# Why did my cat die?



## Boy (Aug 5, 2011)

I had a cat, that was always in the house, recently we let the cat out doors.  After a few weeks of going out, the cat started to slow down, it did not play, the cat seemed to rest all the time.  It also stopped eating and drinking (my guess on the rate of food left behind).  This is all hindsight now.  But after a few weeks of sickness, I came home from a long trip and my wife said she had not see the cat for a few days.  I found the cat dead.  I felt so bad, because I should have taken it to a vet.  I was thinking it must just be sick and will get over it. We have 3 other cats, but that was my favorite.  After many pets and many years of having them, this is the first time one has gotten sick and died as a young cat.  I wonder what would cause this?  I don't think it was poison because that would not make the cat slow down for weeks and then die. 
It is a terrible feeling thinking I may have been able to help the poor thing.


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## uscitizen (Aug 5, 2011)

I assume it had a good supply of food and water available?


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## Sallow (Aug 5, 2011)

Could be lots of things. Heat..and Allergy..maybe it drank anti-freeze.

Bottom line is letting the cat out wasn't a good idea.


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## random3434 (Aug 5, 2011)

He died because he was an indoor cat, and then you made him an outdoor cat.

Most likely he ate something poisonous  outside, which killed him

Poor Kitty.


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## uscitizen (Aug 5, 2011)

All my cats are outdoor cats.  Too much trouble inside.
They have plenty of outbuildings to live in.


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## zzzz (Aug 5, 2011)

Not enough info. It could have been eating a poisonous substance that took time to kill it. Not all poisons or hazardous substances are fast acting. Then again it may have just gotten sick and died from something internal like we humans do. It may not have anything to do with going outside. Without an autopsy it is all guesswork.


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## Boy (Aug 5, 2011)

Yes, the cat had plenty of food and water


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## ekrem (Aug 5, 2011)

Only an autopsy/doctor can answer your question.


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## lilbug (Aug 5, 2011)

Boy said:


> I had a cat, that was always in the house, recently we let the cat out doors.  After a few weeks of going out, the cat started to slow down, it did not play, the cat seemed to rest all the time.  It also stopped eating and drinking (my guess on the rate of food left behind).  This is all hindsight now.  But after a few weeks of sickness, I came home from a long trip and my wife said she had not see the cat for a few days.  I found the cat dead.  I felt so bad, because I should have taken it to a vet.  I was thinking it must just be sick and will get over it. We have 3 other cats, but that was my favorite.  After many pets and many years of having them, this is the first time one has gotten sick and died as a young cat.  I wonder what would cause this?  I don't think it was poison because that would not make the cat slow down for weeks and then die.
> It is a terrible feeling thinking I may have been able to help the poor thing.



You could ask your vet their thoughts, but I doubt without having seen the cat or performing an necropsy, they could even answer this for you.  It could have been any number of things.  Something it got into.  It could have been something the it was coming down with before you ever let it out, or it could have been a pre-existing condition that finally caught with up with the cat.

I'm truly sorry for the loss of your fur baby.


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## Webrunner (Aug 6, 2011)

Boy said:


> I had a cat, that was always in the house, recently we let the cat out doors.  After a few weeks of going out, the cat started to slow down, it did not play, the cat seemed to rest all the time.  It also stopped eating and drinking (my guess on the rate of food left behind).  This is all hindsight now.  But after a few weeks of sickness, I came home from a long trip and my wife said she had not see the cat for a few days.  I found the cat dead.  I felt so bad, because I should have taken it to a vet.  I was thinking it must just be sick and will get over it. We have 3 other cats, but that was my favorite.  After many pets and many years of having them, this is the first time one has gotten sick and died as a young cat.  I wonder what would cause this?  I don't think it was poison because that would not make the cat slow down for weeks and then die.
> It is a terrible feeling thinking I may have been able to help the poor thing.



The cat stopped eating and drinking "for a few weeks"? I think you have your answer.  I have two dogs and I cannot imagine letting them get sicker and sicker over a period of _weeks_ without taking them to the vet. Your cat died because you neglected it. If you truly do feel bad about that, learn from this and don't ever let it happen again.


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## Mad Scientist (Aug 6, 2011)

Webrunner said:


> Your cat died because you neglected it.


This.


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## random3434 (Aug 6, 2011)

Mad Scientist said:


> Webrunner said:
> 
> 
> > Your cat died because you neglected it.
> ...



Agreed.


