Establishing cat's death cause

My almost 20yo kitty just passed away a few moments ago. It was so sudden and unexpected, I'd just like to know what the reason may have been.

She was behaving absolutely normally - she was playing with me and jumping around the furniture just yesterday and this morning she was happy as ever. I put food in her bowl, she ate it happily, drank water, went to pee, reacted to her name, I petted her, just regular morning.

After she ate this morning, I heard a weak scratching-like noise from around the hallway so I thought she may have been trying to access the bathroom as she often does when the doors are closed and when I went out of the kitchen, I saw her lying motionless in the central point of the hallway. She wasn't reacting to anything, in a span of a minute or so I think, she gave out a very weak stertorous cough-like sound twice and that was the last thing she did.

I thought she may have been choking so I tried to raise her up but when I took her in my hands, she was completely limp, not reacting at all. Her mouth was open a bit, her eyes open as well. No breath visible, no breath detectable by putting a mirror in front of her mouth, no pulse detectable when feeling her neck. Under around her back was a pool of something (urine I guess) and her tail was very puffed up, as if she was just chasing me around home playing with me. As I put her in a box to bury her, she was still limp and motionless, eyes and mouth open and it stayed that way.

What could have caused this? As I said, no prior symptoms whatsoever, she was just a happy cat one moment and 15 seconds later she was laying completely flaccid on the ground.

I am so sorry.  She was a well cared for and much loved loved kitty to have lived such a long happy life.  It's impossible to say what the cause of death was.  My thoughts for sudden death for a kitty would be the same as for an elder person, either a stroke or heart attack.  

If anything good can come out of this horrifying experience, it is that she died at home, quickly and seemingly without pain. You are so blessed to have shared twenty years with your little one, but twenty years is also very elderly for a feline and it appears it was her time to say goodbye. I'm thankful she didn't suffer, and didn't have to spend her last moments away from the one she loved so much. I, too, would say her heart gave out, and now yours is broken in two with her passing. Let your precious memories comfort you, she had a long and wonderful journey through this life, and now must rest. The 'essence' of her will always be with you, it is a binding of spirits that even death cannot break, be gentle on yourself. My heart goes out to you, I know how empty your house and your heart will  be for a good long time, time is the only thing that softens the pain. RIP sweet one, you will never be forgotten and will forever be held in a loving heart! 

I'm sorry 20 years is really old for a cat. Your cat lived a long happy spoiled life The only way to find a possible cause of death is to have the vet do a necropsy. If you don't want to do that, don't beat yourself up trying to figure out what happened and if there was anything you could have done.

I see, thank you for your replies. I just hoped that by giving as specific of a description as I can, it would be possible to pinpoint the reason of her sudden passing, like maybe that the very puffed up tail she had when she way laying there is typical of some specific disease or something.

Not that it would be much of a consolation, losing a cat a minute after it looked absolutely great and normal is still devastating but then at least I would understand more of it cause now I can't wrap my head around how this happened just out of nowhere...

Thanks for the replies.

I am so sorry for your loss, Like it has been mentioned it was likely heart failure or some kind of stroke to come on so suddenly. 

Thanks for the reply.  I know there's no way to be sure , it's just that all those weird thoughts pop into my mind, like I about whether I could have done anything better (CPR? Trying to put the limbs up to encourage blood to travel to the brain?) or if maybe that was just a faint and I misdiagnosed it cause I checked for the pulse on the neck and not on the femoral artery where apparently I should have and maybe the breath was just so shallow it was not visible and I didn't spot it... I know it's just paranoid rambling after a loss but still, it's hard to shake off.

Those kinds of thoughts are awful. I am quite certain that what happened was very sudden, and she didn't suffer. Also, with it happening so fast there is nothing you could have done. Please be kind to yourself you took such good care of her and loved her.

Yeah, I hope so. Thanks.

I'm so sorry for your loss. It sounds like there was nothing you could have done.

If she had a regular vet you might call and see if you can talk on the phone or schedule a few moments of their free time to discuss this.

I am so sorry for your loss. 20 years may have been very old for a cat but still devastating when they go this quickly.  Understand that even a necropsy might not have disclosed what really happened.

I know you so want to have a cause of death, but sometimes it is simply a matter of all the systems wear out.  Twenty wonderful, happy years with you is a good, long run, but never long enough for those of us left behind.  You have nothing to beat yourself up over, and really, I hope I have the luck to go the same way your baby did, happy and healthy one moment, and through the door and on to the next great adventure the next.

You loved her, and gave her a good life.  She will remember.

Thank you for the replies. I'm feeling better now - not that it's anywhere close to "good" cause after 20 years together every little routine we used to do together that we now can't is reminding me of her but it's surely better than two days ago or even yesterday. All the best to you all.

I am so sorry for your loss; I know it seems like 20 years is a long life but even still, there is never enough time with our precious babies, it hurts just the same.  Please forgive yourself, you did not do anything wrong. 20 years is a testament to the wonderful care and the blessed life your kitty had with you; i have no doubt she loved you and appreciated all you did.

