Sudden death

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boobookitty

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A couple of days ago I let my cat out after work as I normally do. He was doing fine as I watched him walking around the yard. But he didn't come home that night. I thought maybe he got locked up in someone's garage or shed. The next morning when he didn't show up I went looking for him. I found him lying on the ground in a neighbor's fenced in yard. When I went over to him he was frozen stiff. I wrapped him in a blanket and brought him home. I desperately tried to warm him up with blankets and a heated throw. I thought I heard a few grunts which gave me some hope. I couldn't understand how a 20 lb cat could freeze in such a short time. It wasn't below freezing outside. I ended up taking him to an ER vet at the suggestion of friends. It was too late. Jack was gone. I asked if he could have froze to death and they didn't think that was the cause. They said he could have had a medical issue such as vascular that I didn't know about. How could that be? He was acting fine before this. I'm sorry for the long post but I'm trying to get some closure without having an autopsy done.
 

vince

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My mom had a cat drop dead like that at lunchtime years ago. She came home for her lunch break (she was a school bus driver), fed the cat and let him out afterward. She went about her business and when she was getting ready to go back to work, he wouldn't come back in. She found him dead next to the garage, about 30 feet from the door. The vet also suggested a possible cardiovascular incident.

Your cat probably appeared frozen due to rigor mortis, which indicates he'd been dead at least about four hours. The grunts you heard might have been due to changes in pressure within his lungs if the breathing muscles had not yet stiffened. As you moved him, he let out a noise. Human cadavers do the same thing.
 
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boobookitty

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My mom had a cat drop dead like that at lunchtime years ago. She came home for her lunch break (she was a school bus driver), fed the cat and let him out afterward. She went about her business and when she was getting ready to go back to work, he wouldn't come back in. She found him dead next to the garage, about 30 feet from the door. The vet also suggested a possible cardiovascular incident.

Your cat probably appeared frozen due to rigor mortis, which indicates he'd been dead at least about four hours. The grunts you heard might have been due to changes in pressure within his lungs if the breathing muscles had not yet stiffened. As you moved him, he let out a noise. Human cadavers do the same thing.
Thank you for that info. It does make me sad that he died alone. I was hoping he heard me before passing.
 

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When I was in high school, one of my classmates was sent away to a military academy, as a disciplinary measure by his parents. And then one day we heard that he had died suddenly of a cardiovascular accident. We (i.e. the class) all thought this was an official cover-up of abuse at the military academy (which certainly sounds plausible on the face of it), but several years later I ran into his mother at church and talked with her about it. There was an autopsy done on him, and he had a congenital malformation of the blood vessels in his brain. It was an accident waiting to happen, and anything could have triggered it, anywhere.

My sister-in-law lost a sister the same way; in her case it happened the day after she gave birth (:sniffle:).

Unfortunately, these things happen. Brains require blood flow, and "small" malformations in the blood vessels that service the brain can have major consequences. And to make it worse, it's the kind of problem that gives no warning. The first we know about it is when someone keels over dead.

Margret
 

Margret

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It does make me sad that he died alone. I was hoping he heard me before passing.
He probably never knew he was dying. What he did know was that he was loved. He heard you for years before passing; those final moments may be all you can think of now but the important part of his life was how he lived, and how he loved, and how he was (is) loved.

You may find this thread to be useful in your time of grief: Grieving
:alright::grouphug2::rbheart:

Margret
 

neely

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It does make me sad that he died alone. I was hoping he heard me before passing.
I hope he heard you too but assuming the vet is correct there's nothing you could have done. Try not to dwell on him being alone although I completely understand your feelings and empathize with you. :hugs: Perhaps making a memory box with his favorite items will help ease your pain a little. He is running at the Bridge now with all the other cats who have passed before him. RIP sweet angel.:angel:
 

fionasmom

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I lost an indoor only cat to a cardiovascular event a few years ago. A vet tech believed that the cat had a heart murmur and the vet disagreed or passed it off as a minor murmur is not an issue. There were no symptoms, as there often are not with humans with heart issues as well. One Saturday morning he walked down the hall toward me, raised his paw in an odd way that cats do not, and dropped over dead. It took seconds and while I was distraught I do not believe that he even knew what happened.

I am so sorry about the loss of your cat, but aside from being psychic, I think that this was out of your hands.
 
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boobookitty

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When I was in high school, one of my classmates was sent away to a military academy, as a disciplinary measure by his parents. And then one day we heard that he had died suddenly of a cardiovascular accident. We (i.e. the class) all thought this was an official cover-up of abuse at the military academy (which certainly sounds plausible on the face of it), but several years later I ran into his mother at church and talked with her about it. There was an autopsy done on him, and he had a congenital malformation of the blood vessels in his brain. It was an accident waiting to happen, and anything could have triggered it, anywhere.

My sister-in-law lost a sister the same way; in her case it happened the day after she gave birth (:sniffle:).

Unfortunately, these things happen. Brains require blood flow, and "small" malformations in the blood vessels that service the brain can have major consequences. And to make it worse, it's the kind of problem that gives no warning. The first we know about it is when someone keels over dead.

Margret
Thank you for your input Margret. I guess that's what happened. I just hope he didn't suffer.
 
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boobookitty

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He probably never knew he was dying. What he did know was that he was loved. He heard you for years before passing; those final moments may be all you can think of now but the important part of his life was how he lived, and how he loved, and how he was (is) loved.

You may find this thread to be useful in your time of grief: Grieving
:alright::grouphug2::rbheart:

Margret
Thank you again.
 
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boobookitty

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I hope he heard you too but assuming the vet is correct there's nothing you could have done. Try not to dwell on him being alone although I completely understand your feelings and empathize with you. :hugs: Perhaps making a memory box with his favorite items will help ease your pain a little. He is running at the Bridge now with all the other cats who have passed before him. RIP sweet angel.:angel:
Thank you Neely.
I lost an indoor only cat to a cardiovascular event a few years ago. A vet tech believed that the cat had a heart murmur and the vet disagreed or passed it off as a minor murmur is not an issue. There were no symptoms, as there often are not with humans with heart issues as well. One Saturday morning he walked down the hall toward me, raised his paw in an odd way that cats do not, and dropped over dead. It took seconds and while I was distraught I do not believe that he even knew what happened.

I am so sorry about the loss of your cat, but aside from being psychic, I think that this was out of your hands.
Thank you fionasmom.
 
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boobookitty

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My mom had a cat drop dead like that at lunchtime years ago. She came home for her lunch break (she was a school bus driver), fed the cat and let him out afterward. She went about her business and when she was getting ready to go back to work, he wouldn't come back in. She found him dead next to the garage, about 30 feet from the door. The vet also suggested a possible cardiovascular incident.

Your cat probably appeared frozen due to rigor mortis, which indicates he'd been dead at least about four hours. The grunts you heard might have been due to changes in pressure within his lungs if the breathing muscles had not yet stiffened. As you moved him, he let out a noise. Human cadavers do the same thing.
Thank you Vince.
 

betsygee

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So very sorry for the loss of your sweet kitty. We'll lock this thread now, as we usually do when a kitty has passed. We invite you to post a tribute to your sweet kitty in our Crossing the Bridge forum.
 
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