Help Please - Cat Died Suddenly???

Hello and thanks for reading this. It's soooo difficult for me to type this right now, so I'll get straight to the point. My best friend has 3 cats - all healthy, got along with one another, vax updated, 100 percent indoor cats at all times!!! Her last cat, Panther, who she got 2 years ago as a small kitten, (feral), was found dead last night on her living room floor. Panther showed zero signs of illness or that anything was bothering him at all! His appetite was hadn't changed and nor has his daily/nightly playful/routine. This is what happened: She was eating dinner and called her 16 week old Daschund puppy over to give him a bite. Panther was sitting on the back of chair and quickly came over jumping in front of the puppy to receive the treat/food. My friend gave him a tiny, tiny piece (nothing dangerous or harmful or something she had never fed him before). Then he (Panther, the cat) showed his thankfulness by giving my friend a kiss and then returned back to the chair. My friend finished with what she had been eating and within 5 minutes was back upstairs on her computer. A friend of hers happened to be visiting, too, and it was no longer than 3 to 4 minutes that her friend decided she needed some water and had to go back downstairs. When she got there, she immediately noticed Panther lying there on the floor and apparently dead. My friend couldn't believe this as I'm sure any readers here are having trouble believing it, too. My friend's husband called their Vet and he was given instructions as to what to do and how to perform them on Panther to confirm whether or not he was dead or passed out, etc. He was dead unfortunately.

Naturally, my friend is a mess right now over this. She has been throwing up and having bowel problems ever since this happed (last night around 11:30pm, she's not able to attend work, no shower, no food, crying constantly and the verge of truly losing it. She was already in stress mode as she's trying to plan a her wedding for August 18. She can't get out of bed. I feel so sorry for her..so sorry.

Is there ANYONE out there that possibly has some suggestions/ideas of what could've happened to this cat that cost him his life so abruptly and without warning or anything? Any help, advice, tips, etc. are greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much in advance,
endpetabuse

Oh gees, I am so sorry about Panther, I can imagine how heartbroken your friend must be!!

The only things I can think of is that he ate something that got lodged in his throat, and choked, or that he had a weak heart, and had a sudden heart attack.

RIP Panther!

I'm so sorry to hear about your friend and Panther.
What kind of food was it that he was fed? It may have nothing to do with it but it may give someone an idea...

Your poor friend. This could have been anything, stroke, heart problem, brain anyerism (sp?) ... could she have an autopsy performed? It may help to know what happened. I hope she feels better soon! Her other cats must be very confused by now with all that has happened.

I'm sorry to hear this sad news.

I don't have any ideas that haven't been mentioned. Bonnie's right...as morbid as it seems, she can have a necropsy (autopsy) done. Knowing why might provide a little closure. I know it helped me once.

It could've been a million things. Unfortunately, as said already a necropsy is the only way to know.

That is awful!!! I know your friend must be so heartbroken! I would be! Like many posted above me, it could have been anything, especially if it was sudden. I'm soooo sorry!

I am so very sorry for your friend and this tragic loss. The only words of comfort that I can possibly offer is that at least he didn't have a long, drawn out illness. I know that doesn't help much, but the best we can hope for our friends is that they live the best life we can offer them and do not suffer needlessly. I know your friend must be feeling guilty, like she did something, or didn't do something, but please assure her that it is not her fault. She rescued this poor boy when he was all alone and gave him love and a home and safety. When my baby Merry passed away at just over a year old, I found that the poem about Rainbow Bridge gave me comfort as did the love and compassion of my friends and family.
She is not alone and there are great websites devoted to those suffering from the loss of a pet. It may help her also to post his story, sharing their love and friendship with others.

HUGS

Devlyn

Many, many thank you's to every single one of you who replied back with suggestions, support and loving words. I e-mailed a copy for my best friend (Panther's Mom) to read and I'm sure she'll feel the genuine kindness I felt from reading all of your responses. Thank you so very much again and again.

endpetabuse (Ella)

I'm sorry to hear about your friend's cat Like others have said, it could have been so many things. A similar thing happened to a friend of mine although not so quickly - she went out and came home to find her cat lying on the floor dead. The vet suspected a heart attack. I had a cat die from a thrombosis about 18 months ago and he was fine when I left for work in the morning but lying on the floor unable to move when I returned. So it could have been a stroke or thrombosis. An autopsy should be able to find out the cause of death. As it happened so quickly your friend should reassure herself that there's nothing she could have done to prevent it and at least he didn't suffer for a long time.

So sorry to hear about your friend's cat.
I had a cat die very suddenly once too and the vets figured it was a heart attack. Here is a link to some info I found at the time.....
http://www.vetinfo4cats.com/csuddeath.html

It was very painful, as I only had her 2 1/2 weeks and she was doing great except for a little cold. I went through all the, "what did I do/what didn't I do" things, but it was her time and there was nothing I could have done. It still hurts though. My thoughts and prayers go out to your friend.

I'm so sorry for your friends loss

How awful for her. As others have said, if having the vet do an autopsy to possibly find a cause would help her to come to terms with her loss, then that can only be a good thing, although obviously it depends on how she feels about it personally, not everyone can cope easily with thinking about having one done.

I was reading something relevant just the other day, apparently cats have much higher incidence of heart defects and heart disease than other small mammals. These often go undetected even during veterinary examination, and heart conditions are the number one cause of sudden death in cats. So I suspect that there is a very good chance that an undetected weak heart could have been the cause of Panther's death.

Please pass on our condolences to your friend, I hope that she recovers soon from the state of shock and distress that she is currently feeling, although I am sure she will grieve the loss of her beloved cat for a long time

Like other posters sounds like heart related to me. Even though it was such a young cat, our 2 year old had a heart murmur and died in a similar way. At least its some relief that it wouldnt of suffered.
Condolences to your friend.

How long ago did the cat get vaccinated?