedroom. He's a very mellow (ok he's totally lazy) tuxedo cat and just lounges around the yard. Can I let him go outside after 3 days or something?! Also, kitty poop is THE WORST smell! I have 2 chihuahuas and several birds and together they don't even match one of his poops.
Oh, I'll take a vet over an M.D. any day. They gotta be able to cure a lizard, a chicken, a pig, a frog - all on the same day.
It is best to keep them inside for AT LEAST a week. They can get infected (particularly the males) when they go outside.
The thing with Cats is, when they are sick, sometimes they won't eat, which leads to liver failure (i don't know if anyone knows about "fatty liver disease", but i can personally say thats its the most awful thing a cat can go through). All in all, its a vicious cycle that can all start with a simple illness like a cold.
Oh, to answer your question $450 is an absurd amount of money to charge for a general exam, tests, and meds ~ I would have refused that bill. I've had some surgery on my cat that ended up being less than $450 with the meds. Did you ask for an itemized list of what all they did to the cat?
