What could my cat have died from? Helping my other cat mourn.

irweird

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I arrived at home today to find that one of my cats was dead under mysterious circumstances. He was lying on the kitchen floor cold and stiff with a strange, yellowish fluid coming from his mouth. I was only gone for a day and left plenty of food and water for both cats but neither of them had touched the food. Victor was always a lively, overly friendly cat who seemed in perfect health just the day before. I have no idea what could have happened to him. He was getting on in age and the vet said that he was missing some of his back teeth. None of this seemed to hold him back at all. I've ruled out poison because I always keep any chemicals or harmful materials well away from my cats. The only symptoms Victor ever seemed to have was a habit of eating too much and frequent vomiting. Often he would eat too much, too quickly (he had a sort of dog-like thing for food) and then vomit shortly after. He was a long haired cat and had a problem with hairballs. These are problems that I tried to fix by limiting his food intake and keeping his fur well-brushed. Still he would eat too much and get hairballs and vomit. I have no idea that these problems were factors in his death but they are the only clues I have. I can't help but feel that this is my fault somehow but I really had no idea that he was sick in any way. He showed no signs of illness at all. He was as hyper and playful as any younger cat would have been.

Then there's Poe. She seems really off. She's always been the exact opposite of Victor. While Victor was hyper and lively, Poe was always quiet and cuddly. There was none of that this morning. She was just hanging around his body and she was really quiet and stand offish. After I buried him she seems to be attempting to slip back in a normal routine but she's unusually quiet and alert. She's pacing and looking around the house and I know it's because she's expecting her hyper playmate to coming bounding around the corner and tackle her like always but that's not going to happen anymore. It's killing me just thinking about it. I had Poe before I found Victor as a stray. She was a loner for a year or so and then I brought Victor home. She didn't like him at first but warmed up to him very quickly. Now she's going to be on her own again. She's always been the clingy type and I don't know how to help her deal with this. Frankly it's hard enough on me, too and I just don't know what to do for her. Any real advice will be appreciated.
 

ritz

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I'm so sorry this happened to you.
I think this is one of my worst nightmares--that I'll come home to find Ritz has passed. And not being able to say goodbye. And not knowing why.
I have no idea what Victor could have died of, though my first thought was some kind of toxin, which you seem to have ruled out. Was he strictly indoors? Could he have eaten a plant.
Regarding Poe: she is grieving, as you are. Give her extra cuddles and love. Make sure she eats. I understand accupuncture works well on cats who are grieving.
 
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irweird

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Thank you for your sympathy. Yes, they are both strictly indoors as I don't like to risk the dangers that come with both living next to a road and in a wild, rural area. I've been talking with various friends and family and some say that it is possible that he may have choked on his vomit somehow. This would have explained the strange liquid coming from his mouth though it did not look like vomit. As I said he was an old cat. I thought of something else that may have been a symptom of sorts. He had a habit of drooling quite a bit. I was told that this could be expected because of his age and because of his missing teeth. Maybe he had a difficulty swallowing that I was not aware of? Still he acted healthy and as I said before had way too good of an appetite. It has been mentioned that he could have had a seizure.

As for Poe, well I don't think I can afford acupuncture for her or even myself for that matter. I've been looking into helping her in other ways. Right now she seems to be okay but doesn't want to leave my side. I pet her but she's not purring. I know that that's not normal and I worry that she may not just be grieving but may be sick as well. I plan to have her checked out by a vet soon.

On a side note my Mother thinks that cats are incapable of grieving because they aren't intelligent enough to form real bonds. I'd like to point out that my Mom's a dog person, so there you go. Still it kinda hurt that my own mother would offer such callous words as attempts at comfort. I know for a fact that animals, cats included, do grieve. While it isn't unusual for cats to show little emotion in certain things I know that they do have the ability to form bonds and know sadness. They aren't humans so they aren't going to show emotions the same way.

