Expert: Ali - 8/15/2009

Question
My female cat,Seraphina,is about 6 years old...not spayed..only indoors..recently I noticed a yellow/greenish mucous discharge from her vulva/urethra area at bath time. I took her to the vet the next day..they are afraid she may have pyometra and wrote me up a tentative bill in the price range of $930-$1350 depending on what they find. They wanted to do emergency spay..and diagnostics.I do not have that kind of cash. So the vet put her on antibiotics.She has been on antibiotics for about a weekend a half..her follow up Appt. is Monday..Aug 17. I don't know what to do..I have not seen any more mucous discharge for a few days now but I did see drops of blood?? maybe it was a UTI or Stones?? I don't know what to do..She has had no change in appetite.Seems very happy and affectionate as usual.I want her to have any tests/treatments she needs but how???? Any info would be greatly appreciated. I would be devastated to loose my special polydactyl(on all 4 feet) girl.She looks like a pixibob/bengal mix.She is very beautiful.  Ty-Jennifer  I am in Ephrata, Pennsylvania.

Answer
Jennifer,

I can't make any guarantees, many of the organizations that will help to cover some or all medical costs are charities dependent on private donations and as I'm sure you're aware the economic times are tough which means many people aren't donating the money to charity that they normally would. I completely agree with your vet that Seraphina should be spayed ASAP because she does in all likelihood have pyometra based on what you described. The only way to treat pyometra successfully and get rid of it forever is to spay Seraphina. If the bloody discharge you've seen from Seraphina's vagina is as a result of a UTI or stones she's in need of immediate care, possibly as an inpatient. My concern with temporarily dealing with Seraphina's uterine infection with antibiotics is that she may develop what's called a closed pyometra which means that she's still got the infection without the discharge - in cases like this the uterus can rupture spreading infection throughout her abdomen which wouldn't be likely to have a favorable outcome. Antibiotics are a stop gap measure at this point because pyometra will come back and eventually antibiotics aren't going to be effective leaving you with some horrible and difficult decisions to make. It's clear to me that you love your cat very much and you only want what's best for her. Hopefully these ideas will help you and Seraphina:

- Ask the veterinarian about a payment plan that would allow you to pay for Seraphina's care in installments

- Contact CareCredit, these folks finance veterinary bills which means that you can pay the cost of Seraphina's care over time kind of like a credit card.

- The Animal Rescue of Western PA, clinic@animalrescue.org

- The Humane Society of Berks County Veterinary Hospital http://www.berkshumane.org/vets/vets_services.asp

If you have any further questions, concerns or you’d like me to clarify something in this answer I’d be happy to help you out as much as I’m able to.