My beloved cat died suddenly, and I’m in shock. What happened?
Posted on | August 12, 2007 |
Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties:
I had the shock of my life today.
My cat, Zoe, was only 5 years old and she was the most beautiful cat I ever laid eyes on. She was a large cat, not fat at all, but large and quite heavy. Yesterday, I picked her up and noticed that she looked the same but felt lighter in weight. She was fine, ate with no problems at all. Slept a lot. This morning I saw her sitting in the laundry room where her littler box is. She did not act right, I picked her up and she was making a type of gagging noise. Not like choking noises, but just noises. Her pupils were dilated and her gums were white. I rushed her to my vet where he said her lungs were badly filled with fluid. She was going downhill quickly. He said she might have severe pneumonia, cancer or congestive heart failure. He did not feel that cancer treatment would help; if it did she would not last long at all. He also said if they hospital thought it was severe pneumonia, she would be in an oxygen tent, perhaps for days. Zoe was in a lot of trouble and her breathing was extremely labored. I noticed there were droplets on blood/phlegm on the exam table where her mouth had been. I decided it would be more humane to put her out of agony and she was was put down right away.
When she died, a lot blood and fluid expelled from her mouth. My vet said then he thought she had heart failure or heart congestion when he saw that. I am still in shock. Zoe was fine until this morning. I can’t figure out what could have happened. She was an indoor cat. She never had any problems and was never sick. I do recall once hearing her vomit last week, or the week before. It is killing me that I might have done the wrong thing by not trying some kind of treatment — but she was failing so quickly, right before my eyes. She was my baby and I love her so much.
I can’t believe that something like this happened so quickly. I had no time to prepare. Can a cat get so sick without any notice? She was fine! Could cancer do this? Zoe was here one day and gone so fast. And why???
Thank you.
~Barbara
Siouxsie: Barbara, we’re so sorry for your loss. Mama cried when she read your letter, because she knows the pain of suddenly losing a beloved cat friend.
Thomas: There’s no way you could have known what was about to happen to Zoe. You’d been taking her to the vet regularly, she was an indoor-only cat, and you clearly were very aware of and cared deeply about her health and happiness.
Dahlia: From your description of her white gums, it sounds like Zoe had lost a lot of blood. But because she was bleeding internally, you couldn’t have known that until she became really sick.
Siouxsie: Although it’s possible that Zoe had cancer, we think it’s pretty unlikely, considering that she was so young. Cancer is a disease that usually occurs in senior cats (age 7 and older). That’s not to say that young cats never get cancer, but it is very rare.
Thomas: If Zoe had had severe pneumonia, you would have known it. She would have been coughing and uncomfortable for several days. She probably would have had wheezy breathing, too. If your cat had a respiratory infection that bad, you would have known it days before. And because you’re a good and vigilant caretaker, you would have taken her to the vet long before it reached the fatal stage.
Dahlia: Zoe could have had congestive heart failure. But again, this condition is pretty rare in cats as young as Zoe was. The only cat with acute congestive heart failure we’ve ever known was our kitty grammie Shaughnessy, who was 17 when she was afflicted.
Siouxsie: Typically, congestive heart failure (CHF) occurs as a result of some other disease — a severe bacterial infection such as a dental abscess, that affects the heart, or chronic heart disease. Since you said Zoe was healthy and didn’t suffer from any other diseases, and because an abscessed tooth would cause symptoms such as lethargy, pain on chewing or avoidance of hard food, and fever, we think you would have noticed that too.
Thomas: Zoe’s death could have been caused by a ruptured aneurysm. An aneurysm is a weak spot in the wall of an artery or vein that can rip open and cause an animal (or human) to bleed to death very quickly. There’s no way you or your vet could have known that Zoe had such a condition. Aneurysms are pretty rare, but they’re not unheard of in animals.
Dahlia: There are a lot of reasons that Zoe could have gotten so sick so quickly, none of which are your or your vet’s fault. Sometimes awful things just happen for no reason we mortal beings can know.