My mother died last week in her sleep. She was 97. There was nothing anyone could have done for her; it was just old age.

We knew it was coming; she'd been declining steadily, and for the last few days of her life she wanted only to sleep.

Sometimes a body just wears out. I think that's what happened to your cat. I know that it's jolting when it happens so suddenly, but, please believe me, it isn't better to watch them die slowly.

No, there was nothing you could have done, and if there had been it would merely have put off the inevitable for a few more days, so that you could have watched her die slowly.

No, you did not bury her alive.

No, neither cats nor humans automatically close their eyes when they die.

The fluffed tail probably means that at the last second she perceived a threat. Unfortunately, she couldn't frighten it away by looking bigger than she was.

It's time to forgive yourself for not being God.

Margret

Cats are really good at hiding illnesses. It's an instinct.
In the wild, any animal that shows a sign of weakness is setting itself up to be preyed upon. Animals instinctually hide their illnesses to keep from being preyed upon. Domestic cats carry that instinct to an art form.

Therefore it is unlikely that you would have been able to tell if there was anything wrong unless you are a seasoned veterinarian with advanced diagnostic equipment at your disposal. If your cat was not mortally ill, there is no way that you could have known anything was amiss.

Any cat would consider itself lucky to live for twenty years in a safe home with a warm bed, good food and a human to love. You must be a very good "cat mom" to have a cat that lived so long. Other cats would be envious.

But, after twenty years, a good, long life for any cat, it's just time for kitty to move on to the next world.

Take some solace in knowing that you did your job so well!

Margret said:

My mother died last week in her sleep. She was 97. There was nothing anyone could have done for her; it was just old age.

We knew it was coming; she'd been declining steadily, and for the last few days of her life she wanted only to sleep.

Sometimes a body just wears out. I think that's what happened to your cat. I know that it's jolting when it happens so suddenly, but, please believe me, it isn't better to watch them die slowly.

No, there was nothing you could have done, and if there had been it would merely have put off the inevitable for a few more days, so that you could have watched her die slowly.

No, you did not bury her alive.

No, neither cats nor humans automatically close their eyes when they die.

The fluffed tail probably means that at the last second she perceived a threat. Unfortunately, she couldn't frighten it away by looking bigger than she was.

It's time to forgive yourself for not being God.

Margret

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I am so sorry to hear that, Margaret....((hugs))...so sorry for your loss....

Artiemom said:

I am so sorry to hear that, Margaret....((hugs))...so sorry for your loss....

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Thank you. It's always too soon, isn't it?

The one advantage of knowing in advance: I had plenty of time to lay in a supply of antidepressants, melatonin, Sudafed, and Kleenex.

Am I okay? No, of course not. Will I be okay? Yes, definitely.

This is a survivor's problem — the older we get the more of our loved ones we lose. Fortunately, I have plenty of friends who are too young to have ever seen a man walking on the moon in real time, or to remember Challenger or JFK, which means I'll never lose everybody I love. (Quote from a recent made-for-TV movie: "She's a nice enough person, but when I asked her where she was when Kennedy was shot, she said, 'Ted Kennedy was shot?!' ")

Margret

I'm so sorry Greezee about your dear 20 year old kitty!  From the strange cough you described it sound like it was her heart, possibly a pulmonary embolus.   But no matter what the reason, I can't imagine having a kitty for that many years.  Which makes losing her all the more devastating.  No matter how long we get with our pets, it'll never be long enough, ever.  Hugs to you!

Margret said:

My mother died last week in her sleep. She was 97. There was nothing anyone could have done for her; it was just old age.

We knew it was coming; she'd been declining steadily, and for the last few days of her life she wanted only to sleep.

Sometimes a body just wears out. I think that's what happened to your cat. I know that it's jolting when it happens so suddenly, but, please believe me, it isn't better to watch them die slowly.

No, there was nothing you could have done, and if there had been it would merely have put off the inevitable for a few more days, so that you could have watched her die slowly.

No, you did not bury her alive.

No, neither cats nor humans automatically close their eyes when they die.

The fluffed tail probably means that at the last second she perceived a threat. Unfortunately, she couldn't frighten it away by looking bigger than she was.

It's time to forgive yourself for not being God.

Margret

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So sorry for your loss, Margret

I have to agree though. Having both lost pets suddenly (not all of them old), and having watched others die in front of my eyes before leaving this world, I would always choose the former. I even felt that way after losing pets suddenly, that I was glad they went in their sleep, and not in pain. Or at least, the pain was minimal. It's so rare that that happens.

Greezee, I am so sorry for your loss as well. Sometimes there is just no reason, and there will never be a reason that is satisfactory to us. Then there will just be "what-ifs" and you don't need that either. It sounds like he had a wonderful life with you, and I'm so thankful you found each other.