My Cat foam at mouth then died

[sugardoo]

The weirdest thing happened to me last month and I can't stop thinking about it so I figured I'll post it and see if anyone has any bright ideas.
All day I was around my house- didn't notice anything out of the ordinary with my cat. Was very busy and probably didn't pay much attention to her. She was a tabby 12 or 13 years old, good health hadn't had any immunizations in the last few years and she was always inside.
Anyway I had a date and got home around midnight and noticed her perched at the highest point of my couch and she was foaming at the mouth. I'm not talking about just some foam on her mouth, she was dripping foam everywhere. Then I noticed she kept moving pretty quickly from room to room and she would kind of look around her when she would walk. she wasnt really making any noise execept when i got up really close to her i her a very light groweling noise i had never heard before. She was not very approachable and i went up to her with some tuna and she didn't even stop. I also saw that she deficated a tiny bit outside her box in the middle of the living room (never happens). I looked around for anything she could have gotten into- nothing. no plants, no opened medicine bottles, nothing. at the way she was pacing around and looking it seemed that something in the house attacked her. but she was alone there- no other animals live there and nobody else lives in the house but he and her.
i just assumed that maybe she ate like a roach or a bug that was poisonous and she was just have a reaction to it.
the only thing i had in my place as far as pesticides was a bunch of new roach motels. I planned to wake up first thing in the morning and get her to a vet if she wasn't any better.
the next morning i woke up to find her dying! she was laying in the middle of the floor and lightly panting. her eyes opened and pupils dialated. she didn't even try and move. i put her in the cat carrier and put her in the car (whcih she always hated and freaked out about) and made the decision with her age and state of being to go ahead and put her down at the vets.
Later I called the vets office and asked if they knew why she got so sick so quickly and they had no idea- they didnt' run any tests on her and they just asked me if she got outiside or ate anything in the house that could have poisoned her- i could'nt think of anything- plus she was a very finiky eater.
i am sad to think that she may have suffered that last night at home and wish i would have gotten her some help (even if it was 1 or 2am) late that night. Horrible lesson learned.
Anyway just wondering what in the world it could have been. Something killed her (was killing her) and 8-10 hours it was very severe. I was thinking like a stroke or heart attack but I think she would have died sooner. Coiuld somone have broke into my place and poisoned her? I have no enemies. Just can't figure it out! Any ideas????
Thanks.

Andrew

 

[zissou'smom]

I would be looking very closely at the roach motels, they are notorious for tasting sweet. I caught my sister's cat with an ant trap in its mouth, carrying it like prey. We had just put them out about 2 minutes before and caught him with it very very quickly and then threw them all out or put them outside the doors and windows where the cats couldn't get them.

Foaming at the mouth is often a symptom of poisoning. Did you vet recommend you put her to sleep?

I'm sorry for your loss, it must have been very scary. And welcome to TCS.

 

[missymotus]

I'm so sorry for your loss

If the only thing around are the roach motels, then that's probably what she got into.

 

[captiva]

I am sorry for your loss. I would suspect poisoning, too.

 

[cearbhaill]

Agree- she got into something. The foaming is a classic symptom.
What a horrific experience. My sympathies.

 

[crzy_cat_lady]

I have to disagree...I think it might be distemper almost like rabies but more commen. I've seen it in cat's and to me it's sounds alot like distemper. I'm very sorry for your loss

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

I am so very sorry for the loss of your cat. My thoughts would agree with what everyone else has said. I think your cat got the roach motels. It is always hard to lose a pet, but I think it is worse when something like this happens. My soulmate cat Max, a 12 yr. old tuxedo, died of kidney failure last July. We had no idea what happened to cause his kidneys to fail. One day he was healthy, two days later he was put to sleep. I will tell you this. We took him to the vet on Friday. The vet kept him all weekend and treated him with fluids and other things. There was still nothing he could do. Don't punish yourself. I am sure you loved your cat and always did everything you thought was best for him. When it comes to cats, there are so many things that are toxic to them. I think insecticides and pesticides are high on the list.
Hugs to you. I pray you will find peace in your heart and that your memories will be a comfort to you. God bless.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Oh I'm sorry for your loss! Losing a pet is just awful.

 

[zissou'smom]

Don't take this as an insult, but do you smoke? It's such a common thing to us that we might not see it as a potential danger but I've read about nicotine poisoning in cats and it sounds just like that too. Just speculating, as we all are of course.

I do hope you find some peace over your recent loss.

 

[smilla]

This story makes me want to cry. You poor thing, and poor kitty

 

[sugardoo]

Thank you all for your warm wishes.
To respond- No I don't smoke and nobody ever smokes inside my house. I have searched everywhere for anything she may have gotten into and have not seen any evidence what-so-ever of anything poisonous laying about. Even the brand new roach motels are untouched. Unless perhaps she ate a roach that had ingested the poison- but others I have mentioned this to have said that a- cats don't like to eat roaches and b- it wouldnt be enough poison to kill a cat.
I will definitely look into distemper- I'll have to see if it can have such a quick onset and same affect as what took place.

-Andrew

 

[bmw guy]

In cats, it is first important to rule out stuff that they might have eaten, because cats salivate (foam) really excessively as the result of ingesting several medications and flea sprays.

Roach and ant bait traps are usually a compound of something sweet and borac acid (Borax and Borates). The roach or ant eats the poison bait and brings it back to the nest to vomit and allow the rest of the colony to feed, hence they all die because it attacks their nervous system. The amount is so small that an animal the size of a cat is able to pass it if it was in the form of the insect.