Siouxsie: Please try not to beat yourself up with guilt over the circumstances of Zoe’s death. You made the right decision when you chose to end her suffering. If you had pursued more treatments, it sounds to us like she probably would have died anyway — and she would have had to endure a lot more pain and terror in the process.
Thomas: You mentioned that you’d heard Zoe vomit recently. Trust us, vomiting is generally not a sign of impending death or severe illness. Why, just last week I horked up the biggest hairball Mama had ever seen! I’m quite impressed with myself. (I didn’t care too much for the Laxatone she fed me afterwards, though.)
Dahlia: One of the greatest gifts you humans can give us is the gift of a humane death. We cats view it as the ultimate act of love and courage when you choose to let us go rather than allowing us to linger in suffering and pain. We have it on good authority that dogs and horses feel the same way.
Siouxsie: We wish we could answer the question of why your beloved Zoe was taken away from you so suddenly. But unfortunately, we don’t know any more than you do why the Creator chooses to give each animal a different lifespan.
Thomas: We do know that grief is a process, and the best thing you can do for yourself is to allow yourself to grieve. We hope you have people around you who will understand that Zoe’s death is a major loss for you and who will have compassion for just how heartbreaking it is to lose an animal companion so suddenly.
Dahlia: Humans seem to be getting better at understanding that pet loss is a valid reason to grieve. There are resources on the Internet that can help you get through your grief process. The Animal Love and Loss Network offers free online chat rooms and support groups. They also have extensive directories of resources, including counselors who will help people grieving the loss of a pet; animal tribute pages; and much more. Petloss.com provides a venue to write a memorial to your pet, and it has message boards where you can get support from other animal caretakers. Many other animal-related websites such as Catster and the about.com cats forum also have information and support for grieving pet caretakers.
Siouxsie: A number of veterinary schools in the US offer grief hotlines for bereaved pet caretakers. These include Tufts University in Massachusetts, Cornell University in New York, University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), University of Californa-Davis, University of Florida (Gainesville), Colorado State, Iowa State, and University of Illinois (Urbana). You should be able to find information about these resources at the universities’ websites, but if you can’t, Mama said she’ll give you the information she has if you want to e-mail us.
Thomas: Over time, you’ll find that the sharp pain of your grief and broken heart dulls and you’ll be able to remember the happy times you shared with Zoe. Rest assured that she’s looking down at you and purring as she recalls all the love, care and kindness you gave her over the five short years she shared with you.
Dahlia: You never forget about a cat you love, but eventually your memories will bring smile and a tear instead of a deep aching in your soul. Our condolences and purrs are with you, Barbara.
Comments
17 Responses to “My beloved cat died suddenly, and I’m in shock. What happened?”
Leave a Reply
Support Paws and Effect
Meta
Technorati
Recent Posts
- Why is my cat chewing her tail constantly? Is amputation her only hope?
- What can I do about my cat’s ongoing urinary tract problems?
- I need some advice on my three cats and their strange issues
- My cat is bleeding from her paw. What’s going on and what should I do?
- What can we do about our cat’s chronic bowel problem?
March 11th, 2008 @ 7:39 pm
Hi, Barbara, You sound just as puzzled as I’ve been. My 7 and 1/2 year old male died of pneumonia about 2 months ago. When I read your article, it was comforting to hear that you had gone through exactly what I had experienced.
He was an indoor cat, in good health - and this was totally unexpected. One evening I noticed he didn’t want his dinner, which was totally unusual. Then, I noticed he was wheezing very lightly. Like you, I could tell something was wrong. Something looked funny in his eyes (I assume they were dilated like you said), and he hid under the bed.
The next evening, I took him for x-rays, and they didn’t see anything lodged in his throat, nor did they see any fluid in the lungs, or heart trouble - they concluded possibly an asthma attack, and thought he would be fine by the next day.
Well, the next day came, and still the exact symptoms. At this point, I took him to the ER vet, and he was admitted right away and placed in an oxygen tent. He was fine for the first two days (these vets also thought it was an asthma attack), but on the third day he nearly died. Then, he only lived another 2 days beyond that.
He just died right in front of me and the vets. We got him there early. I just have no idea what happened. They just said they didn’t know why he died. I’m left wondering why. It’s just so devasting.
