Cat dies 24 hour after I got him...

Hey guys, can't really think straight right now...

Yesterday I got a 4 years old cat off Kijiji.ca, the owner was moving and couldn't keep him at her new place. She gave me everything for free, litter box, food, extra litter, treats, toys, very nice woman. She was crying and made me promise to send her pictures of Oscar every now and then.

So I brought Oscar to my apartment yesterday and he seemed healthy, although he was very shy and stayed most of the evening hidden under the couch he came to sleep in my bed in the middle of the night.

This morning I woke up and he was still sleeping, he seemed very tired and weak, even though I shaked the treats bag or gave him food he wouldn't come. I don't know the cat yet so I thought, its a cat, he's fat, its probably just laziness... He seemed alright, he was breathing regularly, following my movements with his eye but he wouldn't get off his bed. I took him and moved him around to see if he would stand on his feet, nope - right back to laying on its side. I thought he really is tired or maybe stressed from moving into a new place... Didn't think too much about it. I left and spent the evening at a friend and I called the owner and asked her if the cat was usually active and she told me that he was usually very playful and active.

I came back home at 3 am and the cat was in the middle of my living room, not breathing, no apparent pulse.... Tried to wake him up.. Even tried to drop some water over its face.. no reaction. I've owned multiple cats before and never had anything like that before, never had an animal dying of anything under my care. I had to put the body in a plastic bag until I can dispose of him properly tomorrow and it feels so wrong.

I can't express how I feel right now, he did not appear to be sick... I really don't understand and I feel so, so bad about it. I feel horrible because I'm thinking if I had knew the cat or if the woman had seem him she would've picked that something was wrong with him right away and he might still be alive now. She seemed very attached to it, she cried when he was leaving and now after 24 hours in my possession it died. How am I supposed to explain that to her. He seemed like a very nice, affectionate cat. She gave me papers that shows he had the proper vaccines / pest control and he was fixed. Anyone has an idea about what could have happened?

Can't go back to sleep right now and can't call anyone at this time of the night and I had to get it off my chest. Thank you ATS for listening.

a reply to: MrMaybeNot

Ah, I am so sorry to hear this. Perhaps he died of a broken heart? That's the only thing I can think of.

It might be a good idea to contact the woman if you can, to put your mind at ease. I know, whether good or bad news, I'd want to know. No, you can't explain it to her but just remember she wouldn't have chosen you for it's new family if she hadn't trusted you so I don't think you need to worry that she will think you did something wrong. Besides cats are very self sufficient and hardy.

Take care and know that you didn't do anything wrong. Sending you big hugs.

a reply to: ccseagull

Thanks for the words.. I will call her but it wont be easy. I got a cat because I got single couple months ago and thought it would bring some life into the place and I told the woman, she was happy about that. She told me how the cat helped her through hard times and she hoped it would do the same for me.

a reply to: MrMaybeNot

It's a very sad situation all around. Poor kitty Don't give up on trying again. Life is so empty without a living creature that gives you it's absolute heart. There's nothing better than having that warm fuzzy body next to yours to make you feel at peace in this crazy world.

a reply to: MrMaybeNot

Sorry to hear your story, brother. Same thing happened to me a long long time ago. I was sure the cat knew it had been abandoned and died of a broken heart.

We keep my daughter's dog to ensure she won't suffer the same fate.

Hope you can relax enough to get some shuteye. If not you can PM me all you want.

a reply to: MrMaybeNot

When ringing the lady maybe add tge kitty maybe died of a broken heart.
Sorry for your loss.
Good luck with the phone call thats gonna be hard.

Hi. So sorry about your cat. Please don't tie up the bag you have him in. It has happened more than a few times, that a cat that appears dead is found walking around later. Better to be safe than sorry. a reply to: MrMaybeNot

That's a right blow to the heart mate. I really feel for you, the cat and the previous owner who I imagine will be feeling quite distraught right now too.

Perhaps the cat had a weak heart and it was just too much for her and when you left she just really started to panic?

Do you have any pot plants in the house? (some can be toxic to dogs and cats) Perhaps when the cat was under the couch it found a dropped medical tablet of some sort? Actually, the lethargy sounds like perhaps a tick?

Anyway, I'm really sorry for your loss and good for you though in re-homing an older cat rather than a kitten. Just a shame all round it didn't work out.

a reply to: Qumulys

I really don't know... The cat was very overweight and when he entered my appartment he just crawled under the couch and hid there for 5-6 hours. It ate at night because the bowl was empty and he did use his litter once. His bed was covered in vomit and he was a few feet from it. I've been reading for couple hours now and they say one tylenol would be fatal to a cat. Maybe there was one somewhere on the floor. I smoke pot but its sealed in a small bag kept in a drawer, I don't grow plants and there's no other medication in here, except tylenols.

a reply to: MrMaybeNot

it's unfortunately very likely that he was poisoned somehow, especially with you mentioning his vomiting all over the bed. Either that or a heart attack. I wonder how he could have been poisoned? The Tylenol is possible but cats tend not to eat it. They can't taste sweetness so the coating on Tylenol ez tabs is a non-factor, and Tylenol itself is pretty nasty, so I'd think the taste alone would be a deterrent. They're known for eating rat poison and drinking antifreeze though so who knows what really tastes good to them :

a reply to: MrMaybeNot

Yeah, many safe tablets for us can be fatal to our furry little buddies Hopefully Rodinus (ats member and veterinarian) will chime in with some help.

