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Hello all! :(

1K views 8 replies 9 participants last post by  Jetlaya67 
#1 ·
I wanted to post on here to get my thoughts and feelings out.
My male cat of 8 years just died unexpectedly yesterday. He was completely healthy, i saw him the morning of, running around, being his normal self. Then i went out to get some food, (my mom and stepdad were home but didn't know anything had happened). But when i got home, i went up stairs to my room, and saw him laying on my bed. I thought he was sleeping, so i didn't think much of it and until i realized he wasn't breathing. It must've happened minutes before because his body was still warm but limp and no response. Freaking out i didn't know what to do, my stepdad tried resuscitating him but no luck after many tries. then we all realized he was gone. Very shocking to see this happen because none of us know why or how this happened. No blood or vomit where he was laying but just some drool. It's been hard to get over this because he would sleep near me every night and was the only pet i was close too ever since my dog died a couple years ago. I think it might have been his heart or he might have choked on something but there were no signs or symptoms that something was wrong. I keep thinking to myself if i went upstairs just a little bit sooner, I could have saved him but idk.
 
#2 ·
How devastating, my dear cat died suddenly too and it's so painful. I hold on to the thought that I gave him the best possible life in the years he was with me, and that he didn't suffer long... The vet did an autopsy and there was nothing I could've done to keep him alive.
 
#3 ·
ryn24, I'm so sorry. :( I know the shock and sadness you must be feeling. Something very similar happened to my cat last month. Her health had been declining slowly, but she had had recent bloodwork done and there were no warning signs. I went out for dinner and when I came back 3 hours later, she was gone. Still in her little bed on the loveseat. Aside from her head being tilted over the edge of her bed and some drool, absolutely no signs of what might have happened. She also still felt warm to me, and I rushed her to the emergency vet, but she was already gone.

It doesn't sound like your kitty choked on something if you didn't see any signs of distress. It could have been an undetected heart condition, though my vet said that the most common cause of sudden death in cats is a blood clot. He believes this is what happened to my Margaux, and the circumstances of your kitty's passing are nearly identical. He would not have suffered, and I hope you can take some comfort in knowing that.

I kept thinking the same things you're thinking: if I had come home sooner, if I had checked a couple of minutes earlier, if I had missed some sign...I am still struggling with all of the unknowns, but trying to remember only what the vet said: that it would have been quick, and that she wouldn't have suffered. It's so hard, and I think it will be impossible not to always wonder just a little bit, but please try not to focus on the how. As you see from Straysmommy's experience, even an autopsy can't always give a concrete answer. It's one of the reasons I chose not to do one.

If you feel up to it, feel free to post in the Rainbow Bridge forum. You will have a tremendous network of support here, because so many of us know what you're going through.

Sending hugs and wishing you lots of strength for the hard days that are inevitable.
 
#4 ·
Ryn,
I'm so sorry...many of us can relate...
We were moving from a rental into our new house, went back over to the old place, where I'd left my cats for safety, and found Smokey Cat gone...she was curled up in her bed...she was a sweet little cat, that came to me by accident...I take comfort in knowing that the time she had with me, was so much better, than where she'd been...my vet had figured her to be pretty old, when she showed up...
Her end looked like it was a peaceful one, but I wish I could have been there...
It hurts.
Like Spirite said, we have an area, where we can remember our Special Friends..."The Rainbow Bridge".
Sharon
 
#5 ·
How devastating. I am so sorry. My husband's aunt lost one of her cats very suddenly, only her cat was just trotting across the living room and fell down and died. And she was only 5. I believe that she had a necropsy done and the vet said that there was a heart defect that he believe caused her cat's sudden death.

It is an awful thing that this happened to you, it is clear how much you loved him. I hope you don't continue to beat yourself up about it and think if you'd gotten home sooner....don't think that. It sounds like he was lying on your bed, probably just sleeping and it happened quick and he didn't suffer. I do hear about things like this happening, and it is so sad to be totally unprepared like that. I do think in a way, it's easier when you know they are sick, and that they aren't going to be around much longer....not that it is easy, but that you have time to come to terms with it, and no matter how much you don't want your pet to go, you know that it will happen and there is nothing you can do to prevent it. But in that case, you have time. In your case, it happening so suddenly, I do believe it is harder on a person.

I'm sure your kitty knew how much you loved him.
 
#6 ·
I am so sorry for your loss. Take comfort in the fact that your kitty had a peaceful, stress-free passing. He passed in a place where he was happiest. I know you will feel his loss immensely, as we all do when our beloved fur-baby passes. As spirite says, he probably had a blood clot and/or underlying heart condition; HCM is, unfortunately, quite prevalent in cats and they are very good at hiding the signs from us. Your beloved kitty is at the Rainbow Bridge now, healthy and he will wait for you....and look down on you with love every day.
 
#7 ·
Oh how sad, and I am so sorry. Sometimes for both animals and loved ones the time they are with us can be short. I know how hard it is to do, but try to remember the good memories of your time with him rather than dwelling on his passing and thinking "what if". He knew he was loved and wanted and had a good life. No cat could want or ask for more than this.
 
#8 ·
Ryn I am soooo sorry :( I can totally relate and sympathise..

This past Sept this happened to my healthy 15 yr old nuetered male Feadan. Had gone to work.. Came home to hear my other cat wailing is really the only way to describe it.. came rushing down the hall to the sitting room.. opened the door to find poor,dear Feadan dead :( He was curled up like he had just gone to sleep.. Vets think he must of had a heart attack as he looked so peaceful.
My thoughts are with you during this hard time. x
 
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