May 14, 2008

cat lady status: confirmed

i know i'm supposed to write about the reunion still, but i'm too distracted and icky, and i actually had a good time there so i don't want the recap to be distracted and icky too.

oliver was transferred to an emergency specialist's office today. he's been on fluids and antibiotics now for nearly 48 hours, and his fever still hasn't gone down and his white blood cell count is actually going UP. no one knows why. they've sent away for bloodwork to recheck him for FeLV and FIV even though he tested negative for both when he was a baby, just in case they missed it and now one of those - or another retrovirus - is what's making him so sick.

a new doctor at the new place is supposed to call me this afternoon after giving oliver a new exam. he's already had several xrays, an ultrasound - with another one scheduled for today - and his CBC taken at least 3 times, so i don't know exactly what this new vet is planning to do in order to come up with a potential diagnosis.

here's the thing, though, and it's making me feel nearly as bad as the fact that oliver is this sick to begin with: today's charges from the new vet brings the total i've spent in the past 10 days in veterinary bills alone to about $5k. my credit card doesn't have a very high limit, and there was already a balance on it because i'd just bought some new things for my apartment at the end of april. (like a new tv. those are expensive.) i had to take my car in today for a tune up, which is also going to run me about a grand. i'm still paying full rent on a 2-bedroom apartment because i've been lazy about finding a roommate for the past two months after one good prospect fell through.

in short, i'm out of money. i had to prepay the estimated cost of treating oliver at this new place today, so i'm not sure how they'll feel about letting me go on a payment plan for future bills.

oh, they also think they found a heart murmur today. it may be because of all the fluids he's been on, and if necessary they'll have a cardiologist look at it. i don't want to know how much a cat cardiologist costs. the incredibly frustrating thing is that even with all of this, no one has even the slightest clue what's wrong with him. all five thousand dollars has been in diagnostics and treatment... without ever arriving at an actual diagnosis, or a treatment that has had any positive effect. they still don't know how to fix him.

i'm sick over oliver, and i'm stressed about the money, then i feel like an asshole because i'm complaining about how much i have to pay to keep my cat alive.

i don't like this week.

28 comments:

  1. Aw, sorry to hear about Oliver's troubles. I'm no cardiologist, but if it's any consolation, my old dog had a heart murmur and he lived to be 15. He just had these little pills that I had to give him every day.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Poor little guy. And poor little cat mom. Here's to hoping that the new doc figures out the problem and it doesn't cost 8 hojillion dollars.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds like it's been crazy-stressful lately! And vet's are so fricking expensive.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a horrible situation :(

    You know, don't feel guilty because you feel like crap about the amount of money you're spending on him, at least you're spending it! That makes you a fantastic kitty-mom :) You still have every right to feel bad about it, and that certainly doesn't affect how much you love the little furball.

    I'm sure Oliver will appreciate it (even if he currently doesn't enjoy the prodding)

    ReplyDelete
  5. OMG, I have so been there and over an Iguana no less. *HUG*

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh, that's terrible - the illness AND the cost of it. I hope they can figure out what's wrong soon and fix it. I once had to have a cat ophthalmologist fix my cat's eye. Cost a frickin' fortune. I didn't even know they HAD cat ophthalmologists.

    Is he peeing okay? Have they checked for crystals in his bladder that have maybe blocked his urethra? My cat used to have problems with that and it would make him deathly ill.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I understand why you feel guilty but lady, come on! You've done everything you can to make sure Oliver is getting the best care possible. Of course you should be able to feel crappy about how much it's costing. That doesn't mean that you love Oliver any less. You are such a responsible pet owner - Oliver is lucky that you're his owner. I hope you get a diagnosis soon and it's something that's (cheaply) treatable.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Poor little kitty. And poor little Alice. I know how you feel about money - I can't imagine the stress you must be going through. Here's hoping the end of the week is better than the beginning...

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm so sorry you have to deal with the vet bills. When our older cat started to require high-end vet treatment, we were tormented by decisions about how much to allow vs how much we could afford. It sucks.

    ReplyDelete
  10. omg! poor oliver! poor alice's wallet! i can't believe how fast that added up! that's (way) more than my entire prenatal care + birth! how sick is that?!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm sorry babes. I hope Oliver makes a quick recovery. It sucks that hospital and vet bills are so expensive. I hope my cats never have to experience this.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm so sorry :( (Ok... initially I made a typo and accidentally typed a happy face. How sick would that have been! :oO )

    Not to add to your possible guilty feelings, but could it be something from the kitten? Even though she seems to be healthy? Sometimes baby animals carry stuff that they themselves are immune to, so they, themselves, show no symptoms.

