QUESTION:
I have a question about my deceased cat. I will try to describe the last 7 days of his life because he died so suddenly and the Vets in my town don't know why.
First of all, I have to explain what kind of cat he was. Though we live in an apartment complex, he was free to leave whenever he choose to and go out and play around the building. Sometimes he used to stay out for two or three days and he would always come back to the third floor and mew at the doors so we could hear him and open it for him. He would play and rest at our apartment for a day or two and then he would go out again.
We brought him in to our apartment when he was just a kitten in the winter of 2003. He was so smart since day one.
Sunday, Feb 14: At the beginning of the day he vomited twice. After he ate, he went out as usual.
Monday, Feb 15: In the morning, he came back home. He ate more than usual. He spent most of the day at home and on Monday night, he went out and left again.
Wednesday, Feb 17: He came inside in the morning and he seemed very well and he behaved very well. He played, ate and did everything perfectly normal like a healthy cat. He spent the whole night and day at home.
Thursday, Feb 18: Most of the day he stayed at home and ate less than usual. At night he left out.
Friday, Feb 19: In the morning, around 11 AM, he came back home. He seemed tired. He walked heavily, acted lethargic, didn't eat or drink, and just slept. At noon, he started vomiting. He vomited around 5 times during the day. The color of some of thevomit was dark red and brown. He also had diarrhea around 3 times during the day. Coagulated dark-colored blood was visible in the stool. His tummy was somehow retracted in the area of rear legs.
At 7 PM, we took him to the Veterinarian. He decided to give him 4 shots (he did not say what kind of shots they were). He also noticed that his skin was hard to penetrate, probably due to the dehydration. The Vet stated that he didn't have a fever and he weighed around 4 kg (around 8.8 pounds).
During all that time, he did not show any signs of pain. He remained very lethargic and calm which was very strange for him. He was always scared of Vets and doctors.
2 hours after he received the shots, he was slightly better, but he continued to refuse food and water. As the veterinarian recommended, we used a syringe to insert anti-dehydration solution in his mouth but he swallowed very little of it.
After awhile, his condition deteriorated. He did not mew; he didn't drink or eat at all. He started to change his lying positions. He wagged his tail through the rest of the night.
Saturday, Feb 20:
Saturday morning around 5 AM, he was cold to the touch. He mewed in agony a few times when he tried to stand up and walk. He was visibly too exhausted to walk or sit. He continued to lie on the ground and he tried to hide from us. His pupils were dilated, looking almost coal black. He was not blinking atthe time, but he was still heavily breathing. At 7 AM inthe morning, he passed away.
What is the most likely cause of death?
Vets in my town did not take his blood for examination nor did any other tests besides visible check. I hope you can help my family because his death came so suddenly to us. I need to know why he died. Did we do something wrong ?
His picture can be seen by CLICKING HERE
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