My kitten died and I don't know how to cope

[kelsie]

Hi everyone.
We adopted a kitten who was abandoned by her mother and called her Nala.
We kept her closed in her cage (with her bed, food and water) while we were out for a couple of hours as she was so young (no more than 6 weeks) and I was a little worried that one of the neighbours dogs could possibly attack her when we were not home.

We live in the North West of Spain, and it was a fairly warm day so I'm sure it wasn't the cold that killed her, she was left in the shade and we arrived home at around 8pm. I took her out her cage like usual so she could stretch her legs and have a play but the second I put her down she just fell on her side. I made her eat and drink thinking possibly her blood sugar was low, but as the hours went by she got worse and worse. Her body slowly started deteriorating, to the point where she couldn't even close her eyes, I held her in my arms until 9 o'clock the next morning when she died. I have no idea what could have caused this, and there was no vet available as I live in a very rural area.

Does anyone know what could have caused this? My partner thinks it was Parvo Virus as she was abandoned so young by her mother, so she didn't have enough of her milk, but it all happened so fast. I'm kicking myself thinking I could have stopped this from happening.

 

[msaimee]

I'm very sorry for your loss. I have no idea what illness Nala had, but I do know that young kittens are very vulnerable to illness and disease, and even with veterinary help, they often aren't able to survive. Take comfort in knowing that this little kitten passed away knowing and experiencing your love and care. She didn't die alone and frightened. Sometimes all we can do when we befriend a stray or feral is offer them love and care during their last days of life. I pray God will comfort you during this time of loss, and that you'll be able to sense Nala's peaceful presence with you.

 

[jennyr]

What a very sad thing to happen. But it is not uncommon, and often we never know the cause. I have rescue kittens die too, and we always wonder if we could have done something differently. The truth is that often a kitten has been abandoned by its mother because it is sick, and she does not want to endanger the rest. I hope you get over your loss knowing you did a good thing, and that her life ended peacefully.

 

[zed xyzed]

I am sorry, thank you for loving her

 

[nurseangel]

Bless you for adopting Nala and caring for her.  I am very sorry for your loss.  Sometimes it is very difficult to get young kittens to thrive, especially under the circumstances you were up against, and I admire you so much for trying.  You gave her love in her short life, and that is such a kindness.

 

[di and bob]

You did nothing but love her and were there for her, that is all she ever wanted. To have someone there to comfort her was the most important thing at the time. You will be blessed for your kindness when she needed someone to show her the world was not all fear and loneliness. Sometimes, even with the best of care,  kittens die of illnesses and genetic damage no matter what we do or how much we love them. Distemper is one around here that takes many when they are too young to fight it off, but it is only one of many illnesses that strike the young and defenseless.

To not have had you in her life would have been much more tragic, try not to dwell on her end, but the joy and happiness she brought to your life for that short moment she shared your life journey. She would want no less for the one who meant so much to her, she only wants the best for you in the future.  Do good things in her name, adopt another little soul and pass on Nala's legacy of love. Donate food to a shelter or feed the legions of hungry abandoned cats in your area, all in her name. It makes you feel better about yourself and honors her name. Losing such a young, sweet innocent as Nala leaves a huge whole in your heart. Time is the only thing that softens the pain.Be gentle on yourself, Nala is at peace now, secure in the knowledge that she meant something to someone and left her tiny paw print on someone's heart. Don't spend time on all those should haves, could haves, they do nothing but bring heartache, and no matter how much we want to change the past it will not happen.  I will keep you both in my thoughts and prayers, I'll cry with you over the loss of such a beautiful little baby girl. Send your love to her along the bond you forged with her, she will send hers back to comfort you along with your memories. Thank you for letting us know of this special kitten, she will now be grieved over by many.  Take care......RIP sweet Nala, you will never be forgotten and will always be held in a loving heart!

 

[les26]

So very sorry to hear of your loss, it is extremely difficult to at times comprehend why these things happen but they do. Her life on this Earth was short, but thanks to you it was sprinkled with love and affection, and she is not suffering now but is healthy and playing and doing well. Perhaps in time, as a tribute to her, you can take in and love another one like you did with her.

A woman I work with has said to me many times "sometimes one leaves for another to come in", and I have found this to be true.

Your heart will heal, you may not believe it right now but it will.

God Bless.....

 

[nimeowma]

gosh, I am tearing up. I adopted a 3mo kitten myself about two months ago and lost her within two weeks to suspected panleuk/parvo (and then later peritonitis). it is incredible how painful the loss of an animal can be even when you've only known them for a short period of time. i am so sorry for you and i empathize with you and i want you to know, kittens are so vulnerable and it's more likely than not that there was nothing you could do by the time you found her even if there had been a vet nearby. it hurts and you want to blame something, blame yourself even, but sometimes life is just senselessly and mercilessly cruel and there's not a whole lot us sacks of meat on this big round rock flying through the galaxy can do about it. we took our kitten in at the first sign of illness and even after three days of staying at a clinic getting fluids and three more days and nights in a hospital, she still wasn't strong enough to make it. you did so much for Nala by giving her a little bit of love before she passed. just imagine if you hadn't found her, how much more painful it could have been. she is lucky to have known you and i'm sure if she could communicate with you somehow she would thank you. I hope you don't hurt for too long.

 

[frankthetank]

I am so sorry for your loss but glad you were there with her. I took in a three week old kitten back in July and nursed her to health from a bad state and at 12 weeks of age she was still the size of a 6 wk old. We altered our lives for her basically to provide her with tbe best care during her time with us because of her tiny size. And at 12 weeks of age she fell ill and spent almost 3 days in the ICU at the vet being treated for low blood sugar but ultimately they couldn't save her and she passed on 9/4. We have been devastated. I totally understand how you are feeling and if you need to talk please message me. I have been a wreck all week with the loss of my girl and wondering all the what ifs but I am trying to be at peace with knowing we gave her a happy home for the short time she had on this earth.

 

[Primula]

It's devastating to lose a kitten or young cat. Harry was born in my house, but died 10 months later of cardiac arrest. This was mid-July, but I am still devastated.

 

[linkandzelda]

This a very tragic loss my heart goes out to you, may she rest in peace