My 3 year old female cat died last night, why?

Question

I have two 3 yr. old cats, a shorthair black male and a longhair black female. Well last night my daughter came running into my room, crying and screaming, telling my boyfriend and I that she was on the dining room floor dead! I can't believe how broken up over this I am. I could not sleep last night and I can't stop today. I guess what really bothers me is that she has always been healthy and she was only 3. When we found her she had gone to the bathroom where she had past. Does anyone know if blood clots and heart attacks are common with cats, and will either cause her to die the way she did?

She also had a bath about 5 hours earlier, and was bathed the same way my other one was moments earlier, and he is fine. Also, her tongue was sticking out like she had a seizure or something. And one more thing, my male cat is acting weird, he won't purr, he seems so sad, could he be feeling sad? When he saw her last night after she passed, we let him say goodbye to her and he was trying to cover her, the way he does after he uses the litter box. Does he know, is he sad?

She was not bathed in flea killer, she was an indoor cat, got outside a few times, but when she was a kitten. Other than him being really sad, my other kitty is fine.After the bath, we dried her off and she was fined. My boyfriend then brushed her and she was so happy. Then this happened several hours later. Do you think the bath had something to do with it?? I would think that it would affect my other cat too.

Answer 1

I'm sorry for your loss....you can have your vet do a necropsy which is an autopsy for an animal. that may give you a clue as to what was going on.

Answer 2

Without the vet doing an autopsy on the cat, we'd only be guessing. But I really can't see how giving the cat a bath could have even remotely been the cause.

It's possible a seizure was the reason, but a vet would be able to determine what did it. I'm sorry.

Answer 3

I'm so sorry about the loss of your cat, my brother had a cat Foxy, and one day he said he saw her walking across the dining room floor she let out a low murmur and then she was gone. The vet said it was a heart attack, I don't know how common it is but it does happen. I hope this puts your mind at some ease, there really is nothing you could have done even if you were right there, once again sorry about your loss.

Answer 4

I'm so sorry for your loss. It's always heartbreaking when a beloved pet dies, but to lose one unexpectedly at such a young age, must be devastating.

Sometimes things happen that cannot be prevented,and though it's impossible for any of us to know what happened to your cat, it's possible that she had a pre-existing health problem, possibly with her heart.

Cry as much as you want, and talking about her with your boyfriend and family will help. Try to remember the good times with her, and though her life may have been short, I'm sure it was filled with much love and happiness. Perhaps dedicating a memorial to her at the Rainbows Bridge web site might bring you all some comfort.

I don't know how closely bonded the two cats were, but don't forget that he may be grieving too at the loss of his companion and will benefit from your reassurance. The web article "When Cats Grieve" by Sarah Hartwell may be helpful to you.

http://www.messybeast.com/cat-grief.htm

Take care.

Answer 5

Oh my gosh I'm so sorry! How terrible I know you all must be heart broken! It sounds like something heart related since it was so sudden. Maybe she had some kind of heart defect, I don't know. This happened to my mom's dog. He was only 2 years old, she was giving him a bath and he just fell over dead. The vet said it was almost certainly a heart attack. Again, I'm so sorry. I'm sure she was a sweet kitty.

Answer 6

My condolences on your cat. It's devastating to find a pet like that.
Ive heard of blood clots in older cats with heart problems, but not with a young one that was apparently healthy. Possibly she ate something poisonous. It's normal for a cat to urinate or defecate at the time of death because the body loses control.

Answer 7

Aww kittens are always great :) I can understand where you are coming from. I have 5 cats and one is 18yrs old. I introduced my two kittens now 8mths to him and there was a little hissing and growling which is normal and to be expected. She needs time to adjust, let her hiss and growl shes letting them know shes the boss. She will get better with them and you will find she will be able to be in the same room with them. Its different with each cat but my golden oldie Moo Moo took about 2 weeks. I gradually showed the kittens, had them in a pen and then got my old boy out and he could see them and i did this each day and for longer periods. Then i just let them in the same room and watched them.

Answer 8

I am sorry for your loss. I would recommend that you take the deceased cat as well as the surviving cat to the vet as soon as possible, so that the vet can examine both cats. That way the vet can determine why the one cat died, and if there is any danger to the surviving cat.

Answer 9

The only real way to find out what happen is to take him to the vet. It's impossible, unless he had a known health problem, to know why he passed on. I'm greatly sorry. Losing a pet is just as bad as losing a human loved one.

Answer 10

What did you bathe your cat in? Was it something you usually use? Was it to kill fleas? Are your cats inside or outside cats? Could they have gotten into something poisonous? I once killed my puppies by using a flea shampoo that was too strong? Watch your other cat closely....you might need to take him to the vet to have him checked out....

Answer 11

She might have had some sort of illness; cat leukemia, kidney disease, cats are prone to these illnesses. I don't think the bath had anything to do with it. Cats mourn each other, maybe not to the extent we do, but they have feelings the same as us.