Can you tell if a cat was hit by a car if no injury is visible?

[bugmankeith]

I’m really upset and frustrated at the same time. A few days ago my cat was outside and I went to check on him and found him dying in the front of my property near my front door. The street was a few feet away and a minute before I looked outside I did hear a car race down our street but I did not see anything happen it was cold and our door window was fogged up from the cold.
I raced over to my cat and he was in the fetal position lying on his side growling in pain and his eyes rolled back then his tongue flopped out. Seconds later he was gone. I brought him inside and checked over his body to see if he was breathing but he wasn’t.
I saw no sign of injury. No damage to the paws or nails and nails weren’t out, no fur missing or asphalt color on his fur, no blood anywhere, no broken teeth or bite, eyes were clear, ears were fine, no vomit or stool coming out. Only thing was gums and tongue were very pale.
I’ve had a stray cat get hit by a car and the stool came out, saw cuts on paw pads, blood in mouth. Asphault marks on fur.
Could it be possible my cat did not get hit and possibly died suddenly from heartworm? He did have frequent asthma like coughing, breathing heavy, was trying to eat grass past few days like he had a hairball but he never got them in winter. He was sleeping a lot before this happened. He was only 10 and otherwise healthy but I can confirm two of our other cats did have heartworm so it’s around our area.

it’s heartbreaking he’s gone but not knowing why he died is the worst nobody saw anything happen.

 

[fionasmom]

I am so sorry that this has happened to you. While no one can tell you for certain what happened to your cat, I have had ferals over the years who were hit by cars who showed absolutely no sign of external physical injury, but who died almost instantly as yours did.

Cats can have sudden cardiac conditions or blood clots, both of which show only the subtlest of signs and are often recognized only after the fact.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am so sorry for what happened to your poor kitty. But short of a necropsy there is no way to know anything for sure. Being hit by a car can lead to internal bleeding, with no signs of injury on the body. Once death occurs, the bleeding stops. Hopefully, that means your cat was blessed enough to die before any bleeding became apparent, which means he likely was spared from a lot of suffering he could have otherwise experienced.

 

[bugmankeith]

Thank you all. If he was indeed hit it’s better to know it most likely happened quick and he didn’t suffer.