Treating a cat with colitis

I would take the cat to a vet. I've made the mistake of trying to treat things at home and it inevitably resulted in a larger vet bill than I would have had if I'd just gone to the vet in the first place. Good luck.

Sure. First spend several thousand and four years on a vet degree, then give your cat an exam. Determine if testing is required. Then proceed with treatment.

Sorry for the snark, but health care is important. Diet changes can help, but if you just start switching things around on a cat with 'colitis' then you might be really doing more damage to your already ill cat.

Fiber for what? What are you calling colitis?? If she has blood in her stool you are going to rip her intestines up more by changing to unspecified fiber sources.

Find a vet with care credit and go. Yes it's hard. I recommend putting aside funds for your pet and continually adding to it.

Sorry, but it's tough love from me. Your cat is sick enough that you are asking for help, but not even a vet can help you over the internet. We need to be hands on to diagnose, and then we can treat the individual and the health issue. Everything else is a stab in the dark.

Ps- I'm a vet fyi.

vigeo said:

Anyone here with experience with a cat with colitis? Can the condition be improved with a change in diet without going to the vet? Are there products I can buy locally or Online that can help?

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If you have not gone to a vet how are you sure that the cat has colitis or what might have caused it?

vigeo said:

Just trying to do what I can with the little I have to work with. I have read online that adding fiber and bland foods to the diet might help somewhat, and pet companies are selling certain items. Trips to the vet are expensive. I'll take her as soon as I can.

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It won't help if the problem is that the cat swallow a nail, has round worms, or a tumor. Diagnosis goes before treatment. If you need subsidized care your local animal shelter may be able to refer you to a low cost clinic.

Also, though I completely agree with the 'take the cat to the vet' posts, in a general sense, insurance costs less than the emergency or chronic treatments.

I'm sure the vet can weigh in but while it is a monthly expense, pet insurance isn't a large one and can not only save thousands of dollars, but your pet's life, when the prospect of treatment doesn't carry the additional burden of big bills.

The problem with pet insurance is that it is all reimbursement-based. So you still need to have the money up front, or a vet who will make a payment plan.

veinglory said:

The problem with pet insurance is that it is all reimbursement-based. So you still need to have the money up front, or a vet who will make a payment plan.

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True, but if you have insurance that pays quickly and room on a credit card, that can provide the buffer too. Also as you say, a vet who'd allow for a payment plan or who'd take the insurance co.'s say-so that they'll pay with a downpayment or something...

I dunno, seems a better option than hoping not to get hit with a bill in the thousands that's not getting reimbursed, or having to make really bad choices. I'll take the insurance premium and go begging to the cc or bank or whatever with the insurance form in hand if it comes down to it. Seems safer to me.

One can never fully prevent an animal from having a large vet bill (trauma, acute illness, etc) but one can do their best to prevent it by keeping their pet safe, not allowing them to roam, keep the house safe, and take them to the vet early on in illness rather than later (like when the gut is starting to die off in large sections due to a string foreign body). (Also, NEVER pull on a string that is caught 'between teeth' or 'under the tongue'. You do not want to know how a gentle pull can severely destroy your cat's (or dog's) intestines while bunching them accordion style.)

As for insurance, I have no opinion either way, having never dealt with it (I'm a one woman show and mobile). When income is tight I suggest putting money aside, as above, selling anything that belongs to you and isn't nailed down, and seeing what luxuries you might manage without (expensive coffees, toys, cable, etc) or even redoing your budget.

Care Credit is useful but it will absolutely bite you in the ass if you don't pay it off.

And at the end of the day, if you don't feel okay about spending thousands for a surgery or procedure, especially one with a poor prognosis, then don't. We all have to make choices.

But basic vet care and evaluations are an important part of pet ownership. That includes annual (or twice annual) exams and early treatment for illness.

I don't have pet insurance, but I do put away something each month in case of pet emergencies. It's tough and can be expensive, but it's better to catch things early.

veinglory said:

If you have not gone to a vet how are you sure that the cat has colitis or what might have caused it?

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That's what I was wondering... I have a cat that has to eat hypoallergenic food. At first I got it from the vet, but there's a grocery store here that sells a different brand for much cheaper but is still fine.

My cat has several allergies, one of which is fish. She's also diabetic. I have to read the labels on everything she eats.