My cat is almost 4 years old we recently brought a dog home , right now money is itght and can not afford a vet bill but hehas been throwing up white foam like stuff and not eating or drinking anything what can I do to help him fel better and get some fluids in him!

This is the terrible fact of things but if you cannot afford all of the costs of having a pet - food, Vet bills - you have no business owning a pet. That dog (or cat, it's difficult to know which pet you are addressing) should not suffer or be in pain or even die because you have no funds to provide Vet care.

The cost of a pet is most definitely not the purchase price. It's everything that goes along with owning the pet.

He needs Vet care and if you can't afford it, then you need to surrender him. Animals dehydrate to a critical stage very, very quickly and he very well may need IVs.

Don't make him suffer any longer. Surrender him.

I don't know why this is posted under Family and People and not pets.

You got a new dog knowing full well you can't afford the vet? Why did you get the dog?

Your cat needs a vet. You OWE it to your pet to help save it's life. If you are a good client with your vet (ie come in yearly for shots, etc) they should work out a payment plan.
You NEED to take your cat in. If you are not able to, then surrender the cat to someone who will.

Please at least bring the cat to the vet! They can work out the bills with you. But money is material, although you need it, your cats life matters so much more, someone who can support his/her needs for vet bills should take care of your cat! Please just make sure your cat gets there!! In some cases, vets HAVE done procedures for no cost, so go there and explain your situation you owe it to your cat's life to try! And if you get there and can't afford it still DO NOT give up. Heck I would help pay if I could. But find someone who can. Good luck for him/her!

As everyone has said, your cat NEEDS to go to a vet. It could be something as simple as a hairball he can't pass, or something as serious as ingested toxins.

On the off chance it is a hairball, you can try giving him hairball medicine or a spoonful of butter. Both will help pass a hairball.

Even if it IS just a hairball, you still need to get him to a vet. Hairballs can build up to the point where they cause intestinal blockages and can even kill the animal.

Call area vets and see if any of them are willing to set up a payment plan with you, or know of any services that help with vet care.

I'm having an issue with the cat not eating and drinking. Cats can get very ill rather quickly when they aren't eating, so even if it's minor now, you don't get some food in him, you could end up with a worse problem.

Try different foods, try zapping some canned food in the microwave for just a few seconds to make it more smelly, put a little tuna juice on it... you can also try meat baby food with no onion - sometimes cats will eat that when they won't eat anything else. If it becomes necessary, you can get a big syringe, some pate style canned food, water it down enough to go through the syringe and carefully, slowly syringe some into the side of the mouth. (Don't squirt it into the back of the throat.) It's easier if you put vaseline of the rubber plunger thingy so it doesn't get stuck and then go in jerks.

A toxin is a possibility, which would need flushed out with IV. (Getting some water in him won't do the trick there.)

The white foam can be a sign of stomach acid.

Might be minor, might be an emergency. We can't fix emergencies over the internet.

Here's one thread I found elsewhere that I thought had a pretty good answer that I concur with, although that cat appears to be eating.
http://www.justanswer.com/questions/...-up-white-foam

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Originally Posted by JudyKayTee

This is the terrible fact of things but if you cannot afford all of the costs of having a pet - food, Vet bills - you have no business owning a pet. That dog (or cat, it's difficult to know which pet you are addressing) should not suffer or be in pain or even die because you have no funds to provide Vet care.

The cost of a pet is most definitely not the purchase price. It's everything that goes along with owning the pet.

He needs Vet care and if you can't afford it, then you need to surrender him. Animals dehydrate to a critical stage very, very quickly and he very well may need IVs.

Don't make him suffer any longer. Surrender him.

I don't know why this is posted under Family and People and not pets.

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Okay i ask for advice for one i am very good to my animals and right now with me losing my job it is tuff to payy 300 for a vet bill for them to tell me something i am trying to find out now further more if u don't have an answer to how i can get my cat help other then the vet do not reply!

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Originally Posted by lj.

please at least bring the cat to the vet! They can work out the bills with you. But money is material, although you need it, your cats life matters so much more, someone who can support his/her needs for vet bills should take care of your cat! Please just make sure your cat gets there!!!! In some cases, vets have done procedures for no cost, so go there and explain your situation you owe it to your cat's life to try! And if you get there and can't afford it still do not give up. Heck i would help pay if i could. But find someone who can. Good luck for him/her!

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Haks I am working out the billing now times are so tuff right now and I have had siebs since he was a baby and I don't want him to get sick due to stress but they told me to let it work it self out he is still throing up and I owe a bill for them to tell me let it work through his system it so hard watching him suffer!

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Originally Posted by morgaine300

i'm having an issue with the cat not eating and drinking. Cats can get very ill rather quickly when they aren't eating, so even if it's minor now, you don't get some food in him, you could end up with a worse problem.

Try different foods, try zapping some canned food in the microwave for just a few seconds to make it more smelly, put a little tuna juice on it... You can also try meat baby food with no onion - sometimes cats will eat that when they won't eat anything else. If it becomes necessary, you can get a big syringe, some pate style canned food, water it down enough to go through the syringe and carefully, slowly syringe some into the side of the mouth. (don't squirt it into the back of the throat.) it's easier if you put vaseline of the rubber plunger thingy so it doesn't get stuck and then go in jerks.

A toxin is a possibility, which would need flushed out with iv. (getting some water in him won't do the trick there.)

the white foam can be a sign of stomach acid.