    I feel so bad for Oliver (and you.) :( I hope they can figure out what's going on soon.

    And I'm sorry about the costs too. That can be immensely difficult.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I agree with everyone else that you shouldn't feel guilty about your financial worries. It's not your fault that your resources are finite. You're doing what you can!

    The reunion recap can definitely wait for happier times--which I hope will be soon, for your sake and for Oliver's sake.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh, Alice, I'm sorry. It's such an extra kick in the nuts that you have to worry about money too right now.

    Poor Oliver. Poor ALICE.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh, I'm SO sorry. We once had a sick cat situation that maxed out at $1,000, which is significantly less than you're paying, and I was very, very upset about it. We really didn't have the money. It's been ten years and I still feel unhappy---especially because in his case, he turned out to have a flea allergy, which was a $9 cortisone shot and a $10 flea treatment, not $1050 in xrays and tests.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Um, hi! I didn't mean to turn that into ME. I meant to say, "I empathize at 20% of your situation, and I am so sorry you're in this pickle."

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm sorry for the costs, and especially for Oliver's problems. We used to have an older dog with Cushing's disease, and the diagnosis was very time consuming and expensive. The pills were $70 every few months, and follow up appointments and tests twice a year. I don't regret any of it, though she passed on a couple years ago. The thing is, if we had had children when we were first going through all this...We couldn't have justified all the cost. We love our animals tons, but there are limits to what a person can do, cost wise.

    I hope they find a diagnosis/treatment for Oliver soon, but no matter what happens, know that you did the best you possibly could for him.

    I hope he's better soon! :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh, you poor thing! I know what you mean about hating to care about the cost, but how can you help it? One of my cats has a heart condition, and I hate to factor cost into treatment decisions, but you try to be realistic...and yet he's my baby.

    I hope they find out what's wrong with Oliver soon, and that it's easily fixable!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh, honey, you are a good cat mama.

    What if you just take him home and ... um ... let whatever happens, happen? It sounds cruel, especially after you've already paid so much, but where is your limit going to be?

    ReplyDelete
  20. yeah, ok, just read all the comments and I'm the only asshole who said that. I remember when our cats were our babies. I know you must feel horrible, no matter what.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I'm so sorry :( I understand that you feel horrible making a fuss over the expenses but it's very understandable. Perhaps wait to see what this new doctor says. If Oliver has a great chance, then think about continuing treatment. However, if things don't look to good, it might be in his best interest to bring him home and try to improve the quality of life.

    I know this is tough and I'm really sorry. I'm sending you and Oliver good vibes and I really hope Oliver gets to come home soon :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. So, I feel like a total asshole for ranting in today's post about seemingly stupid and petty things. I'm so sorry Ollie still isn't doing better. Hang in there. Like I've been told before, life doesn't hand you what you can't handle. You will figure this out and come out stronger on the other side.

    BTW, ever considered one of those fundraising things for your blog - maybe we could help (even a little bit) with your never-ending costs?!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I'm sorry to hear about Oliver, but please don't beat yourself up too much over any of this. You did what you needed to do when your cat was ill. You had no idea that this was going to happen when you bought the items for the apartment, and it's natural to worry about money.

    For what it's worth, my thoughts and prayers are with you.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Aww...poor little thing. My thoughts are with you and Oliver. I really, really hope he gets better soon. And that it doesn't end up costing much more. You are such a sweetie and you've had a really bad run lately. Surely things will start looking up soon.

    ReplyDelete
  25. This is just horrible. That is a TON of money, but so much for something you may not figure out how to even fix. Poor Oliver. Poor Alice.

    ReplyDelete
  26. my ex-wife and i once spent thousands of dollars on surgery for our baby cat. the doctors tried their best, but our cat had lingering health issues for years.

    do what you feel is right, but Oliver needs a healthy happy mom as much as you need him. sending some good karma your way.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Oh, honey. I am so sorry. It is especially hard to be worrying about money, too. Talk to the vet once the topic of payment comes and ask for a payment plan. That has to be better than nothing, yes?

    I am thinking of you and little Olie.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I loved the library pics. Wow!

    ReplyDelete