put my mind at ease

hi all, unfortunately this isnt a happy post, but ive been going crazy since my cat died yesterday.

firstly, he had a bad heart murmur, so we think he had a heart attack. we heard this long meow and found him what looks like having trouble to breath and totally limp, but he meowed a couple of times as he was dying, which we dont understand, that wouldnt mean that he was choking?

anyway, my main question is, is he DEFINITELY dead? his tongue was cold and his eyes were hard to close and had no responce, and there was no breathing movement from his chest. normally this would be a given that hes dead, but i read something today that cats can have a blood clot and become paralyzed? we buried him yesterday and all i can do is think that i may have buried him dead, but im sure this is just denial.

Also, while dying and 30mins after dying, he was very limp, do they become stiff or limp when dead? He was not stiff at all, even straight after dying.

im just so stressed, all i want to do is go dig him up to make sure he is dead.

thanks guys

I'm very sorry to hear about your loss and hope I can answer your questions satisfactorily. First, a blood clot in cats with heart disease generally causes paralysis in the (back) limbs, not paralysis of the entire body. This article explains it: Arterial Thromboembolism. Rigor mortis, the stiffening of the body after death, usually begins a few hours after death, and the smaller the animal, the quicker it begins. It probably wouldn't have begun for two hours or so after your cat died and would have first been noticeable in his extremities. It takes a lot longer for it to become complete. The process then gradually reverses.

TCS has a forum, Crossing The Bridge, for tributes to cats and other pets who have passed. When you feel up to it, perhaps you could tell us about your cat and what he meant to you there.

would you say that a cold tongue would suggest he is definately dead?

Hi there....
That scream you heard was a heart attack.... and your kitty died.... I am so sorry for your loss.....
I had the same happen to me..... My kitty Gracie died the same exact way, and my vet explained exactly what happens.....
That scream is a sharp, strong pain on the chest, as the heart contracts...... After that, the heart starts beating very shallow, same with breathing - nothing works - the kitty is basically dead, but for a few minutes, the body, all the organs, function on reflexes...... but your baby was gone Then all stops..... My baby also had the open eyes and the cold tongue sticking out..... enlarged pupils..... She looked different though - There was no Gracie - you can see the is no life on them.....

This is something painful to hear.... I know...... But rest assured..... You did not bury your baby alive....
I am so sorry you went through this.... It is something I will never forget

I am sorry to describe things with such details..... But I I know you needed it
I hope this brings you some peace
RIP little baby

This sounds accurate. Would this explain why he was totaly limp when i was trying to save him? I thought he was choking, so i was contracting his chest hard. Well atleast it was a quick death, i will never forget the long scream of pain.

A side question, the day before my sisters dog was around and he was VERY scared, and with his heart murmur, would this set him on his way? He never encountered a dog or any animal before.

RIP Elwood.

A cold tongue suggest to me he was dead.  Cats are small and start cooling down very quickly after death - I noticed how quickly the ears went cold when I have had to have cats pts.  Cat's eyes don't close when they die but they quickly change - go sort of glazed.

Please don't go digging him up, I'm sure he was dead, and since there was quite a time gap between meeting the dog and dying I doubt that had anything to do with it.

My friend saw one of her cats die in exactly the same way and she was very upset.  It was a New Years Day, my phone went at 8am and I knew it was either bad news or a wrong number.

Time does heal.  Some people find the Rainbow Bridge consoling, when I lost my cat I took time to find all the photos I had of him and make a set on Flickr and I got comfort from that and from my various friends who cared.

I would say the heart murmur was an indication of the possibility of more serious heart trouble, and the heart attack was that serious trouble coming to a culmination.  Yes, the pain was probably terrible for a few minutes, but that is more or less the way of death for almost all animals, including us, eventually. 

Your concern is natural, and it is entirely natural for our emotions to try to deny what our minds know to be true.  I have no doubt your beloved cat had passed away.

We have a "Crossing the Bridge" section of the forum here where you can put in a remembrance of your pet, and I would also direct you to www.petloss.com, a pet remembrance site that I have heard many people find comforting.

mrblanche said:

I would say the heart murmur was an indication of the possibility of more serious heart trouble, and the heart attack was that serious trouble coming to a culmination.  Yes, the pain was probably terrible for a few minutes, but that is more or less the way of death for almost all animals, including us, eventually. 

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Hun, I know you will try to find an explanation to what happened..... but it comes down to your cat had serious heart disease.... and it was too late Don't beat yourself up..... You did not bring it on......not you, not the dog..... it was going to happen.....