whats wrong with my mother inlaw's cat?

Question

my other inlaws cat is about 3 years old, she was a stray until she took her in. she never had any shots and she ws never spayed. in the last month she has been loosing weight and now she is shrinking and her hair is starting to fall out. I asked my vet about it and they said she might have feline leukemia but it will cost almost $300 to have her tested and my mother in law is a senior citizen on a budget. I wish I could loan her the money to have the cat tested but I can't. Does anyone have any idea what might be wrong with her? Also, I'm not sure if it matters but she has had 2 litters of kittens in the last 2 years, and she was a runt when we found her.

Answer 1

Unfortunately, fel-leuk is quite likely in this scenario. It could be other, less serious things such as an allergy of some type which can cause weight loss and alopecia (hair loss). Sadly, the only way to know for sure is by testing. I would call other vets in your area and get quotes on the test as rates can vary widely between clinics. Some vets offer payment plans as well. Your local animal shelter may be able to advise you. You could also try changing her diet to a hypo-allergenic one. Hypo diets for cats are based on venison or duck which seem less likely to cause reactions in sensitive cats. If she improves on this diet, then it's likely she had a food allergy, although food is not the only thing cats are allergic to.
Please remember to keep the cat isolated until you know more as Fel-leuk is highly contagious to other cats. If she does have this disease, she will deteriorate fairly quickly if it's not treated. The kindest thing would be to put her to sleep under those circumstances.
If she gets better, you may want to consider having her spayed. She will be much healthier and happier, and there will be fewer kittens added to the unwanted pet population. Some cities have spay/neuter clinics where they do this surgery very cheaply.
Good luck.

Answer 2

Feline leukemia if not treated will kill the cat. If the vet says that is what it is then it is leukemia. I suggest the cat be put to sleep because it is suffering now and will be worse. you are not doing the cat any favors by keeping it alive with no treatments. being a runt doesn't matter. nor having kittens .; the kittens at least one my develop the same thing . you may talk to someone at a shelter and see what is suggested .

Answer 3

Feline Leukemia, Feline Aids, Diabetes, Kidney problems. It could be a bunch of things. She needs to be seen by a veterinarian immediately, that is the only answer. Guessing here isn't going to help.

If you explain the monetary situation to a vet, they may be able to put you on a payment plan.

Answer 4

basically an animal general practitioner can advise on that. i'm no longer a vet so i quite have not have been given any clue what's incorrect with the cat. many circumstances the cat has psychological wellbeing or psychiatric issues, which exchange their habit dramatically. it quite is wrong as being ill and a vet checkup is desperate.

Answer 5

I'm not sure where you take the cat,but that is awfully high.I had a cat examined ,tested(It came out positive),put to sleep and cremated for $120.00.If she has only one cat, this is no reason to put the cat down, unless it has lost its quality of life.They can live a long time with this disease,if cared for properly.Unfortunately the cat I put down was a stray I had been feeding,was going to take in and and could not because of the other cats I have.A friend of mine had a cat that lived with this for 11 years

Answer 6

Check with your local SPCA to see if they do low cost testing or if they can refer you to a vet who would do the testing for a reduced cost. The SPCA near me does the testing for $40.

If it turns out that she's healthy, please get her spayed. There are too many kittens in need of homes already and spaying prevents several types of cancer in cats.