Probable cause of death? Last night a family member's 4 year old healthy indoor cat died very suddenly.?

Question

He ate his dinner, allowed the owners to pet him, jumped up on the bed as they were getting ready to retire and was purring, then suddenly went into some sort of seizure, meowed loudly a few times, and died. He was found in a swamp when he was a few weeks old and rescued by them. He had regular vet care, was an indoor only cat, and very large in body size, but not overweight. So, has anyone experienced this before? My guesses were aneurysm or heart defect, but I suppose a blood clot would be possible as well. They cannot afford a necropsy, so we are left to guess.

Update:

The cat was 4 years old. No prior symptoms at all according to the owner. It was my nephew's cat.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Sorry to hear of their loss. One of my cats had a stroke with the same symptoms; she did not die at once but only regained slight movement so had to be pts, so I suspect this is what happened to this poor cat.

CTU · Answer

I am very sorry for the loss of their cat. Without a necropsy, no one can really know. It is probably what you are guessing it to be. You didn't mention his age. If he is an elder cat, I would go with the heart stopping...

They must be devastated. It is never easy to lose a family member:(

? · Answer

I am so sorry.  We have had two cats die from strokes, and your cat's death sounds as though it might be from that cause, as the symptoms seem to be the same..  It is very sudden, just as it is in humans, and nothing can be done in the time.   The vets will tell you that cats don't have strokes, but they do.  Both of ours had the same grandmother, so perhaps it runs in cat families.

Daniel · Answer

Terribly sorry to hear of your loss, It is hard to lose a cherished pet. It sounds like a stroke, but it could have been a blood clot that traveled to the brain, was he acting strange before it happened, like several days before, like a limp of sorts etc, but otherwise it could have been a stroke, it happens in the elderly. Again terribly sorry about your loss.

Crystal · Answer

My pup who was about 18 months old died in a similar way. We fed him, he seemed fine, he went to get up when me and my mom were leaving and he laid back down whined twice then stopped breathing... We speculated bloat since he was a GSD and his brother died from it 2 weeks later, but we never knew what happened. Sorry to hear about your nephew's kitty... I'd be devastated if my kitty died like that. :(

Coventry_cat_group · Answer

I think you are spot on - either heart or brain.

I'm sorry for your loss and it must be very upsetting for the family. At least he didn't suffer. RIP Kitty.

Trending News

Probable cause of death? Last night a family member's 4 year old healthy indoor cat died very suddenly.?

6 Answers