Cat sudden death

[t3bc333]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation to myself.

Two days ago my gorgeous black short hair suddenly passed away. She was 4 years old and seemingly healthy. I'm left confused and grieving for my girl without any answers.

She hissed and then let out a yowl as if she had seen another cat. When my partner got to her she was on her side and briefly panted before taking her last breath.

It's hard to accept that she has gone. She had been to the vets two months prior to this as she wasn't eating. The vet felt her stomach and said that she could feel something in her bowel so they did an x ray. After a £270 vet bill and two vets opinions we were told that the mass was in fact faeces and was nothing to worry about. The only other unusual behaviour was that she was urinating inside the house now and then. We put this down to her not liking to go outside in the rain.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I've been in bits wondering if it was something I did wrong to cause her death

 

[neely]

Although I have not had any similar experiences as to what happened with your gorgeous black short hair I wanted to express my sincere sympathies.  I'm so sorry for your loss.  Please don't blame yourself, we all second guess ourselves.  My sincere and deepest condolences. 

 

[Brian007]

@t3bc333  and @londonword  I am deeply sorry for you both.  You have both very recently suffered the same experience and I thought you might be able to help each other right now.   

 

 

Sudden death in cats, animals, and people sometimes just happens for no reason at all.   

 

[Antonio65]

t3bc333, I'm so sorry to read about the sudden loss of your gorgeous young cat.

What I might say is that probably there was something more than just some faeces in her bowel. I don't know if the vets did some blood tests as well, but some hidden conditions can occur.

What you tell about her last moments sounds like a heart failure or a stroke. I have no direct and personal experiences of this, but I have read other similar situations and they were all attributed to heart problems or strokes.

You couldn't have done anything to prevent this, so please don't blame yourselves.

You did your best to give her a beautiful life and you also woried abot her health or you wouldn't have taken her to the vet for a check-up.

I'm so sorry!

 

[solomonar]

My compassion to you and wish a sunny journey to your cat in the Rainbow land!

===

Your story makes me think more than you can imagine. I read similar stories on the TCS and I also heard about similar events.

You should not blame yourself. There is veterinary assistance that is trained to know. Unfortunately, even for them, cats are very difficult patients.

Cat's metabolism is different, is not how we expect to be in a mammalian. Vets learn about all animals, not just about cats. If I would me in a vet University (College) Board, I would allocate a special 5 years faculty for cats alone. Just as in the case of human medicine: the physicians learn about humans, not about humans, chimps, gorrillas a.s.o. Perhaps in some countries there are faculties to learn only about cats and dogs, I do not know. 

I am writing all these lines to ground my personal opinion that health events like yours are inherent, can not be avoid given the circumstances. You are not responsable for the circumstances, since you can not change them.

====

I started a thread about EKG, as a preventive tool. I was very surprised to find out that preventive care in cats is very little.  The posts at that thread were really open-minding to me and I thank again the people taking their time to say so deep words about cats care in that thread.

At least that was the information I got from my TCS screening and activity.

In ancient China, physicians were only paid if their citizens were healthy. If they got sick, they stop paying the physician. I hope in the future preventive care will get more attention from the professionals. 

====

While reading science articles I was also very surprised to see how little the cat (as species and individual) is studied.  There are basic (fundamental) questions that got only empirical answer. Who is carrying out vet research in cats? Only the Colleges? Some of Pet Food Manufacturers? Ok with that, but is not enough in my view, because colleges have other primary target than research and Pet Food manufactures focus on what they need.

Once again, seen from the above (please do not take my words as a blame on vets, my lines only mirror my limited knowledge and my thinking about the subject), you was in a no-way-out situation and therefore you couldnt do more.

 

[t3bc333]

Thank you everyone for your kind words. I've realised since losing her that not a lot of people understand that I'm grieving for 'just a cat'. It's been hard to grieve quietly so that I'm not met with puzzled expressions from others. It's really helpful that I don't have to do that on here.

 

[msmamakat1]

.
I felt deeply Saddened when I read your post because I know the tremendous hole that gaps in your heart.
The love of an animal is pure. It can never be duplicated, as each animal loves differently.
And time doesn't ever fill the hole. It will always be there. And every time you think of your baby, your stomach will knot. Next week, next month, next year... For the rest of your days...
Godspeed your healing and know that you will see that sweet face, bright eyes and smell that warm fur again... At The Rainbow Bridge.
I too am grieving the sudden death of my most beloved Buddy.
It had been 8 days and I can not go without two hours passing where I am not in heaving crying spasms. I have used 3 large boxes of kleenex this past week. I'm devastated.
My husband is sad, he loved him too.( I think he Crys when he's alone)
I just created an album in his memory on this site. It will be available to view tomorrow. Please come back and see my
BUDDY
Deepest Sympathy,
Msmamakat

 

[di and bob]

The symptoms you describe do sound like heart failure. In a young, seemingly healthy cat there would be no way to detect something like this with no symptoms. My cat developed a cough which was fluid on his lungs from his heart failing, so he had symptoms and we have him on medication now. So that is one thing to watch for. 

