UPDATE: My momma came home today and said we will take him in Monday cause she heard one of his fits last night. She claims she's never heard it before, but i know she has. Oh well, at least we are going!!

Ok, my animals (12 chickens, 3 dogs, 3 cats, and 2 cockatiels) are like my children. I love them so much and would be brokenhearted if anything happened to them. Heck, im broken hearted when i see an animals run over on the side of the road (I am putting my love of animals to use by becoming a vet when i get to college)

Lately my cat Oscar has been having sneezing fits, and coughing and hacking fits on and off for about a week or a little more. And I am terribly worried. Sure, it could be allergies or something, but it could also be something like heartworms or an upper respiratory infection, or something even more serious that he can pass on to my other cats. I keep on telling my mom and telling her and telling her we NEED NEED NEED to take him to the vet. At first, she agreed, reasoning that he needed a worm pill anyway. But then when i reminded her the second time, she got all angry asking the usual, "Do you have any money!?" And, yes, I do. Hardly anything to sneeze at, $67 saved from my job. I was hoping to put it towards a cell phone, but that can wait while my baby is in need. I have no idea if that will cover the vet bill or not, but my sister Amy also offered to send some money to us for it. So, I tell my mom that I will try and pay for it if she will take him in to the vet Monday. And she just got mad and rolled her eyes at me! What the ****? She complains that the money is the problem and then when that problem is solved, she still is resistant! I dont understand at all. I cant drive, so i cant do anything about it cause i live in the middle of nowhere.

Ok, i can partly understand. She grew up poor on a farm where cats just ran around wild and took care of themselves, so she probably feels its ridiculous to spend so much money on a cat. But thats not us now, and i dont understand how she can watch him be sick and not take some action. I mean, once before my cat Gracie got her belly ripped open by one of our stupid dogs (I only like one of the dogs) and she actually paid $550 for the surgery and medicine and whatnot (which surprised the **** out of me!) Now, its not even her money.

Im sorry about your kitty, I love my cat like a baby too, and would be devestated if something happened to him.

Maybe your mother has something on her mind that you dont know about. Something that is really stressing her out. I now when I am really stressed out I find myself a bit snappy with my daughter. I try not to get that way, but somethimes life can deal you some real hard blows.

Do you have someone else that can give you and kitty a ride to the vet? You can call and make the appointment, you don't have to be an adult. Sounds to me like your kitty has a respiratory infection and will pass it on to the rest of the cats, if he has not already...and then what are you going to do? If you don't treat it, it'll only get worse, until........you know.

Try to get a ride or have a heart to heart with your mom (and cry if you have to-that always gets us, but be sincere).

Good luck.

Cheryl

My pets are my kids too... I have 2 cats and 4 cockatiels.
I absolutely loathe people who cannot or willnot take care of their pets, and people who purposefully get pets knowing they cannot afford to take care of them.
Animals are people too.
One of my cockatiels has been sick on and off for just over a year. She is a little bird! We don't know exactly what is wrong with her, as it would cost ALOT of money to find out (several hundred dollars) and we still couldn't do anything different. Anyway, she gets fluid build-up in her abdomen (could be from a fatty liver or congestive heart failure - yes birds get those too) and eventually it gets bad enough to greatly restrict her movement and her breathing. We do comfort care with her, she used to take Lasix, but that did nothing for her. We take her to the vet to have her abdomen drained when necessary (we're talking between 10cc and 30cc of fluid removed from her tiny abdomen each time). Each time, this costs us $25. I'd rather spend the money than watch her suffer....
Anyway, you need to call your vet, tell him/her what is going on with the cat and see what they suggest. If they recommend bringing the cat in, tell them that you are limited on what you can spend and ask if they can make payment arrangements with you. I think most vets would be willing to do so, especially in the interest of getting an animal well. I would take the cat behind your mom's back... she needs an attitude adjust toward animals big time.

I understand how you feel. I have chocolate labs and they are my babies. One of them was hit by a gas company truck in my own front yard. I spent lots of money having his hip splinted. It made him sterile, which was very disappointing as I had bought a female also to breed him with. The female got Lymes disease and it was expensive, but worth it to have her treated. My BIL is a vet and I get all the meds to give my dogs their shots, myself. I can't stand to see an animal be abandoned or suffer. We have taken in several strays over the years. Especially cats that have shown up. Good luck and I hope you can resolve this and get help for your kitty.

Thanks everyone--I did think about calling the office to see what they recommend doing. I can probably get my mom to take me in if i bug her enough. Or, today, I'll tell my sister Cristy about it, she can back me up. We really do provide the best care possible for all of our animals, which is why i really dont understand whats going on. I'll just have to reason with her. Say, you know, if he goes untreated and its contagious, he can pass it (whatever it is) on to gracie and honey (the other cats) and then it would be even more expensive to treat, so it'd be better to get it checked out now.