I just thought of a tick especially if you had it in a new yard for a quick toilet break, but it sounds like it was indoors the whole time. The vomiting is very likely linked, don't suppose you feel like poking through it? Actually, don't worry. Obviously both old owner and new wanted the best for her, but it just didn't work. Some of us just have short candles to burn. *hug*

(edit) Oh, when I said pot plants, I was referring to species like the golden dust plant! Not sure what the effect of a small accidentally dropped 'bud' would have on a cat? Perhaps it's potent smell tempted it like catnip? But as you keep it stored that's rather unlikely, but perhaps in the realm of a possible cause? Which I hate to say because I'm not trying to upset you, if that happened it is obviously unintentional.


Another thing, maybe someone had put out a rat/mouse poison bait? sick mouse in your house, cat does it's job. Vomiting and sick in the morning...? Possible? Maybe if you can describe the vomit Rodinus will have a better idea of a possible cause. I'm not in anyway qualified at this type of thing, just trying to help you find out how a cat dies so suddenly. Maybe we should leave that to another thread when things are not so raw and upsetting? Take care.

a reply to: MrMaybeNot

That`s bad to hear.

Nothing more you can do and tell her the sad news, I feel sorry for you and her.

a reply to: Qumulys

It was mentioned that the cat was 'very overweight' so it very well could have been a heart attack :\ cats are known for separation anxiety. My understand of heart attacks with cats though, is that even if they're quite overweight, they really don't live long enough for the plaques to form and mess up things up.

My sympathies to you. Bless you for taking in this fellow. I don't think anything you could have done would have changed the outcome. If he was overweight he may well have had a stroke. All the stress of a whole new world and the excess weight could have done him in.
I feel for you. I'm sure there's a feline out there waiting for you to be his friend.

a reply to: SpongeBeard

Yeah, I thought about the weight, which may have contributed to a heart attack scenario. But honestly most house cats are a bit chubby and seem content. I also thought that a little bit of excess weight is probably not all that bad considering the cat is only 4 years old. Unless we're talking super obese overweight?

This is awful. With 6 cats (yes I said 6) I really feel for you. My thoughts were exactly the same as Qumulys with regards ingesting something that was toxic. Of course I would have assumed vomiting would come along with poisoning but I wouldn't know.

Anyways, there's nothing to say that will make things better.

Kind regards,

Scally xx

a reply to: MrMaybeNot

I am so sorry Not even sure what to say.

My cat got into rat poison last year and I thought we were going to lose him. Was throwing up blood. Thank God he recovered.

Poisoning was my first thought, but who knows. Your in my prayers.

a reply to: MrMaybeNot

Is it possible during the women's process of moving the cat got into some cleaning supplies and ingested something poisonous?

I once had a cat that died of a broken heart. His name was Mickey Mouser. He was super smart, with a very charismatic personality.

I lost my apartment and ended up having to live out of my truck. Mickey took up residence with a family of female feral cats, a wild mom and all her cute wild daughters. Along with them he catalyzed a nuclear family. Mickey seemed so proud and fulfilled in his new life.

They were all living together in cat paradise, on a beautiful fenced hillside with an ocean view, lots of birds in a labyrinth of lush low sage brush, warm sunny California days, surrounded by sprinklers that supplied them with plenty of water every night.

For many years they all lived together, happily. The cat-lady would show up every morning with the best cat food that money could buy. Mickey never forgot me, and I never forgot him. We visited one another regularly.

Then one day the city decided to develop the property. The cat-lady came to their rescue, taking the entire family into her cat hospice. She must of had 20 rescued cats all living together inside a very small house with no yard. It was difficult to witness, yet seemed better than the alternative, which was an uncertain life on unforgiving streets.

Mickey appeared healthy, but within a week he had passed on to the other side. I honestly feel that he willed his own death. Although I was down and out at the time, the fact that I had made stupid choices in my life and was therefore unable to properly care for him, will haunt me to the day that I die.

Cats can be funny that way. There might have been a cardiac weakness neither of you knew about that was triggered by the sudden stress of rehoming.

My aunt adopted one cat that was to all appearances perfectly healthy. She dropped him off at her regular vet for a dental appointment because he had bad tartar, and by the time she got home, he'd died under anesthesia just like that. Sudden reaction to the medication. There was no way to know.

And in this case, it makes it even harder because you don't the cat, so you had no way of knowing what was a normal activity level for it. Cats are good at hiding illness anyway, so that's why it's important to know your pets.