Might be minor, might be an emergency. We can't fix emergencies over the internet.

Here's one thread i found elsewhere that i thought had a pretty good answer that i concur with, although that cat appears to be eating.
My cat is throwing up white foam. - JustAnswer

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Thaks you for your advice everyone acts as if I am a horribl;e person I just want to help my cat he is finally drinking but I am going to try feeding him the food how you said! The vet says it is stress

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Originally Posted by kimmie87

okay i ask for advice for one i am very GOOD TO MY ANIMALS AND RIGHT NOW WITH ME LOOSING MY JOB IT IS TUFF TO PAYY 300 FOR A VET BILL FOR THEM TO TELL ME SOMTHING I AM TRYING TO FIND OUT NOW FURTHER MORE IF U DONT HAVE AN ANSWER TO HOW I CAN GET MY CAT HELP OTHER THEN THE VET DO NOT REPLY!

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Oh, I disagree - first, don't type in caps. It's the same as shouting and can get you warned.

Secondly, don't even attempt to dictate who will answer you and in what manner. This is an open forum and you should expect to get a wide variety of opinions.

You already know the Vet bill will be $300?

I don't think you are "very good" to your pet. Please define what "very good" entails.

A responsible animal owner can afford to feed, house, provide medical care for a pet. If you can't do that, surrender the cat so it doesn't continue to suffer. You are having difficulty watching the suffering. I would "guess" that the cat is suffering, too.

You can do something about it. The cat can't.

EDIT: When you asked the question you didn't appear to have a clue what was causing the problem. Now it's stress.

Which one is it - you don't know or it's stress.

If it's stress, stress from what?

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Originally Posted by morgaine300

If it becomes necessary, you can get a big syringe, some pate style canned food, water it down enough to go through the syringe and carefully, slowly syringe some into the side of the mouth. (Don't squirt it into the back of the throat.) It's easier if you put vaseline of the rubber plunger thingy so it doesn't get stuck and then go in jerks.

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Always agree with you, respect your opinions but want to add that this part of your post can be dangerous if the person doesn't know what he/she is doing. When I worked in rescue I heard of animals aspirating when people tried to force this issue.

You explained it very well but I am always afraid that people aren't listening so I'm just repeating - slowly, into the side of the mouth, not down the throad.

Hope this is okay with you -

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Originally Posted by JudyKayTee

A responsible animal owner can afford to feed, house, provide medical care for a pet. If you can't do that, surrender the cat so it doesn't continue to suffer.

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Ouch, that hurts. BAD. Times have gotten tough for some people. Including me.

I'm a very responsible pet owner of 4 dogs. My husband recently lost his job and vet bills can be very hard to afford without taking food from my children's mouths. But I am NOT going to surrender my 4 dogs for a, hopefully, temporary setback. They are part of my family, they are like my children.

This may also be the situation with the OP. Let's remember to take the declining economy and loss of employment into account when we are trying to help people with pets. Pets don't have affordable health insurance or medicaid.

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Originally Posted by J_9

Ouch, that hurts. BAD. Times have gotten tough for some people. Including me.

I'm a very responsible pet owner of 4 dogs. My husband recently lost his job and vet bills can be very hard to afford without taking food from my children's mouths. But I am NOT going to surrender my 4 dogs for a, hopefully, temporary setback. They are part of my family, they are like my children.

This may also be the situation with the OP. Let's remember to take the declining economy and loss of employment into account when we are trying to help people with pets. Pets don't have affordable health insurance or medicaid.

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I agree with you and we've all been there at one time or another.

BUT if one of your dogs was suffering - and OP makes a comment about it being difficult to watch the cat suffering - what would you do?

I certainly have had to make arrangements to make payments with Vets who ordinarily don't want to hear about payments - but I was in a bad financial spot, my dog was sick, I (literally) begged. The fact that the Vet had treated my dogs for years didn't hurt, either.

I disagree respectfully (I hope).

My issue with this is not that she can't afford vet care. Yes, times are tough, and sometimes we cannot afford to spend hundreds of dollars on a vet. I understand that, and cannot condemn the OP for that. After all, she has had the cat for 4 years, and did say she recently lost her job. It happens.

My issue with this post is that she can't afford a vet, but she still ended up getting another pet, her dog.

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My cat is almost 4 years old we recently brought a dog home

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If you knew times were tough, vet care was not a possibility, why would you get another pet?

There actually is the equivalent of medicaid for pets. Just ask your vet.

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Originally Posted by Sariss

There actually is the equivalent of medicaid for pets. Just ask your vet.

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Do you have info on this? When my GSD (now dead) was sick and needed expensive tests and medicine I took a part-time job typing legal transcripts to pay his bills.

I never heard word one about any such program!

This would help so many people - do you have anywhere I could find the info?

(Thank goodness I no longer need the help but I could have used it then.)

In Canada there is Petcard ( Petcard - Canada's Veterinary Financing Company ) Not sure if there is one in the states, I would assume so.

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Originally Posted by Sariss

There actually is the equivalent of medicaid for pets. Just ask your vet.

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I would like info on that as well.

I found one in the states! CareCredit Veterinary Financing for Pet Care, Pet Surgery, Vaccinations & Other Veterinary Medicine Procedures

The interest on Petcard is pretty nuts- like 30% I think? My brother used it to pay for a $6000 surgery on his dog.