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## lilbug (Aug 6, 2011)

Okay, this is obviously not the first pet the OP has had and he has other cats thriving well under his care.  Should he have taken it to the vet, definitely, but obviously he is feeling remorse and is saddened over its death...it's his first post here.  Hopefully he will learn from this, but few of us are above overlooking something about our pets that we should have paid attention to.  I don't see the need to add to the guy's sorrow with some of the remarks here.  Get mad at the folks who willfully leave their animals locked up in a hot car on a hot summer day, keep them chained up day in and day out, don't feed and water them and have no interaction with them, beat them, torture them...this guy doesn't deserve it.  If he didn't care about his animals I doubt he would have posted about it here.  Stating it died from neglect is a judgment on your part, and none of us know the exact particulars that we can make that judgment with absolute certainty.  He made an error in judgment, it happens to the best of us.


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## Truthmatters (Aug 6, 2011)

Sorry to hear you cat died.

The letting it roam outside thing coud just be a coincidence.

Dont beat yourself up about it.

He knew you loved him.


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## Webrunner (Aug 6, 2011)

lilbug said:


> Okay, this is obviously not the first pet the OP has had and he has other cats thriving well under his care.  Should he have taken it to the vet, definitely, but obviously he is feeling remorse and is saddened over its death...it's his first post here.  Hopefully he will learn from this, but few of us are above overlooking something about our pets that we should have paid attention to.  I don't see the need to add to the guy's sorrow with some of the remarks here.  Get mad at the folks who willfully leave their animals locked up in a hot car on a hot summer day, keep them chained up day in and day out, don't feed and water them and have no interaction with them, beat them, torture them...this guy doesn't deserve it.  If he didn't care about his animals I doubt he would have posted about it here.  Stating it died from neglect is a judgment on your part, and none of us know the exact particulars that we can make that judgment with absolute certainty.  He made an error in judgment, it happens to the best of us.




Well, the risk of posting an OP like that is that someone might just give an honest answer. If he's looking for absolution, he's looking in the wrong place. I don't know that I believe letting his cat live in sickness for a period of weeks is much less cruel than those other things you listed. I bet if the OP had been sick for that long, he would have gotten himself to a doc. If he feels bad, good, he should. Hopefully he'll learn from this.


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## lilbug (Aug 6, 2011)

Webrunner said:


> lilbug said:
> 
> 
> > Okay, this is obviously not the first pet the OP has had and he has other cats thriving well under his care.  Should he have taken it to the vet, definitely, but obviously he is feeling remorse and is saddened over its death...it's his first post here.  Hopefully he will learn from this, but few of us are above overlooking something about our pets that we should have paid attention to.  I don't see the need to add to the guy's sorrow with some of the remarks here.  Get mad at the folks who willfully leave their animals locked up in a hot car on a hot summer day, keep them chained up day in and day out, don't feed and water them and have no interaction with them, beat them, torture them...this guy doesn't deserve it.  If he didn't care about his animals I doubt he would have posted about it here.  Stating it died from neglect is a judgment on your part, and none of us know the exact particulars that we can make that judgment with absolute certainty.  He made an error in judgment, it happens to the best of us.
> ...



I think everyone here gave an honest answer. The guy wasn't seeking for absolution, just answers.  None of us here are judge and jury.  It was obvious the guy already felt bad.  Yeah he made a mistake, but that's no reason to trample on someone when they're down.


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## Dabs (Aug 6, 2011)

Sounds like he should have never been let outside. If he was an inside kitty for all his life, then  you suddenly let him out, he undoubtedly got into something that made it sick. Was it declawed?? Most indoor cats are, and one should never put a cat outside if they have been declawed. Sorry for your loss.


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## syrenn (Aug 7, 2011)

The first sentence...enough said. 


As stated in the thread before. You let the cat out. It doesn't really matter the how and why of the end game.


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## The Infidel (Aug 7, 2011)

Truthmatters said:


> Sorry to hear you cat died.
> 
> The letting it roam outside thing coud just be a coincidence.
> 
> ...




How do you know?

Hell, the kitty got put outside.... prolly was wondering why 

Jeez....TM


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## Luissa (Aug 7, 2011)

If you have continuous water feeder it was probably that. They usually die slowly like that if the water gets some sort of bacteria or parasite in it. One should never use a continuous water feeder for their cat.


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## St.Blues (Aug 7, 2011)

Luissa said:


> If you have continuous water feeder it was probably that. They usually die slowly like that if the water gets some sort of bacteria or parasite in it. One should never use a continuous water feeder for their cat.



I'm not sure if this makes any sense? Sounds kinda stupid of you to say that.
Continuous usually means freshly filled.


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## The Infidel (Aug 7, 2011)

Couldve gotten feline aids.... that is a sad way for a kitty to die 


This thread bothers me.... why would someone post here on a political forum about a cat?

Only has a couple posts too.... 

Just sayin'



I call 


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## Luissa (Aug 7, 2011)

St.Blues said:


> Luissa said:
> 
> 
> > If you have continuous water feeder it was probably that. They usually die slowly like that if the water gets some sort of bacteria or parasite in it. One should never use a continuous water feeder for their cat.
> ...



that is what they call them, not me.. you feel the jug, and it only feels the tray or whatever when they drink..
My sister in laws cat got sick, and that is what the vet told her.


