Why did my young, healthy cat die?

Hello everyone.  As I am sitting here at work searching the web for information on my new Bengal cat,  Ive started to become nostalgic thinking of my beloved cat, Dorito, who passed around this time last year.  He had just turned 1 and was a happy, healthy (as far as I know) beautiful orange and white main coon cat.  His death was sudden and to this day I have no answers as to what happened.  He was my very first cat, I've always been a dog person. I basically spur of the moment took him home because my friend could no longer keep him and his brother and had to give one up.  She preferred the brother and was going to take Dorito to a shelter.  Long story short, the little guy grew on me..BIGTIME.  I was devestated when he passed suddenly, and still feel so much pain when I think of him.  The worst part is not knowing what exactly was the cause.  But this is how he died:

One afternoon as I was laying next to him in bed sleeping (Graveyard shift- blah)  I woke up to him making a loud distressed sound. For a moment I was groggy and didnt think much of it.  But then when I called his name and he didnt turn around to face me, I knew something was wrong.  I jumped out of bed and he was laying there with huge eyes staring off to the wall and was coughing/ yacking like he had a massive hairball, but then he began gasping for air.  It all happened so fast.  I ran downstairs and got my mom.  When we returned he was already dead.  After balling my eyes out and realizing I wasnt just having a nightmare I went to search my apartment to see if there was anything he could have gotten into.  The ONLY thing i found that was unusual/ out of place was a dead wasp on the ground.  It appeared to have broken wings as if it was bitten.  Maybe bitten by Dorito...allergic reaction..throat swells..suffocation.  That was my conclusion after googling wasp bites in a cats mouth for days on end.  But just recently I found out that some cats suffer from heart disease and it is common in main coons. Apparently they can die suddenly or have health complications. Now that I know that I am really thinking that is what it was.  He was neutered about 2 weeks before it happened.  The procedure and healing went fine but im wondering if being under during surgery and going thru that could have triggered something with his heart.  I also read somewhere that the gene for the disease is mutated and oddly enough his brother had an extra toe, maybe the litter had deformities??  I apologize for the long read but if you did read this and have ANY information or speculations on what happened to my baby Doritio,  please comment.  Thanks

I felt sad reading your post. 

Two years ago in the month of July my cat late Jethro was sleeping on his soft bed that was on the windowsill. I was busy with my reading. Suddenly he woke up and meowed a couple of times. Then he turned to right but continued meowing. A moment later he turned to his left and meowed loudly. I noticed his restlessness and picked him up. I found a wasp on the bed slightly crushed by Jethro’s weight. It was struggling to fly. I picked it up and threw it into the garden. I brushed his coat and waited for about five minute to see any reaction. He stopped being restless and relaxed in my lap. I checked his coat thoroughly to see if the wasp has stung him. I was still worried and drove him to the vet. She checked him thoroughly and found nothing wrong with him.

Cat Health and Cat Lounge forums have some interesting discussions on ‘Bee sting.’ (including wasp, spiders etc.)

http://www.catster.com/lifestyle/ca...wasp-stings-black-widow-spiders-fda-ask-a-vet

The above link has some details. The following writing is NOT mine. I just copied and pasted it from the link. The vet was answering to a question on bee sting. Those of you who want to know more please click the link above. There is more information to read.

Bees, wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets have complex venoms that cause pain and histamine release. In addition, histamine itself is a component of many bee, wasp, and yellow jacket venoms.

Histamine, in case you're wondering, is a molecule that occurs naturally in the body. When it is released by the cells containing it, it causes swelling, itching, and redness. Histamine is what makes a mosquito bite itch. Histamine is what causes noses to run and eyes to water in cases of hay fever. Severe release of histamine into the bloodstream can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, intestinal ulceration, low blood pressure, anaphylaxis, and death.

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I learnt something new today. 

Castle Cat (Late Jethro's carer)

doritosmom said:

 

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I'm very sorry.  Yes heart disease is more common in maine coons, and sudden death does happen.  Here is a good article: http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/hcm.aspx

Thank you both so much for the information!

I'm sorry about Dorito. I have an orange Maine Coon so your story especially touched me. My two cats have had so many health problems in their first year of life, sometimes I'm scared they won't live as long. They're doing better now though so I'm hoping they will have a healthy life from now on.

How is your Bengal kitty doing? What is his or her name?

Sophie

Thank you for the kind words Sophie. I'm really glad to hear that your cats are doing better. Hopefully they continue to be healthy! And my new kitty's name is Gilmerton because we found her on gilmerton rd, for short I call her gilly. She was doing well, took her to the vet and found out she's about 8 weeks old. Unfortunately tonight I got a terrible call, my boyfriend accidentally shut the foot rest down on his recliner and didn't know she was hiding underneath. We are hoping for the best but she has been acting really strange she doesn't have any physical signs of injury on the outside but she seems like she is in pain. Were going to give it a day or two and see if she gets back to acting normal. I hope and pray that she does, because I've had the worst luck with cats

I did that to my kitten when he was young.  Luckily he had enough space  but  couldn't get out.  Maybe Gilly is just scared and will calm down soon.

I hope Gilly will be OK! I have a recliner in my living room and my cats are always getting under the footrest. I make sure I can see them both before I put it back down for that very reason.

Sophie

Just an update:  Gilly is doing great! She was back to her normal self today playing and eating. Thanks again

Yay, I'm so glad she is OK! :-)

Sophie

I first want to say I am truly sorry about the loss of Dorito. I can feel your pain as just today one of my babies (Maxie) passed away. He was happy and healthy yesterday and when my wife and I got home this morning, he was laying dead in the floor. No indicators or any kind. No warning signs of any kind. Maxie was only 6 years old. I will miss him terribly and I have a huge hole in my heart from the loss of my baby boy Maxie.

I'm so sorry about Maxie. My cat Dudley died unexpectedly at 3 and a half years old. It's such a shock. This happened 15 years ago and I still sometimes tear up thinking about him. Especially because he died while I was away overnight and I don't know if he was in pain or scared all alone. I am hoping that your Maxie passed quickly and painlessly and that he and Dudley are romping around at the bridge together.

Sophie