I'm going to call a vet tomorrow but I've never owned a pet and readings these forums has me concerned that this will cost me an arm and a leg.

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Congratulations on opening your home to your mother's cat. She is very fortunate to have you taking care of her. It is good you are calling a vet. If she isn't eating, I'd get her in ASAP. When cats don't eat for a couple days, they can have complications (liver problems). Chances are your vet will be able to figure out what is going on and it won't be too expensive. I have two Senior cats (turned 15 this month) and have found their care isn't outrageous. Vet bills for them are very reasonable. You'll sometimes hear horror stories, but it depends on what our own threshold is for pet care. Some people think spending $50 at the vet once in a while on a pet's care is outrageous. Others understand we have to spend a little occasionally to keep them healthy as we do for ourselves and our other family members. We all have our thresholds. If you take her in to the vet regularly (about every six months for a Senior cat) and get her blood panels run (not too expensive), you can find any problems out early and costs are very low vs. waiting until something finally shows up after weeks or months of simmering below the surface. I pay very little for my two cats' care as most of their problems we find out right as they start and nip them in the bud. I find it funny that what start as simple problems can escallate fast because folks don't want to take the cat to the vet and try home remedies. If they'd talked to the vet early on, like you are, much is resolved fast and inexpensively (compared to problems escallating and needing more care). Many folks that complain of high vet costs hold off as long as possible taking the cat to the vet and by the time they do, the cat is in dire straits.

It's good you are staying in tune with her habits. Just remember, any time she stops eating for 24 hours, call your vet and get her looked at. Two of our biggest keys as cat owners are diet and litter box habits. If eating changes or litter box habits change (not going #2 or straining to go #1, for instance), get her in immediately. When it comes to eating and litter problems, many times it is a simple fix at the vet, but the longer we wait for it to "solve itself" the longer we put them in jeapordy and the higher costs get...

Welcome to the wonderful world of cats. You should have many years left with her. She's still relatively young for a cat. 8/9 is the start of Senior years and around 11 is the start of Geriatric years anymore. Most indoor only cats (with good diet and vet care) will live to 16-18. Taking her in to the vet every six months will do wonders for keeping costs down and addressing problems early on.
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey

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