April 3rd, 2008 @ 8:24 pm
Possibly heartworms? Indoor cats can get them too. Actually they dont have the natural defense to fight off the parasite like an outdoor cat does. I’ve read that this can cause sudden death. I’m so sorry for your loss, I just lost my sweet liitle girl a month ago and feel worse every day. I dont know how it can possibly get any better. I will always love and miss her. Life is just not the same anymore. She always slept by my side and every night would come to bed and walk up to me and I would go to give her a kiss and she would tilt her head and stick a cheek out for me to give a peck, what a personality she had.
April 3rd, 2008 @ 9:38 pm
So sorry to read about everyone’s loss. Actually, something similar happened to our Knuckles. Over the weekend we noticed that he was having labored breathing. I took him to the vet on Tuesday morning. By the time we got there, he was breathing thru his mouth. At home, he seemed fine other than the breathing, he was playing with the others, eating/drinking and going to the bathroom just fine. Anyway, the vet listened to his lungs and said he heard fluid in one lung. He thought that myabe he ruptured his diaphragm. I was shocked as to how this could have happened. He said he usually sees that in cats hit by cars or falling from a 2 story building. Knuckles was an indoor cat. He wanted to ake an X-ray. Well, the took him away and about 10 minutes later, the vet came in to tell me that they got one shot of one side and when they turned him over, it stressed him too badly. They placed him in a cage with oxygen, gave him some meds to get rid of the fluid and the vet noticed some blood coming from his mouth. The vet came to tell me this and was in the room no longer than 5 min when his staff started hollering for him. He ran out of the room and about 5 min later, came to tell me he has passed away. I was shocked!! He said blood just poured from his nose and mouth. He was really unable to give me an answer as to what happened. Knuckes was only 3 so he didn’t think it was cancer. He thinks he may have had an aneurysm that ruptured from the stress of the X-ray. The only comfort I have is that it happened at the vet. It would have been more devestating to wake up and find him that way or have it happen in front of us and have no idea what to do. Anyway, my heart goes out to all of you that have lost a loved one. We had just put another one of our cats down about 3 weeks ago because he was 17 and had severe kidney failure. It’s just been a bad few weeks. But, they will always be in our hearts and minds.
April 21st, 2008 @ 12:00 pm
My kitty passed on Tuesday. It was a similar type of event. She was spayed and two day later seemed to be recovering. Then on the third day she slept a lot but seemed peaceful and quiet. On the 4th day I got up in the morning and pulled her out from under the bed. She was limp and seemed to be laboring to breathe. She got really upset and cried all the way to the vet. I got there at opening time but the doctor wasn’t there and she died before he arrived. At the moment when she finally passed, she expelled a lot of clear fluid from her nose. I haven’t found out yet what happened. He did a necropsy but I asked him to hold off on giving me the results until I have a chance to deal with this. Something went horribly wrong. Maybe she had a preexisting condition, I don’t know. But it kills me that she had to suffer through it. I wish I had known sooner and could have done something to make the experience less freightening for her. I feel unbelievably guilty. If I hadn’t had her spayed, she’d be fine now.
May 26th, 2008 @ 7:04 pm
My buddy, Mooch, suddenly passed away this past Saturday. I was giving him daily fluids. At one time I was giving him 150 to 200 ml a day. Recently I was giving him 150 every 30-35 hours or so. His weight had gone up. I hope it wasn’t a cvase of overhydration. He had gone from 7 lbs to 7lbs 12 ounces in a few months. I had given him 175 ml at 9PM and he died around 6PM the next morning. He had some fluids near him. Do cats lose fluids from their mouth when they die? He really seemed fine the night before. He wasn’t using the litter box within the last few weeks. I had put pads on the floor where he was peeing. He peed right on the pads. I hope I didn’t kill him by giving 175 ml of fluids the night before. Remember that his weight had risen . I weighed him before the fluids and he weighed 7lb 12.5oz. After his fluids he weighed 8 lb 6 oz. He never weighed that much in a long time. I’m feeling such guilt. Please help. Mark from Philadelphia
August 2nd, 2008 @ 2:18 am
Something very similar happenned to our cat. We were in the midst of moving and when we came home we found our cat had died. He had blood coming out of his mouth and he had defecated. we were very sad. Mr. Fluffy Pants had been a stray. We took him to the vet and had him tested for disease.
