- Joined
- May 14, 2014
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- 125
- Purraise
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I spoke with the emergency vet who treated my cat. My cat was alive when I arrived at the vet, though unconscious, non-responsive (i.e. no reflexive responses to stimulus like shining light in his eyes, pulling on his leg, etc.), and his breathing was agonal so he was intubated. Heart rate 120 with normal sinus rhythm. She said that although he was severely dehydrated, since he didn't show any prior behavioral symptoms like lethargy (e.g. that morning he was excited for his breakfast, happy, pranced around) and there was no acute dehydration involved (e.g. he had not been vomiting that day), it was likely a secondary factor and not the cause of his heart failure. X-rays and ultrasound show nothing that would be involved with or precipitate heart failure like fluid buildup in the cardiorespiratory system or abdomen. No internal or external bleeding. Nothing. She said there is simply no evidence of what caused his heart failure. There might have been an underlying disease but for it to be that advanced that he would die of heart failure you would expect his behavior to have changed over time (lethargy, no desire to eat, not grooming, etc.).
Of course, that then makes me feel responsible because, as I said previously, the very moment I put him in the carrier he SCREAMED in a way I'd never heard before, then went into his groaning and wailing about going to the vet. I keep thinking I caused some cascade of stress chemicals to cause his heart to give out (though I don't understand why it would remain in normal sinus rhythm as it did). And while I agree it is certainly an unforeseeable event in general, the last three times he was in distress because of a hairball the reason I backed off and gave him time to deal with it was because I worried about overstressing him.
For my own sake if I ever adopt again (not sure if I will after going through this) I think I need to stick with adopting chill, laid back kitties.
Of course, that then makes me feel responsible because, as I said previously, the very moment I put him in the carrier he SCREAMED in a way I'd never heard before, then went into his groaning and wailing about going to the vet. I keep thinking I caused some cascade of stress chemicals to cause his heart to give out (though I don't understand why it would remain in normal sinus rhythm as it did). And while I agree it is certainly an unforeseeable event in general, the last three times he was in distress because of a hairball the reason I backed off and gave him time to deal with it was because I worried about overstressing him.
For my own sake if I ever adopt again (not sure if I will after going through this) I think I need to stick with adopting chill, laid back kitties.