Help please

Please help. I am devastated. I returned home last night to find my wonderful Clint dead in the garden next door. We took him to the vet who didn't seem to give him to much of an examination, he just looked at him very briefly and said that there are no bruises, cuts, scratches or any other wounds. From his he deduced that he did not die as a result of any disease or ailment or from a fight with another animal. He said that in his opinion he was involved in an road traffic accident.

I asked about a post-mortem, but he said that there was little point. It could tell us what he didn't die of but if, as he suspects, it was a result of a bash on the head from a car it would be very difficult to tell.

Although I respect his knowledge, something inside me is not convinced.

Is it possible that he could have been killed by a car without leaving any marks, even a bump? Could he have been killed by something else more natural without leaving any external trace visible even without proper examination? My mother suggested poison, but would this have left signs which the vet would have picked up on immediately?

I really don't know what to think. On the vet's advice we agreed not to have a post-mortem, but the more I think about it, the more I wish we had insisted. Now, however it is too late.

Clint was only 18 months old, and in pretty good shape. It is killing me, the thought of him out there in the rain and cold, trying to come home to us for help but ultimately not quite making it. I really need some answers and would appreciate anything that anyone can provide.

Could the vet really have known all that he said just by looking at our baby or am I right to be concerned that it may have been something more?

Thanks all in advance.

I am so sorry for your loss. If your cat had been poisoned there would have been foam or at least drool around the kitties mouth.

If Clint had been hit by a car and killed instantly, there would be no bumps as the heart has to be beating to cause the swelling.

Please know that Clint knows that you loved him and will be waiting for you at the rainbow bridge.

First of all, I am sorry that you lost Clint. Without a necropsy it would be hard for anyone to tell you what happened to him. He could have died from natural causes, and yes, there are some poisons that don't leave marks (like frothing, drooling etc) but they are slow-acting poisons and you would have known or seen him acting off prior to finding him. If an animal gets hit by a car there is some sort of injury- swellings, scrapes, the claws get ripped off as the cat digs its claws into the pavement, there is usually some sign of major trauma.

I am amazed your vet turned down your request for a necropsy. Here, you just pay the money and the procedure gets done, but not by a vet, the body is shipped to the local vet college so future vet students can learn. Without that procedure, again you will not have the right answers.

Hissy's right, I didn't think it through. I hope you find the answers you are looking for. Please try not to feel guilty as this isn't your fault.

Thank you. If he was hit, his death wasn't immediate because he almost found his way home. I really do believe that he should have some marks, but the vet seemed to know what he was saying. I am reluctant to accept that he was hit also because as far as I knew, he did not go onto the street, let alone the road.

I should say, in fairness to my vet, he didn't turn us down, rather advised that there would be no point in going through with it.

I am intrigued by these slow-working poisons as he wasn't himself all weekend. Although he did play as he usually would, he was a little lathargic and slept a little more than usual. We noticed it and were going to book him for a check-up if he was the same on Monday evening, but he went outside Sunday night and I did not see him alive again. My neighbours tell me that he was dead from at least 10am Monday, I believe he was there all night. Apart from his more than usual laziness, nothing appeared to be wrong whatsoever.

Without being accusatory, talk to your neighbors and see if they laid out slug bait of any kind, or sprayed pesticides? But really, without a necropsy no real answers can be found. And also, take it from someone who has these done from time to time, sometimes even with a necropsy the cause of death comes back "undetermined-"

Again, I am sorry for your loss. I rescue ferals and abused cats and until recently could keep them safe on our property. But as more people come into our area, I am finding that we need to now build a cat enclosure. As soon as the weather improves here, that is exactly what we will do.