Geila, will the shelter neuter him, too? How much would that cost? I would go that route, as it is so much cheaper, and then take your time and look for a good new vet. You might not like the new one and you would be out a lot of money.
My old vet told me when my kitty had fleas to wash her in the tub each day til they were gone. She hated it but it is much more effective than the wet wipes, and I only had to do it twice, with the medicine.
My vet closed his business down completely, no one took over, and he did not give referrals because he said vets charge too much now.
The shelter does the neutering as part of the adoption package but the vet said he is already neutered. My concern with the shelter is that they have a 72 hold for all intakes to provide owners a chance to claim their pets. They post a photo of the pet online and make it available for i.d. purposes. During this time they are kept in cages/kennels in a room full of animals. They are provided with all the essentials, food, water, litter box. But they are not given any personal attention, play time, or the full medical workup. Totally understandable, as they have a limited staff and they get a lot of animals brought in as strays. But that means that this kitty would be caged for 72 hours before receiving his full workup and such.
The shelter had info about a traveling vet clinic that comes to my local pet store every weekend and offers all the vaccinations at a reduced price. I can take him in today to get them. But they do not offer an exam or a full blood work up. They do offer the Feline Leukemia and FIV/FeLV test at $60 for both.
Would that be enough?
Here is what they offer: (it says they offer cat/dog packages but does not give the details)
Rabies - $6
FVRCP - $15
Feline Leukemia - $15
FIV test - $25
FeLV test - $35
Fecal - $40
Total for all = $136
What this does not include, and the shelter does, is treating anything that shows up in the testing. At the shelter, anything that comes up in the full exam is treated and resolved before they are put up for adoption and it is disclosed during the viewing and adoption process. If something contagious comes up, the animal is quarantined during the treatment process.
I've gotten all of my pets from this shelter and they do a great job. The adoption cost is a tiny fraction of their processing cost. The issue I'm having is taking the cat in and knowing that the next week or so will be pretty stressful for him as he is undergoing the process. He is such a sweetheart. My heart hurts thinking about leaving him there, all scared and alone.
Geila: I would not go the shelter route unless my finances dictated that I had no other option. It does sound like it would be stressful for him, and will potentially expose him to diseases before he has been vaccinated.
i wold absolutely not take him to the shelter. They could decide for some reason to euthanize him, he could become even more traumatized from the experience, etc. when I rescue a dog I take it to my vet.
It's official: our family has a new cat!
I took him to the traveling vet clinic this morning. And they were awesome by the way. They said he looks really good, no need for fecal test. Gave him all his shots and microchip for $90. They also said he is a wonderful kitty, which of course I knew. He was such a good boy the whole time. He only got spooked when he had to come out of his carrier for the second time and next to him was a giant uneutered Great Dane! He was like, no way, I'm staying in here. Took 3 of us to get him out. I got him some goodies at the store - bed, collar, toy, wet wipes. He was not a fan of the wet wipes.
Before taking him to the clinic, I put him in the carrier and brought him inside to hang with everyone. My diva was on her favorite stool and showed no reaction to him whatsoever when I placed him a few feet from her on the floor. She hates the carrier so maybe thought he was being punished.When we got back from the clinic, he was in the garage eating and hanging out and she did not move from her spot on the couch where she was sprawled out sleeping. Perhaps a truce has been reached.
He's younger than I thought, vet thinks about 1.5 yrs. But he's bigger than my girl, she's full grown and 10 lbs. He's 12 lbs now and looks like he will get to maybe 15. He's already started gaining weight. Even though he hated the wet wipes, he let me give him a full wipe down. Tomorrow I will brush him. I hope he likes it as much as the diva does.
Thanks for the feedback everyone!
Oh, time to think of a name... let's see, male orange tabby, very sweet and affectionate, a real softie...
He is a big boy so what about Max, if you are considering inviting suggestions. Good call on the vet check and services.
As Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”
Thanks razz, Max is a great name!Originally Posted by razz
And yes, I welcome suggestions.
Orange cats are so cool!
My last cat, I used the Frontline drops on and she got seizures from it. She was a very petite cat and I don't know if it overdosed her or what though I used the lowest weight dose. I've been a bit afraid of them since and my dog always rubbed off all the hair on his backside when I'd try the drops on him. I've heard a lot of people recommending the Seresto collars this year over the drops. We're having a horrible flea problem this year in the mid-west due to the warm winter, spring flooding. I even had my yard treated and I've never had to do that before. I hate chemicals but man, they are bad. I went ahead and got the Serestos about 2 weeks ago and they do seem to be doing better with those.
Float On: My "Happy Place" is on my little kayak in the coves of Table Rock Lake.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack for short?
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