A question for cat experts out here

[BrianR]

Time to tap the Cellar knowledge base again.

For cat experts only!

My wife's cat ,a 5-6 year old (dunno the breed, it was orange and white) dropped dead last night. It was fine eight hours before. No obvious symptoms such as choking.

The cat was in the care of my SIL, who loves cats but is hopeless in a crisis. She was hysterical and couldn't pass on information in a coherent way so vital time was lost reminding her that she is a nurse-in-training. Her stethoscope revealed no breathing but a heartbeat so the cat was rushed to the emergency vet but was DOA.

According to the vet, there was no airway obstruction as a tube was passed into the lungs. No frank blood or unexplained lumps which might indicate a cancer. Just dead.

We're wondering what might have caused this death. Internet searches point to a stroke or embolus either in the brain or heart/lungs. No necropsy will be done.

Any ideas?

[Sundae]

No letters after my name, just a long-term cat owner and frequenter of cat forums.
Sure does sound like a stroke or an embolism.

And they can strike happy, healthy cats out of the blue - it happened to someone on another board I dip into. She had an autopsy (an American lady, she was looking for evidence to sure her vet) and the verdict was probably a stroke but they couldn't say conclusively.

Sorry to hear of your loss though.

[Cloud]

did it go outside? poisoning, perhaps

[Elspode]

Check any nearby electrical cords for tooth marks.

[SamIam]

Anti-freeze is a possibility if it went outdoors. Sorry to hear about your kitty.

[classicman]

Poisoning would be my first guess too.

Sorry.

[BrianR]

Poison is unlikely, it was strictly an indoor cat. It never tried to chew on electrical cords either. My money goes on stroke or HA.

There was no evidence at all, no foaming, vomiting or warning. Just...dead. I'm not mourning or anything, I wasn't attached to the cat. Even my wife, who obstensibly owned the cat isn't terribly hurt, but my SIL is devastated. She even called to have me run down to the basement to check on her other three cats that live there and the two or three who live outdoors but hang around for a free feed.

They're fine.

I'd just like to know, is all. I'm just not willing to pay to find out.

[sexobon]

Sorry for your SIL's distress. My understanding is that stroke is less common than heart attack in cats. Perhaps this will help:

Q: "I had a 5 years old male cat that just died in the middle of the night, he was always healthy. ..."

A: "... The most common reason for sudden death in a younger otherwise healthy male cat is a heart problem. It is the type of heart disease where you generally don't hear a heart murmur. The walls of the heart become thicker making it more prone for blood clots to form on the valves of the heart. Sometimes a clot comes loose and can travel to the lungs causing sudden death.

Here is a link for you to read
http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/hyp-cardio.html

There is nothing that you could have done. I hope this helps you understand some."

Feline Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
(Selected Excerpts)

" ... Incidence can vary in different parts of the country, probably because of the gene pool present in a particular area. The most common problem among cats is heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy) and it causes no end of trouble. ...

... Research indicates hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may have a genetic component and can affect cats at any age. However, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is most common in young cats more than one year old and in middle-aged cats. It bears repeating, though, this disease can strike any cat at any age.

In hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the muscle wall of the heart thickens and stiffens, so the heart's chambers are greatly reduced in volume and can't relax properly after contracting ...

The severity of symptoms varies from cats who appear totally unaffected to those who die suddenly. A mildly affected cat could very possibly lead a totally normal life. These cats may be identified only when symptoms suddenly develop due to a stressful event, such as bathing or teeth cleaning."

Hopefully, no one was trying to teach your cat to roll over and play dead ... that only works with dogs. Perhaps other stressors (e.g. being at your SIL's place and around other cats) triggered an emotional event in your cat which was already predisposed by a heart condition to pulmonary embolism.

I'm not a Vet; however, I have performed necropsies. Based upon the history you've given, it doesn't seem to me that a necropsy is indicated for the health and welfare of other animals your cat may have contacted. The Vet your cat was taken to should have been able to advise you in this regard.

[BrianR]

That's the best answer I've heard yet.

The cat lived there for the last year...alone. The only stressor event MIGHT be Thanksgiving dinner and her "mommy" suddenly showing up and cuddling her, but that isn't uncommon, the wife goes there all the time and always greets the cat. A Christmas tree suddenly showing up in the living room doesn't strike me as stressful, even for a finicky cat. I'm told she sniffed at it, tried a nibble, then left it alone.

But I'll pass along that guess, it's as good as any other at this point.