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## St.Blues (Aug 7, 2011)

Luissa said:


> St.Blues said:
> 
> 
> > Luissa said:
> ...



Okay... sure.


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## syrenn (Aug 7, 2011)

St.Blues said:


> Luissa said:
> 
> 
> > St.Blues said:
> ...



no...she is right. 

Its just like a water cooler bottle dispenser. And if they are left in the sun or not washed out very well and often... its a breeding ground for all sorts of nasty shit.


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## St.Blues (Aug 7, 2011)

syrenn said:


> St.Blues said:
> 
> 
> > Luissa said:
> ...



Ohh..... so not fresh water at all.. Just dispensed.


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## Kooshdakhaa (Aug 7, 2011)

Did the cat have all of his vaccinations?  Going outside the house he may have encountered other cats who had illnesses.  He have been fine inside your house with your own cats, but new cats could have germs he had no immunity to.

Oh, and by the way...any time an animal stops eating and drinking they need to go to the vet.  It is a bad sign when they won't eat or drink.


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## eots (Aug 7, 2011)

Boy said:


> I had a cat, that was always in the house, recently we let the cat out doors.  After a few weeks of going out, the cat started to slow down, it did not play, the cat seemed to rest all the time.  It also stopped eating and drinking (my guess on the rate of food left behind).  This is all hindsight now.  But after a few weeks of sickness, I came home from a long trip and my wife said she had not see the cat for a few days.  I found the cat dead.  I felt so bad, because I should have taken it to a vet.  I was thinking it must just be sick and will get over it. We have 3 other cats, but that was my favorite.  After many pets and many years of having them, this is the first time one has gotten sick and died as a young cat.  I wonder what would cause this?  I don't think it was poison because that would not make the cat slow down for weeks and then die.
> It is a terrible feeling thinking I may have been able to help the poor thing.



have you angered god lately ?


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## Kooshdakhaa (Aug 7, 2011)

The Infidel said:


> Couldve gotten feline aids.... that is a sad way for a kitty to die
> 
> 
> This thread bothers me.... why would someone post here on a political forum about a cat?
> ...



Because it's not just a political forum.  The title would indicate that it is, but when guests look it over they see there are a LOT of other topics, not just political.  That's why I joined, the variety of topics, and I've rarely posted in any of the political categories on this forum.

This particular category is PETS.  It seems entirely appropriate to me that someone would post a comment here about their cat dying.


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## Kooshdakhaa (Aug 7, 2011)

Dabs said:


> Sounds like he should have never been let outside. If he was an inside kitty for all his life, then  you suddenly let him out, he undoubtedly got into something that made it sick. Was it declawed?? Most indoor cats are, and one should never put a cat outside if they have been declawed. Sorry for your loss.



What do you mean, MOST indoor cats are declawed?  I'm sorry, but that almost encourages people to mutilate their cats by having them declawed. I mean, why not, after all MOST indoor cats are declawed.  Do you have some statistics to back up that broad statement?

Although I will agree with your comment that declawed cats should never be put outside.  Considering that they are absolutely defenseless.


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## Dabs (Aug 7, 2011)

Kooshdakhaa said:


> Dabs said:
> 
> 
> > Sounds like he should have never been let outside. If he was an inside kitty for all his life, then  you suddenly let him out, he undoubtedly got into something that made it sick. Was it declawed?? Most indoor cats are, and one should never put a cat outside if they have been declawed. Sorry for your loss.
> ...



No, I wasn't aware that by posting in the Pets category, if I ran into a disagreement with someone, that I would be expected to come up with links and proof and shit.
Most of the people I know, who have indoor cats-- do have the front claws of their cats declawed, so the cat doesn't scratch on the furniture, etc. They still have their back claws.
I don't see that declawing a cat is mutilation, I see it done quite often. At the vet I got to, (I don't have a cat tho), there are tons of folks who are bringing their kitty in to get 'declawed'.


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## Skull Pilot (Aug 7, 2011)

Was the cat vaccinated for feline leukemia and feline aids or leptospirosis ?

Chances are you didn't bother to check before you decided to let him out.


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## Big Black Dog (Aug 7, 2011)

Why does anything, or anybody, die?  It's the cycle of life.  You didn't do anything bad by letting your cat go outside.  It was his, or her, time to die and it died.  You've heard lots of theories about how you mistreated the cat by letting it go outside and they are all wrong.  We have 9 outdoor cats here on the farm and they live just fine outside - even when the weather is bad.  Stop beating yourself up and everybody lighten up.  Everything dies.  It was the cats time to die and it died.


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## Webrunner (Aug 7, 2011)

The cat was mistreated because the OP knew it was sick and never bothered to take it to the vet. This isn't some "cycle of life" thing. This was neglect.


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