Cats don't normally eat roach / any baits because they are sweet and cat's cannot taste or smell sweet in which they usually don't bother. As a general rule Boric Acid is safe enough to use around children, and has been used in ointments and salves for diaper rash on babies. It is also used, in a very dilute solution, as an eyewash. My point is I doubt the roach motel was the problem.

If a cat were to eat a small toad or lizzard they would foam how ever it's rare they eat them. A cat that has ingested a bee and presumably been stung could foam at the mouth which most likely rules this out because death typically does not follow.

Dental disorders can cause excessive salivation in cats, do you remember seeing any broken teeth or a trapped foreign body (caught between teeth), odontoclastic lesions (small to large enamel defects right at the gumline), eosinophilic granuloma lesions and gingivitis. Infected or damage salivary glands sometimes cause excessive salivation, as well. Another possibility is choking, could your cat have been choking on something?

Liver disease can sometimes cause excessive salivation so considering the
possibility of liver disease is worthwhile.

Cats can have excessive salivation from infection by feline herpes virus
(rhinotracheitis virus) or calicivirus. Other signs of this disease could be fever, sneezing, eye discharges or loss of appetite.

Excessive salivation is a symptom which can be triggered off by being extremely anxious or nervous. His bodily functions may have started to subside in which he salivated (foamed).

Losing our pets is difficult, I am sorry for your loss.

 

[feline_friend]

Sorry for your loss. I have several books on cats and consult them whenever anything is amiss with my cats, to determine if I should take them immediately to the vet. From what you described, I would have called the emergency veterinarian immediately. That's because, while vomiting occasionally is not uncommon for cats, foaming at the mouth is very unusual, and that, coupled with the behavioral abnormalities, would constitute an emergency. Also, I don't know when she'd last had a checkup, but by about age 7 a cat should be getting a yearly exam and bloodwork. She may have had a health condition that had been building up for many months. (Vaccinations are another matter. Most veterinarians give them way too often, and studies suggest this is not healthy. My current research tells me that NO vaccine should be received at anything less than a three-year interval.

I don't understand the basis for your decision to kill her, either. You say you made the decision, "with her age and state of being" to put her down. But cats often live to 18 or 20, particularly indoor-only cats. 12 is not particularly old. It is equivalent to 64 for a human. Is there something you've left out here? Couldn't the vet determine her condition and propose a treatment? Did the vet say she was terminally ill?

Geoff

 

[renigade45]

Just had the same thing happen with the frothing and my cat stays in as well but I had sprayed hm today for fleas and the frothing started about 6 hours later, I called the Company that makes the product and they told me to bath him and try to get the product off.  He let me do that and I just fed him tuna and he is keepng that down, afraid for morning to come. Very sorry about your cat...

Pat

 

[carolina]

Just had the same thing happen with the frothing and my cat stays in as well but I had sprayed hm today for fleas and the frothing started about 6 hours later, I called the Company that makes the product and they told me to bath him and try to get the product off.  He let me do that and I just fed him tuna and he is keepng that down, afraid for morning to come. Very sorry about your cat...

Pat

Pat, please take your kitty to the ER.
If your kitty has the above symptoms, it is suffering from severe intoxication.... Unfortunately, OTC flea medication has claimed many lives.... I don't know why it is still sold.
Please, don't wait until morning - it is an emergency

 

[kittylover23]

I'm so so sorry for the loss of your cat. www.petloss.com has done wonders for helping me with the loss of my kitties.

 

[vivian]

Sorry for the loss of your cat.  I was talking to my daughter and found out that if a cat licks at the flea med that is applied they will foam also.  I had just put flea med and she was scratching and maybe got some on her paw and this could be the problem. 

 

[gibbly]

I have to disagree...I think it might be distemper almost like rabies but more commen. I've seen it in cat's and to me it's sounds alot like distemper. I'm very sorry for your loss

I agree, it sounds like distemper to me as well, especially the growling (distemper is basically rabies mild mannered cousin), it is air borne, and can live in soil for years, and in older cats it can come on fairly quickly, animals with distemper may or may bot have siezures as well.

sorry for your loss =(

 

[barbb]

Just had the same thing happen with the frothing and my cat stays in as well but I had sprayed hm today for fleas and the frothing started about 6 hours later, I called the Company that makes the product and they told me to bath him and try to get the product off.  He let me do that and I just fed him tuna and he is keepng that down, afraid for morning to come. Very sorry about your cat...

Pat

I agree renigade, about maybe taking your kitty to the vet-  over the counter flea medication is notorious for killing cats :-(, it is disgusting that Hartz and other companies are allowed to continue doing business when it is a well known fact that they are toxic to so many animals :-(. I hope all is well and that your boy recovers, please let us know how he is doing. 

 

[barbb]

Sugardoo, I would say distemper but if you have had this cat for 13 years and she has not gone outside or come into contact with other cats via you or others or used bedding etc., then I think it would be very unusual for her to suddenly get distemper. 

Here is another thing too- if it was distemper, it is extremely contagious and you would not even be able to safely bring another cat into your home, pretty much for another 10 or more years. You will need to figure out if there was anything new that your cat could have come into contact with that would have brought distemper virus onto her or into the home. 

Foaming at the mouth is a sign of severe nausea, and I think that is why a lot of people are posting that it is likely something your cat ingested, i.e. the roach bait. Also the fact that she died so extremely suddenly is very indicative of poisoning. Some cats like to lick plastic and she may have been attracted to that and somehow gotten the bait into her as well.

I am so sorry for your loss.