Bast’s Emergency Surgery
Donation protected
Just before midnight on 22 March 2024, my cat Bast, whom I’ve had since 2017 as an older kitten, was taken to the ER just before midnight for blood in his urine. The vet said he had something akin to sterile cytosis and they had difficulty getting a urinary sample for testing due to the amount of debris and crystals in his bladder clogging up the needle. He was stabilized and given pain meds to take at home as well as a prescription for specific cat food to help with stress and urinary health.
The ER visit alone was just under $600 which I paid with all of my available credit with Bank of America and Care Credit, $9.25 from my savings account as they don’t give change, and around $500 cash that I had scraped together from less essential bills and lunch money.
While his health seems to be improving, the vet said any time during his recovery he could get a urinary obstruction which is incredibly life threatening and needs immediate care. My only options to keep him from suffering are euthanasia and surgery under anesthesia with a few days hospitalization, which would be $3-4k. I don’t have $4k I can just drop so suddenly and unless I borrow money preemptively from my boss, which would also mean him taking 50-60% of my paycheck to pay it off, I don’t have a way to get that money so quickly.
I have already reached out to Care Credit to raise my credit limit with them as they had cut it by almost 60% and I was rejected. I tried making an account with Scratch Pay and they rejected me as well. I have been reaching out to various programs, organizations, etc about my situation and so far haven’t received any help, just being told they don’t do emergency care or given information for other places.
Bast is currently booked for a normal vet appointment for his flea treatment that is due where I will be discussing this with his normal vet and seeing what ways in which they can help. I also got a call from the ER that said it was Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC) and with this things can get better or worse depending on the situation. Just doing my best to make sure he improves, but I have no idea what I could do if he ends up needing surgery.
The ER visit alone was just under $600 which I paid with all of my available credit with Bank of America and Care Credit, $9.25 from my savings account as they don’t give change, and around $500 cash that I had scraped together from less essential bills and lunch money.
While his health seems to be improving, the vet said any time during his recovery he could get a urinary obstruction which is incredibly life threatening and needs immediate care. My only options to keep him from suffering are euthanasia and surgery under anesthesia with a few days hospitalization, which would be $3-4k. I don’t have $4k I can just drop so suddenly and unless I borrow money preemptively from my boss, which would also mean him taking 50-60% of my paycheck to pay it off, I don’t have a way to get that money so quickly.
I have already reached out to Care Credit to raise my credit limit with them as they had cut it by almost 60% and I was rejected. I tried making an account with Scratch Pay and they rejected me as well. I have been reaching out to various programs, organizations, etc about my situation and so far haven’t received any help, just being told they don’t do emergency care or given information for other places.
Bast is currently booked for a normal vet appointment for his flea treatment that is due where I will be discussing this with his normal vet and seeing what ways in which they can help. I also got a call from the ER that said it was Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC) and with this things can get better or worse depending on the situation. Just doing my best to make sure he improves, but I have no idea what I could do if he ends up needing surgery.
Organizer
Sebastian Sean Crow
Organizer
San Antonio, TX