Expert: Jessica - 1/9/2011

Question
I have very recently lost my cat to sudden death. I was away for Xmas and he was in an excellent cattery (I am totally sure that they are blameless and hold them in high regard and have used them for many years) but on the night of the fourth day of his stay he died. He had unusually wee'd in his bed that day according to the manager. The owner did not wish to distress me over Xmas so left it until I arrived to collect him to inform me. Her husband is a vet and he had examined my cat before placing him in cold storage. His opinion was that it was heart failure.  My cats normal vet thought (by phone) it might have been a tumour. I was and still am greatly distressed so declined a post mortem examination. My cat was more than a pet he was my constant companion and friend and I feel I have failed my sacred duty to care for him. He was 12 3/4yrs and was it seemed to me to be in reasonable good health. I expected him to live to 15 and mayby even older. However some signs of what I thought were him getting more mature recently became noticible - his spine and hips had become more prominent, a couple of time over the past 6 months he missed his target in jumping from a height. He did vomit a couple of times in early december but he often has hair balls and I thought it was part of that as his appetite was fine.If anthing it was increasing. When I received him back from the cattery a few days after I had returned ( I was too upset to take his body when I first heard). I noticed he was in a peculiar posture as if kickingback or stretching ( with all limbs pointing straight back, hind lege crossed over) whilst lying on his left side. Head tilted to the right resting against the box. Might this prove stroke or heart attack? Could the stress of going into the cattery ( he hated to get in the travel boxand always protested) have triggered a heart atteck/ storke? In April when he got his Tricat booster he weighed 4.6 Kg. I weighted him dead and he was 5kg including hand towel and light cardboard box. Thanks, I feel so responsible. I am so bereft now without him. I truly loved him and cannot cope without him as I live alone. He was lovely. a moggie male neuter with long black hair which in bright sunlight revealed black and tan tabby markings. I had him since he was a kitten and basically rescued him from a socially disadvantaged and disordered household. He and his siblings ( he had a brother and two sisters)were riddled with worms and fleas.

Answer
Hello Nolajacinta,

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss.  Please don't blame yourself.  It's always easy to find things we feel we should have seen after we're presented with information.  At the time, there was no reason for you to suspect anything was wrong.

Regarding the position he was found in when he died, this is a common way to find a cat who has died a natural death.  That's because muscle spasms are part of the dying process in most cases, and unless a kitty dies extremely suddenly, the limbs will often be stretched backward or forward, and the neck may be stretched out or thrown back.  

Strokes are extremely uncommon in cats, with cardiac arrest being much more common.  I don't think the position he was found in would suggest this was his cause of death, but it couldn't rule it out, either.

Looking back on all your observations of his behavior now, I'm wondering if potentially he might have had heart problems secondary to an overactive thyroid.  This disease is extremely common in cats over the age of 8 years old.  The thyroid causes the metabolism to speed up too much, and the cat loses weight despite having an increased appetite.  He can become easily tired as his body is using up his energy stores too quickly, and as the disease progresses, he may become weak, as he begins to lose muscle mass.  This might account for his missed jumps and would certainly account for his boney appearance.  Some cats experience vomiting and/or diarrhea, as well.  The condition also causes an increased heart rate and in some cases, permanent heart damage called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.  

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is the most common heart condition in cats, and it is often fatal ultimately.  It can cause complications such as an irregular heartbeat that leads to cardiac arrest, blood clots, or congestive heart failure.  Any one of these could certainly have claimed your beloved kitty's life.

Stress certainly will push a kitty with an existing heart problem over the edge - I saw it with my own cat.  My cat was in intensive care due to Hypertrohpic Cardiomyopathy and Congestive Heart Failure just over a week after my other cat passed away of cancer.  I'm not a vet, but I specialize in special needs and hospice care, and I would tend to think that a heart problem makes a lot of sense here.  Please don't be hard on yourself.  Cats mask their illnesses, as their survival depends on it, and heart problems can be the most silent of them all.  

A tumor is also still a possibility.  In my own experience, most cancer patients will stop eating long before they pass away of a natural death.  There are plenty of exceptions to this, however.

In any case, I know you are going through a very painful time right now, but I hope in time you will be left only with happy memories.  Your cat was very lucky to have made it out of his initial setting into his home with you.  He clearly knew nothing but love and comfort from that day forward.

Best wishes,
Jessica