Hey all,

Despite the concerns of my parents, back last year my brother and his (then) girlfriend purchased two kittens. My brother and the girlfriend have since split, and she hasn't had any concern for the (now) Cats since. The breakup was back in February if I recall correctly.

Anyway, for whatever reason, neither of them (my brother, or the girlfriend) bothered to get the Cats insured. This again was against the advice of my parents who told him to do so as soon as possible.

Anyway, one of the Cats has done something to his Leg, and can't seem to put any pressure on it. He (the cat) can walk (more hobble), and is still eating (so I presume is not in agonising pain).

My brother has taken the Cat to the Vet, who has suggested it might be a fractured/broken leg, and that he'll need an X-Ray to determine what's wrong. This is a fee of £350 I think. Depending on how the X-Ray results come back, he'll be referred to a specialist or something down Bristol, which presents an estimated £3000 bill.

My brother can barely afford the fee for the X-Ray (of which he's questioning), let alone a further bill of £3000. Yes, he's stupid for not taking out insurance when he was told too, he knows this, me and my parents have told him enough times, but that's in the past now.

Is there anything else he can do? Anyone he can see to get funding or whatever (short of taking out a loan which I know he wont do). It's possible the Cat has merely strained or pulled a muscle and that it'll sort itself out, but there's no guarantee of that.

It might be worth mentioning that for the most part the two Cats don't venture out much; they prefer the comforts of living inside, though the one Cat (the injured one) has gone out on his own accord every now and again. It was outside (somewhere) where the injury occurred.

Try PDSA or Blue Cross would be my first thought. There maybe other local charities too.
It might be worth calling round other vets to see what they charge for an x-ray just in case this one is just stupidly expensive.

Sadly, as more people have got pet insurance then the vets have been able to raise their fees, such that now its not really an option to not have insurance. Though I do know some people who put an equivalent amount to the insurance away each month into a savings account for emergencies.
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Agree with PDSA route. Try the eligibility test to see if you qualify.

https://www.pdsa.org.uk/vet-services/eligibility

That sounds a lot for x rays agree with ringing around to get an estimate from other vets. He must get the poor cat treated, it must be in a lot of pain.

Thank You for all your replies. I'm told he's phoned up a Cat Sanctuary (of sorts) and that they've agreed to take the Cat off him, though this does mean it'll be rehomed once treated which is a shame, especially as the other Cat will no doubt likely have become attached/semi-reliant on her brother.

Cats are pretty solitary, I doubt she'll be too worried about her brother moving out. You must make sure they get insurance for her though else they'll just end up in the same situation again.

Whilst Cats can be solitary, these two Cats (which are Siblings) have always had each other.

I know when my brother and his girlfriend broke up, the Cats (both of them) were off their food for a week or two. They noticed. I fear both the Cats will feel ... at a loss without the other one.

Could they be rehomed together ? It sometimes is best to think of the cats welfare not how much they will be missed by family.

Hugs for both kitties! (((((Hug)))))

Too late now I'm afraid. The injured Cat has already been collected. Hopefully he'll find a new home, and hopefully my brother will get insurance for the remaining one; speaking of, I was down there last week, and she (the remaining Cat) is far more attentive.