Died: Stiff, then Limp?

planetofthecats

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"What planet is this???"
Has anyone seen or heard of anything like this?

This morning, a friend of mine had a recently rescued kitten die:
but something very strange happened so i don't know what to do. When I picked her up this morning she was completely stiff (could not curl her into a ball so I could make a smaller grave) and her arms and legs were splayed -so I assume she had a heart attack or seizure of some sort. Anyway, I wrapped her in a blanket and put her and went out to start digging. I did a few other things and went to get her so I could bury her - She is no longer stiff and is quite movable - so now I am freaking out. I called everyone I could think of and no one has had this happen. She is still in the bathroom becuase if I bury her now I will have nightmares that she may still be alive.
My friend thinks the kitten may have had a seizure and died mid-seizure. But maybe the kitten seized and ended up with very low life function, only to have her muscles relax later but still not revive? My friend has a call into her vet's but it's a Sunday...
 

prissykitty

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rigimortis is not a permanent condition. It does go away and the dead animal/person/whatever becomes limp again.
 

slitty_kittay

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Originally Posted by PrissyKitty

rigimortis is not a permanent condition. It does go away and the dead animal/person/whatever becomes limp again.

Yes, rigor mortis(the stiffness that occurs to a body a while after death), does dissapear after a time as the muscles enter early stages of decomposition.
This sounds like what you may have experienced..
 

cloud_shade

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When our big orange tabby died, his body stayed warm for a long time. We too were afraid of burying him alive. The vet's office told us to touch his eyeball. If there was no reaction, then we would know he was definitely gone. If he was alive, there would be a spontaneous movement in response to touching his eyeball.
 
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planetofthecats

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Thanks, everyone, for your sympathy and advice.

Multiple sources confirm that rigor mortis comes and goes. My friend is still sad about the kitten passing, but no longer freaked out.

Another kitten from the same litter died today - must be some bad genes in that litter.
 
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