As soon as Mr. Fluffy was not starving anymore and grew more comfortable with us he became playful. He always had a look of gratefulness about him. I was really stressed one day and crying. He came immediately to me and purred/snuggled. He was also such a smart animal. If his favorite toy was put in a shoe box with a lid he would not leave until we took it out or he manuvered the box to get it out. We loved him tremendously. He was very young when he died (2 or 3 maybe). I’m very glad to have had him as a friend. We were so happy to have been able to help him out as he only lived with us for a year. His last year was a good one.
Reading about how you felt helps me. I have felt so guilty. Wondering what I could have done, could I have helped him. The vet said that it was an anurism, but I still wish there would have been something I could have done.
We will never forget our lovely Mr. Fluffy Pant! He was one of kind!! we think he was part Norwegian Forest Cat because of his personality/fur/colors. How lucky we were to have him in our lives. I will never forget the greatful look that seemed to shine from his eyes when he looked at us. As if he would never forget the hardship he had been plucked from.
August 4th, 2008 @ 11:17 am
I am so glad i ran across this site. I too have been struggling with the loss of my sweet little girl nikko. It was just two days ago when she died and the pain is still so sharp and ripping. Nikko was almost 13 when she died. She was the runt of her litter. I had never anticipated having a cat in my life ( i thought i would be a dog person one day) but nonetheless there was a little box of kittens and no one wanted her because she was the littlest. She taught me so much. Patience, responsibility, and unconditional love. Nikko had cancer, and like so many cats hid her symptoms till the last week or so. I feel a tremendous amount of guilt. Had i known she was going to die that day then i would have done so much more for her. Its eating me alive. She died in the emergency room and i wasn’t with her. She too had fluid built up around her lungs and they took samples and the dr said it looked like cancer. I asked if i could take her home and make arrangments to put her down on monday(this was sat.) and she kinda looked at me and said ” you can take her home, but she is really uncomfortable and on borrowed time”. I made the decision although hurried to end her suffering. They were going to put the caphter in her and then bring her into me before administering the euthanasia but she collapsed while they were trying to put in the caphter. I feel so guilty. I think i heard her screaming from the exam room where i was waiting. I can’t help but agonize over the fact she probably was scared too death. At least if i took her home she would have died feeling like she was in a safe place. I don’t think anyone around me understands the love bond that i had with her. We took care of one another for over a 1/3 of my life. I will always love you my nikko and never forget you and i pray for some relief from this body gripping greif that i have.
August 9th, 2008 @ 2:24 am
That is really sad. It sounds like you took wonderful care of Nikko. She was fortunent to have such a loving family.
August 20th, 2008 @ 8:13 pm
Dear Barbara,
I know your pain my friend. all too well in fact. My precious cat dies July 30th of this year. She was 11 years old and was indoor. She was healthy,had been spayed,was up to date on all her shots. A week before she died I noticed she wasn’t eatting as much and wasn’t using her litter box as frequent. then I noticed she was hiding alot. Then a couple of days before she passed I saw that she was breathing kinda abnormal. I took her to the vet and found out that her lungs were filled with fluid and was told that she was pretty much drowning and that she needed to be put to sleep. I was heartbroken as this was my baby for 11 years. I could not believe this was happening. I didn’t want to let her go but knew I couldn’t let her suffer anymore than what she already had at that point so I agreed to lay her to rest even though it killed me to say good-bye to her.
We took her home and made a grave for her in our backyard. I gently kissed her and put a few of her favorite things in the box with her. I prayed for god to take care of my baby girl until I can be with her again one day.
I miss her greatly. I’d like to have another kitten again but then on the other hand I’m afraid of it getting ill and dying too.
I’m so sorry for your loss.