Your beautiful little girl was lucky indeed to be so loved and cared for. She was a beloved member of your family and closer to your heart than you imagined.  Your deep pain shows the depth of your love for that little girl. Time will help to soften the edges, it is something your soul learns to live with. Do remember though, your sweet girl would be the last one to want you to be so sad, she loves you too much to bring pain to the family she loved so much. You gave her love and a wonderful home, that is all she ever wanted. She wants you to go on with your life, bringing sunshine and happiness into the heart where she now dwells, just as you would want her to live if you were the first to go. Don't let the grief you are going through bring darkness as a permanent part of your life's order. Step by step, you will learn to live again, learn to celebrate knowing that wonderful girl and having her share your life's journey for a while. She will parallel your journey now, will always be close by, until one day those paths cross again in the future. She was in your life for a reason, it is still better to have known her, and loved her, than to have never had her in your life at all. Use that bond you formed with her to send your comfort and love, just as she will do for you. Your love is eternal because it is spiritual, nothing will ever take it from you, not even death. 

Keep busy, try not to dwell on the end, although I know how hard that is. Do good things in your little girl's name, it will help you feel better about yourself and help to lift your heart to the sunshine once more. I cry with you, I know how much this hurts. Don't be afraid to share your pain with those who understand, it helps to know you aren't alone. Take care.......RIP sweet, beautiful little girl. You will never be forgotten and will dwell in a loving heartt forever more! Sleep tight, little Princess!,  

 

[Brian007]

Brian died on 23^rd March last year from intentional anti-freeze poisoning by my neighbour.  He was suddenly taken gravely ill On 21^st March and was dead two days later.  The trauma of this is still in effect.  I too, don’t go two hours without thinking of him, my body spasms, and my whole chest aches with yearning.  I also feel guilty.  He had been an inside cat for 9 and ½ years, then I moved to a village where my mum talked me into letting him go outside.  Six months later he was dead.  I should have never moved in the first place, let alone allowed my best friend to go outside.   I am still in deep grief, I miss him so much, my world lacks meaning without him. 

I got my new cat, Dudley, on 15^th April last year, and although I love him, I don’t feel the same way as I do for Brian, and never will.  I feel desperately sorry for Dudley.  I feel more like his foster mum, than his parent because my mind is always on Brian, hoping that he’ll come back to me.  

I discovered this site on 13^th January this year, and being in this community, where I can talk about Brian, with like-minded catpeople, has helped restore my faith in humanity.   It doesn’t lessen my pain, however.  Losing your best human friend or child is devastating; losing your best furfriend is the same.  

But, we’re here with you now.  

EndFragment

 

[Geoffrey]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation to myself.

Two days ago my gorgeous black short hair suddenly passed away. She was 4 years old and seemingly healthy. I'm left confused and grieving for my girl without any answers.

She hissed and then let out a yowl as if she had seen another cat. When my partner got to her she was on her side and briefly panted before taking her last breath.

It's hard to accept that she has gone. She had been to the vets two months prior to this as she wasn't eating. The vet felt her stomach and said that she could feel something in her bowel so they did an x ray. After a £270 vet bill and two vets opinions we were told that the mass was in fact faeces and was nothing to worry about. The only other unusual behaviour was that she was urinating inside the house now and then. We put this down to her not liking to go outside in the rain.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I've been in bits wondering if it was something I did wrong to cause her death

I am a human doctor not a vet but I have had considerable experience in sudden death in humans.   Panting suggests a cardiac cause of death, in humans this would be typical of coronary occlusion and I understand that coronary occlusion can occur in cats, although this should be confirmed by your vet.   Coronary occlusion is the situation when there is an obstruction to one of the branches of the artery to the heart.   These two arteries, present in cats as well as humans, appear like a crown when you look at the heart and are called "coronary" after the Latin for crown which is "corona". 

Acute obstruction to a coronary artery is painful in humans and this pain seems to occur in cats. The description of your cat's  last moments however does sound very like pain, but she was very young, at four years, to have coronary heart disease.   Incidentally strokes are unlikely to cause pain. 

Other causes of sudden death in cats would be a sudden onset of a fast disturbance of the heart rhythm, often associated with coronary artery disease, but also associated with cardiomyopathies, or diseases of the heart muscles.  These are common in young cats who pass away, but it is likely that your vet would have heard a murmur, when he listened to the heart if this condition were present.  

Another possible cause of sudden death could be an overactive thyroid causing a fast heart rate, so fast that the heart cannot pump blood to the coronary arteries.

It is such a tragedy when young cats pass away, I do feel for you.  I am quite sure that you should not blame yourself in any way.

Geoffrey

 

 

[t3bc333]

:') I really am so appreciative of all of your support. And thanks to those who have shared their stories with me. It's nice not to feel so alone in all of this. My partner finds it hard to comfort me as I had her from 10 weeks old and she lived with just me and my eldest cat for three years before meeting my now partner. I guess he doesn't understand how hard it is to say goodbye to all the memories I had with her and how over time I guess I just relied on her to be there and cuddle with me in the evenings. I feel that you're right in suggesting the cause was heart problems. It's frustrating and upsetting that the vets are unable to detect these things at check ups. I think that prior to this I may have been naive in not confronting the idea that my little fluffs won't be around forever, it has made me anxious to think that at any time anything could happen to my other two and I just want to wrap them up in cotton wool.