I’m deeply worried that my near-senior cat (who’s under my mother’s care due to being discouraged not to have her in my small apartment) because while she still seems fairly healthy despite me never being able to afford hundreds to thousands of dollars worth of vet visits, she has been shedding profusely and it could be because she lacks proper nutrition like omega-3 or she is stressed due to being trapped in the basement (my mother doesn’t want her upstairs because she worries about her furniture being destroyed).

I came across some videos about cat health on my YouTube algorithm, one saying that feeding your cat wet food everyday will repair their coat and improve their overall health (cats need water from food, since they can can’t drink it alone). However, I tried giving her wet food and she didn’t touch it.

My mom downplaying a cat’s health by telling me to “worry less and pray more” isn’t gonna cut it. A cat’s life is sacred and they deserve to live long and healthy. My first cat had severe gingivitis and it caused her to lose all of her canine teeth, plus she was throwing up a lot at a young age. Without regular vet visits, she lived to be 14, but I believe she would’ve lived much longer had we’d been proactive in her health. And pet insurance isn’t cheap, either!

What is the most affordable (and effective) healthcare for cats? And for those who can’t, how do you manage grief from your cat’s hidden pain?