September 3rd, 2008 @ 3:48 pm
I’m so glad I found this site too. My 19 year old baby girl died this morning just after midnight. We’d been working on a few illnesses over the 6 months(Thyroid and most recently diabetes) but she had been in perfect health until these showed up. In fact I faxed over her stellar blood glucose readings to the vet just this last Saturday. I reported how well she was doing and was so much more alert. On Sunday night she seemed kinda mopey but nothing really strange. By labor day she was really down and wouldn’t even eat her fancy feast. She sipped a little on her water but not much.
Yesterday when we got up I saw she was in bad shape and not breathing very well. We rushed her to the vet and she monitored her in the morning and tried to do as much detective work as possible. Even at 19 she was a royal pain at the vet. Got the call yesterday afternoon saying that in order to calm her enough to do an xray we would have to sedate her which, in the vets opinion, would kill her. She sent us home with fluids and a diuretic to try for 24 hours to see if there was any change. Obviously she suspected Congestive Heart Failure.
We gave her one round of fluids and the diuretic but she wouldn’t eat or drink and over the evening got to the point she couldn’t even move. Fortunately, they gave us some good pain medication so she didn’t really feel much.
She died this morning at 12:15 on her favorite pillow by her soothing water bowl (waterfall type) with mommy laying there petting her. I actually watched her die. It was sad but it was peaceful with minimal movement.
I’m not stunned, frankly, that she had heart failure at 19. Shoot she was over 100 years old in human years. Most of us won’t live that long! I’m just really surprised and taken aback at how quickly she went down. You are never prepared for this but I am so thankful it was peaceful and that my husband and I were by her side when she left us. We’ve had her since we were both 19 so, half our lives…literally. My heart hurts so badly but I know it will get better with time.
Original poster, I am so sorry for your loss. I can certainly feel your pain.
September 8th, 2008 @ 9:14 pm
I lost my cat on friday, she was hit by a car. I’m devastated and still in absolute shock. I just can’t believe she’s gone. Its the worst i’ve felt in a long, long time. I miss her so much and would give anything to bring her back. I can’t stop crying, she was my little angel and i loved her to pieces. I really don’t know how i’m going to get over it, but i know i will eventually. I mean, if people can get over the death of there mothers, sons, wives, sisters etc.. surely i can get over a cat? Am i just being pathetic? I feel so low
October 4th, 2008 @ 7:41 pm
I lost my beloved Jake (13 1/2 years old) died 2 weeks ago. I noticed he was having accidents out of his litter box and wasn’t drinking much and was hiding. When I took him to the vet he was dehydrated and very week. This happened so quickly I was in shock. The vets thought maybe thyroid problems. He stayed there all weekend and on Tues. was improving however his tests were still suspicious, maybe cancer. I was not willing to have my cat suffer and was ready to have him put down but the vet said he was doing well and I could let him live out his days comfortably. I brought him home on Tues. and he was happy and full of energy. Later that night he started to hide again. He had a seizure early Wed. morning gasping for air and then died slowly but peacefully. I have never been so heartbroken. Everyone says that he must have wanted to come home to die.
October 11th, 2008 @ 7:48 pm
I had my beloved cat die on Thursday and it was very traumatic. He had not been going to the litter box and started not eating. The vet treated him for a hairball and constipation. He also gave him a shot of prednisone which seemed to help. However, three days later he started hiding and acting sluggish. I took him back to the vet and he drew blood, he was negative for feline leukemia, aids and parasites, but he had anemia and an unknown infection. We treated him by giving him pills and anti-biotic drops. This was really hard on him as it stressed him out. He did not eat for 4 days, so I took him back and had the vet give him and IV of fluids and sucrose. The vet took xray and it showed a mass around his heart, but he couldn’t rule out infection. After bringing him home I decided to discontinue the medicine as it made him pant and breathe heavily. After two days, he was not getting any better, I decided to give him the anti-biotic once again to try and get him to eat as the vet suggested. Well, this was not a good idea because the panting became heavy and he could not breath until he finally died on the floor with me rubbing his belly and telling him I was sorry for giving him the medicine. He died and now I feel terrible as the last memory he has of me is giving him the medicine that he hated and then he died. I am devastated and wish I would have just let him be and die in peace.
