I had a 8 week old kitten who did not eat any poison, does anyone know what could kill him in about 3 hours?

Question

We were home all morning and he was fine.. eating, drinking and using the litter. We went to the store, were gone for about an hour and when we got back he did not look good. We searched the house and could not find anything he could have gotten into, and about an hour later he died. He didn't seem to be in pain but he wasn't responsive either.

I just want to thank some of you for your answers. I found most helpful, however the others who suggest I had malicous intent by adopting a kitten that age are ridiculous. Almost everyone who gets rid of kittens does it at that age. I have 2 other cats and they were adopted at that age and are fine. I got the cat from a groomer, the parents were on site, they had their vaccintions. So if you want to fly comments at me about the age fly comments at the whole country. I also do not have a garage my cats are indoor cats, and I have two children under five so my cleaners are out of reach, and I do not have any plants in my house. I believe the people are right who say it was a problem he was born with and all you other ignorant people should know all the details before you make rude comments to someone you know nothing about. Again thanks to all the kind hearted people who responded I am grateful for your answers and sorry for those who experienced loss themselves.

Answer 1

A kitten I adopted from the local animal shelter died in a similar way. He seemed fine when I went to work. When I came home for lunch, he couldn't stand up on his own and was just staring into space. I rushed him to the vet's office, but they told me there was nothing that could be done. The vet told me that my kitten had the cat equivalent of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. His mother's milk did not provide him with the nourishment he needed when he was nursing, and his organs didn't develop properly. His body just shut down and had I not come home when I did, I wouldn't have known what killed him. When I talked to the people at the shelter, they said that all of the kittens from his litter had been reported dead. If this is what happened to your kitten, there was nothing you could have done to prevent it.

Answer 2

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. Did kitty get into the garage? Could he possibly have lapped at some spilled antifreeze? Cats are VERY attracted to the smell and taste of it, but it's highly toxic, and it will kill them in short order. What about cleaners or houseplants? You may have thought your house was kitten-proof, but many innocent seeming houseplants are poisonous. Other than these suggestions, perhaps he was ill and you didn't know it. Animals will instinctively hide sickness until they absolutely cannot any longer. It's a defense mechanism to fool predators from thinking they can be picked off because they're weak. Unfortunately, not knowing when a pet is sick early prevents an owner from seeking help in the beginning stages of an ailment, when it's most treatable.

Whatever the case, try not to beat yourself up over it. If you decide another cat is in your future, just go over your house with a fine tooth comb. Get rid of any houseplants, and consider replacing them with artificial ones. Put all of your household cleaners out of kitty's reach, and make sure that the garage is off limits. Keep your pet's health monitored with regular vet checks, and make sure kitty gets his shots on schedule.

Answer 3

I am so sorry for your loss.

Many cleaning chemicals can be toxic to cats. The liquid in the swiffer wet jet is one that most people don't know about. If a floor was recently cleaned with this particular product and the kitten was near it could be the culprit. Also, if there are any household products that have tea tree oil in them they will be toxic to cats as well.

Another thing to consider is that kittens are also very prone to intestinal worms especially if the mother had them.

There are a lot of possibilities as many people have already stated. You may never know for sure. If you have the extra money to spare you can pay to have a vet look into it.

Answer 4

Sadly this kitten was taken away from its mother before it was old enough. Kittens need to be 13 weeks and fully vaccinated before they can survive healthily away from their mothers. This is because the antibodies they get from the mother's milk keep them safe from disease. Vaccinations replace some of that immunity and when the kitten reaches the 13 week mark its own immune system has developed enough to start offering some protection.

It is not uncommon for kittens like this one, which are taken away from their mothers too early, to die like this. Yet sadly people still take babies away from mothers and just touch wood that they will be OK.

It is against cat association codes of ethics and against their rules to take pedigree kittens away from others before 13 weeks. So why should non-pedigree kittens' lives be worth any less?

A post mortem might show what killed the kitten, but in this scenario it is normally some sort of infectious disease which they were too young to fight on their own and which they would not have succombed to if they had not been removed from their mother unvaccinated and at too tender an age.

Hopefully if you decide to get another cat you will not make the same mistake again.

Answer 5

Omg that is so sad,.

if you leave a pill like avil it can stop breathing and die
milk
choke
urinary problem
maybe some hit him in the head

you need to remember they are babies still in a way and its good to have them with the mother.

I had many cats, I even found a new born kitten under the bushes filled with bugs and flies. His eyes were still shut and ears, no hair. The vet gave me the baby milk, he couldnt even pee by himself. It look like I was raping him because I had to keep pushing his lil' balls so he can pee. They said he is a very lucky cat because most cats die when they are not with there mom. Hes 5yrs now and strong.

So those are the only reasons I can think of. Next time be more aware...

Answer 6

really the most smallest thing on the floor could have done it.
any kind of cleaning chemical that u thought was wipped off, the counters he could have licked the liter off his paw and that could have gotten into his stomach and hurt him, a pill on the floor that was not noticed, or maybe he just had some health plms that u were not aware of cats dont always show signs of sickness or pain. If he was the runt of the liter then that could be the reason too. I am very sorry for your loss i lost a kitten a few months ago as well. I suspect it was from raid that my bf sprayed for ants he said he wiped it up after a few mins but all it takes is one tiny drop to get on his foot and then later when they lick themself that gets into their system as well. He is in kitty heaven now with my cinnamon. :(

Answer 7

Amy, the same thing happened to my 12 week old kitten last month. I am still upset because she was a happy , playful little kitten... she didn't get into poison or choke on anything. She was not in any pain. She had just had an examination by the vet three weeks before. I know exactly how you feel.

Answer 8

a kitten that young shouldnt have been loose in the house... obviously something happened at it killed him - he must have found something poisonous and ate it... a plant? a cleaner? or something he choked on?? a vet would have to do an autopsy to be sure..

are you sure the kitten was healthy before hand?? where did you get it from?? free from the newpaper - with no previous health check? or was he adopted from a shelter where they would have had a vet check him for abnormalities like heart or lungs??

was he using clumping litter?? it could have got in his throat?
did you feed him milk or something else that cats should not have??

its very unusual for a cat to appear fine and be dead in 1 hour... without poison or something...

Answer 9

Okay....I breed cats and I have had this happen before...they can have a heart disease or a murmer....you wouldn't be able to know unless you took the kitten to the vet. It happens very fast...they go into this almost like siezure response...and the organs shut down. It's very sad to say and in my last litter I had one do this at 4 weeks. It's devistating when you have to experience it. I am truly sorry for your loss. If you have any other questions feel free to contact me.

Answer 10

The only way to get an answer is to perform a necropsy. This can be done by your vet or your vet can recommend a lab or state facility that can do this.

It could have have a congenital defect, gotten into something, had FIP, FIV, FeLV, Panleuk, etc. Did he bite an electric cord? Did he eat some Orbits gum that contains xylitol?