The Cat Thread

Guys, I need to mentally prepare for this - the wart / lump / spot whatever it is on Patch's lip has changed shape and colour pretty much over night, which means I need to bring her back to the vet to have it removed. Can you give me a rough idea how much would it cost to have a minor surgery on a cat that requires general anesthetic, blood tests, the full works? I know the actual cost will obvs depend on the nature of the surgery, but pre op checks and GA should cost about the same across the board?

Her insurance covers up to £3000, which doesn't seem a lot now reality is slowly hitting home...

Thank you

Little guy seems to have got in a bit of a scrap the other day (or he fell off something outside) and now the scratch between his shoulders has become a bit of an abcess. Cue a visit to the vet later.

Should probably get insurance...

Oh, and he tried to escape out the front last night when I was throwing out his old litter - going in to people's front gardens shaking a bag of dreamies for ten minutes was fun. He's never done that before but we don't let him out the front because of cars.

The vet will most likely give him an antibiotic shot. When my cat had her second abscess from being bitten I just squeezed out the puss and bathed the wound in warm salt water morning and evening.
The first time it happened was really worried but I don't really worry anymore. She always beefing any other cat!

What did the spot turn out to be? And how much did the vet cost if you don't mind me asking??

don't know, Patch is with the vet now, so I guess we won't know what it is until later the week, unless they have in house lab? Picking her up in a little while.

But I was told it's more than likely cancerous, because of where it is and their experience etc, although it is small and can be removed and shold be the end of the matter... perviously I was told by a different vet practice and another vet from the practice we are with now, that it's just a wart, and can wait and no need to bother with it. I am so fucking glad I did bother with it and insisted for her to be seen again by the boss vet who went for the chop with no hesitation. Could still be a wart, which is why I am not pointing fingers at anyone yet... Will let you now once I know what's what.

The total cost would be, without insurance, about £800 that includes per and po op appts, bloods, and a dental cleaning which I will have to pay for. There might be more money to be paid later on depends on how she recoves etc, but all in all, I should only have to pay no more tha £200 (£80 to insurer and £100 for dental clean).

If you want a break down:

Routine dental clean with GA on its own = around £400
Routine bloods = around £50

But because we are claiming all the pre op preps and GA under her insurance, so I only have to pay for the actual detal work.

Never though I would say this, but thank fuck for insurance. Haven't actually put in a claim yet, but have spoken to the John Lewis (Patch's insurer) a couple of times and they seem very helpful and reasonable.

Turns out he's been bitten by a fox right between the shoulder blades. Big puncture wounds. He's on antibiotics now and we have to keep an eye on the wounds in case they become inflamed again over the next couple of days.

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That looks sore! I hope he gave as good as he got...

We are home. Never seen the cat so happy to be home.

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Just had a proper good look at the itemised bill of Patch's treatment today and my conclusion is that most vets, except the charity ones, are greedy. The charged me £20 for a cat harness that the RRP is less than £8... and they charged me a disposible cone of shame for a tenner...

CHAT would probably have done the whole job for a couple of hundred pounds...

They're priced on the assumption insurance companies are footing the bill.

It's a bit like the army paying $20k for a hammer.

Only problem is the insurer won't pay for the harness and they know it... I am going to ask them when we go back on Friday, as I am pretty sure the manager told me it was £7-8.

I did wonder this morning how come the total is exactly the same as the rough estimate... it would be interesting to know if we didn't have insurance, would the total be very different...

Yeah, no harm in asking... I've heard of vets charging less for people without insurance. YMMV, though.

I am not suggesting any vets are doing anything dodgy. But if a vet charges more on an insured pet than a non insured one, doesn't it make it a fraud? There is a box on my claim form that the attending vet has to tick to state that they would charge anyone the same price as they are claiming... just saying...

I am not suggesting any vets are doing anything dodgy

doesn't it make it a fraud?

huh?

Wolverine....yeah

Maximum chill.

So Patch's lump turned out to be a low grade tumour... not a wart. I am so so so glad that we went to a different vet and got the correct diagnosis. It's all been removed now so it all should be well.

As for the £20 harness, they charged me for the wrong item, it's only £7. ;-)

This is Atticus. I'll upload a decent picture of Scout when I can get her to sit still.

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^ what a beauty! them blue eyes...

Cat got in a fight at 4am at the back of the garden and came home barely able to walk. Again. This time it's one of his back feet - the outer toe is visibly swollen and he's hopping around on the other leg a bit but mostly laying down. Given him some cat-suitable painkillers and just seeing what happens. Last time he was fine after a day.

I'm pleased Patch is fit and well.

This one has just celebrated his 11th birthday. He is becoming a real soppy sausage who wants to be fussed at every opportunity.

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Hendricks & Tonic are getting bigger...

Hendricks managed to get out of the skylight in our kitchen on Saturday morning (a solid 3.5m off the ground). Floor > Surface > Fridge > Cooker Hood > Freedom. Cheeky bastard.