kitty worries

[mabjustmab]

I recently noticed Mr. Squirrel's belly is uncharacteristically round. not the belly fat from being a chubby kitty, but more like he swallowed a whole volleyball. (about that big too).

now, he's not acting like he's hurt. he's still eating and pooping. but tonight he didn't hop off the bed when I came home. not that he always does, but he usually comes around when I'm cooking. (mooch)

after spending time looking for what it could be on the internet (which is just as bad as webMD.), everyone says to take the kitty to the vet.

well, I would love to. but I have NO money. I have money coming in, and I would be willing to make payments, but most of the vet places I looked at say payment in full.

what do I do?
do I wait it out and see if it goes away?
do I wait till I have extra money? (yeah, that'll happen)
how much is a vet visit?
do you know of a vet that does payments?

please, any suggestions you have would be appreciated. I'm a little worried.

Comments

[hitchcock73.livejournal.com]

They are SO expensive. I started taking mine to Kingstowne Cat Clinic a couple of years ago & they're way cheaper than the place in Old Town I took them to first. Like, WAY cheaper. And totally nice & understanding (the vet said she doesn't care if I never get my indoor cats vaccinated again... it's up to me) so they might be accommodating to your needs.

[mabjustmab.livejournal.com]

actually, I have a friend who works there. but the recent reviews on yelp are a little unsettling.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/kingstowne-cat-clinic-alexandria?rpp=40&sort_by=date_desc

[hitchcock73.livejournal.com]

Hm. Having worked at a vet clinic that was totally out for people's money, I thought they seemed quite the opposite. But then I haven't had to take them for anything serious, luckily.

(And that one about the kidney x-ray... that is actually fairly standard procedure in that situation).

Bleh. I wish I had other ideas.Found this though http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html

[mabjustmab.livejournal.com]

update: I'm taking him into the Kingstown on friday. (payday) I expect to pay around $200 for services.

fingers crossed it's not serious.