I am currently fostering a mother and her almost 10 week old babies. I have had them for almost 6 weeks and rescued them from a certain death at a high kill shelter. They were starving and had coccidia, tapeworms, earmites, etc when I got them. I have nursed them to health and they were doing great.
I was gone all day and came back to a kitten who was lethargic, purring, and dehydrated. She had vomited multiple times and wouldn't eat. I see pieces of a soft pom toy in her vomit. (I have had 50 kittens play with this type toy without problems in the past!) I am almost certain this is the cause of her illness. She seems uncomfortable when I press her belly. No one else is sick, she was doing great this morning, and is afebrile.
I know she needs to see a vet and probably get surgery. I called my rescue directly immedicately. The rescue that I foster through with does not want her to see the emergency vet due to cost. She said that if she wasn't better in the am, she may see a regular vet (although I doubt get surgery).
I told myself years ago when I started fostering that I could not afford to pay for vet bills out of pocket for my fosters or I couldn't foster like I do now (20-25 kitties/year). I have money so my own cats can have anything they need, but my temporary fosters are fosters. I have complete resources to serve my 2 cats, but not numerous fosters, which is one of the many reasons I foster and don't own more kitties. My own kitty had a 1300 vet bill last year to save his life- he is doing great and I can't think of 1300 dollars better spent.
The rescue I work with almost never pays for expensive diagnostics including vet bills, lab tests, xrays, surgeries, etc, for any of their cats. They get better with medicine and fluids or they die. This philosophy is crushing me.
I know no one can help or tell me anything that I don't already know in this situation. I am just heartbroken and most of my non-kitty loving people don't understand this position. I want to help, but I feel powerless.
I was gone all day and came back to a kitten who was lethargic, purring, and dehydrated. She had vomited multiple times and wouldn't eat. I see pieces of a soft pom toy in her vomit. (I have had 50 kittens play with this type toy without problems in the past!) I am almost certain this is the cause of her illness. She seems uncomfortable when I press her belly. No one else is sick, she was doing great this morning, and is afebrile.
I know she needs to see a vet and probably get surgery. I called my rescue directly immedicately. The rescue that I foster through with does not want her to see the emergency vet due to cost. She said that if she wasn't better in the am, she may see a regular vet (although I doubt get surgery).
I told myself years ago when I started fostering that I could not afford to pay for vet bills out of pocket for my fosters or I couldn't foster like I do now (20-25 kitties/year). I have money so my own cats can have anything they need, but my temporary fosters are fosters. I have complete resources to serve my 2 cats, but not numerous fosters, which is one of the many reasons I foster and don't own more kitties. My own kitty had a 1300 vet bill last year to save his life- he is doing great and I can't think of 1300 dollars better spent.
The rescue I work with almost never pays for expensive diagnostics including vet bills, lab tests, xrays, surgeries, etc, for any of their cats. They get better with medicine and fluids or they die. This philosophy is crushing me.
I know no one can help or tell me anything that I don't already know in this situation. I am just heartbroken and most of my non-kitty loving people don't understand this position. I want to help, but I feel powerless.