October 30th, 2008 @ 1:24 pm
My beloved cat Sugarfoot died suddenly last night. He had been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy several years ago, but since that terrible diagnosis, his yearly exams have always looked so promising. During his last exam, the cardologist even said his condition had improved.
He was only five years old when he died, and there were still things I was only getting to know about him. As soul wrenching as this is, I’m thankful that his death was sudden, that he did not suffer for one moment. I will always love him, and I will always miss him–and he will always live in my memory, and my memories of him will be happy. He taught me so much about life, and even though he died young, he lived each day in happiness and with love of life … each moment. He was my buddy.
I’m so sorry for everyone here’s loss. Thank you Mama for this website, for the chance to give my wonderful, beautiful, life-loving cat a tribute.
October 31st, 2008 @ 2:42 am
I recently lost my precious baby Luna October 18. She was 14 yrs old and I had her ever since she was weened. I am so devastated right now. Im glad I found this site too because I can relate to everyones grief and pain. I found my cat lying on my bed, unable to walk, when I returned home from work, she was in pain on her rear leg because when I petted her there, she growled in pain. I called my vet and explained the situation, we thought maybe she just had a sprained leg, I gave it one more day to see if she would get better because I had to work the next day too…No change…I took her in immediately that following morning, the vet just told me that her back legs were cold, possible blood clots, thrombolis going up to her spine, basically was giving me euthinisation prices, but I wanted to know what was wrong with her. We x-rayed and her poor leg was broken in 4 places. She was an indoor cat always, I dont know what happened because I was at work, she layed underneath my couch alot, one of those ones that have recyliners on both sides, which I never ever use because they are dangerous, she always layed right in the middle part anyway, thats where she was when I left because I knelt down to say goodbye to her before I left for work like I did everyday, and when I returned home she was all the way in the other room on my bed, anyway…all I can think is she got tangled up somehow in my stupid couch, but that wouldnt make sense because she was all the way in the next room on my bed. The vet said she was too old for surgery, anethesia, probably would have to amputate anyway, even if she made it through all that, which she probably wouldnt anyway, the prognosis would have been the same even if I would have taken her in the first day, they said putting her to sleep could be the most humane thing I could do, she was in alot of pain they said. Im 37, single, no kids, she was just my baby, I mean she was there with me through almost 1/3 of my life. Its the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do and have gone through since my own mothers death 9 yrs. ago. How do you say goodbye to youre beloved friend in a half hour, I mean for real, I’ll never forget her eyes looking at me in that last half hour they gave her with me, so hard, words just cant describe it, my heart goes out to everyone.
October 31st, 2008 @ 11:22 am
My beloved cat Charlie died last night. He went to the vet for his usual flu/leukemia jabs and a blood test ‘just to check’ since he had reached the grand age of 17. The vet thought he was fine apart from a touch of arthritis which he had been taking Metacam for. In fact the vet and nurse commented again how marvelous he was for his age.
When he got home he wasn’t interested in his tea and sloped off upstairs where I found him gasping for breath so we rushed him to another 24 hour surgery where they kept him in for an x-ray and tests. I got a call after 30 minutes to say he had stabilised and was his usual chatty self. His breathing wasn’t perfect but the vet was hopeful that he would be fine in the morning. As you can imagine, I was over-joyed to think I would have him back with me the next day.
Unfortunately an hour later I received another call to say he’d taken a turn for the worse and had died.
I’m still in shock. The house will be so lonely without him to chat to and sleep with.
November 19th, 2008 @ 10:03 pm
First, let me say, I am truly sorry for the loss you all have felt in losing a pet.
My sister had a similar experience but thank God her baby came home. Her cat was throwing up pretty much as normal however on a Saturday morning my sister woke up to her cat crying and vomiting white (what looked to be) foam and labored breating (panting). She took the cat to the ER vet and they did xrays, what they found was a HUGE hair ball stuck in her stomach. They were able to get Ginger into surgery and get the hair ball out. She had a difficult recovery but glad to say she’s home and doing well. However, they wanted to do xrays of the lungs but good thing they checked the stomach first . This maybe something to keep in mind.