Giving Poe attention seems to be helping but I feel that she may be even clingier than usual after this. I don't think I'll mind though. I'm trying to stay positive and remember that Victor was a great cat and a great friend and we had good times together. He was happy and brought happiness and that's all anyone really needs in life anyway. Poe and I still have each other and we'll get through this.
 

stephanietx

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I'm so sorry for your loss.  The only real way to know what happened to your kitty is for the vet to do a necropsy (kitty autopsy).  I've never had to deal with this type of death,so I have no other words of wisdom.

As for the grieving, cats DO grieve and they DO mourn, just like humans.  Talking to Poe and telling her what happened and that you understand her grief will actually help her.  Lots and lots of love and attention will help, too.  You might want to invest in a Feliway diffuser and run it 24/7 for a month or 2.  Look for signs of stress as that can lead to upper respiratory infections and/or urinary tract infections.  Any change of appetite and/or litter box habit warrants concern and a trip to the vet to rule out one of the above.  Also, if she becomes extremely lethargic and starts hiding is also cause for concern.  I think the best thing to do, is to hold her and just talk to her about things.  (It's also therapeutic for you!)
 

romansmomma

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I'm really sorry for your loss. Positive thoughts and vibes to you and Poe 
 
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irweird

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Thanks everyone for the support. It really helps a great deal. All the advice is greatly appreciated, too. Poe seems to be slowly coming to terms with things. I spoke to my Grandmother on the matter today. Granny's had many pets of all kinds over the years; dogs, cats, horses, pigs, birds, you name it and she told me that pets like people have their own way dealing with loss. I told her about Poe being clingy and about her habit of searching the house and she says that's normal. She said basically everything you guys have been saying; to just spend some extra time with her. Right now she's in the chair next to me as I'm typing this. She still seems very down but she also seems to be getting on fairly well. Her eating, drinking, and litterbox habits haven't really changed so I guess that's a good sign. She's been pulling all the toys out of their toy box though. She doesn't really do anything with them she just pulls them out, sniffs them, lays on them for a bit, then walks off. This actually brought a tear to my eye as it made me think of a human rummaging through the belongings of a passed love one. It's sad but also kinda cute in a bittersweet sort of way. 

As for myself, It's hard to move on when everything reminds me of Ol' Vic. I keep passing by all his favorite places and its extremely hard not to break down.

"That was his favorite nap spot"

"I remember when I bought him that toy"

"He liked to chatter at the birds from this window"

"That was the corner he liked to attack my feet from" 

Yes. It's deeply depressing, but as I said before I try to focus on the positive. In the mean time I thought everyone may like to see some YouTube Videos I did of Victor and Poe some years back: 

Victor doesn't want to be disturbed when he's having profound thoughts. 
Poe being spooky :
 
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katmando

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Sorry to hear about victor. Many things could have been a cause- heart attack, seizure, he may have had an undetected tumor that burst. Cats are amazing and good at hiding when they are not feeling well, so you can't blame yourself, left for youand as you said, he was an older cat. It is hard when you lose a loved pet and I know it is a bit harder when you did not have the chance to say good bye. I have had many cats and been through many losses, from a young cat taken too early due to cancer, another that was hit by a car (all my cats are indoor cats now except for the strays I care for, and even they get to come into the grage at night, or in the bad weather) and I have had quite a few that have long long lives as a few of my kids now are in the mid/upper teens.

  It will take some time to get over the loss, the pain does subside, but the good memories always remain. That is something that Victor left for you. He will be in your heart forever, I know each and everyone of mine will be. And give po some extra love, he lost his best friend too, he'll miss Victor and it will take time for him to get over it. Rest in Peace Victor
 

susank521

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I am so very sorry for your loss of Victor. No matter what the circumstances, it is never easy on you or the other cats. Give Poe and yourself some TLC and lots of cuddles, for both of your sakes. There really are so many possibilites as to what the actual cause of death is. Vomiting does sometimes precede death, whatever the cause. I wish you and Poe well.
 
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