I am looking for some answers regarding my beloved cat who was put to sleep a week ago.

It all happened so fast. I brought him in to the vet because he wasn't eating as well as he used to and he seemed to be losing weight. The vet found a mass in his abdominal area and confirmed with Xray that there was a lump. Because my kitty (14 years old) still had good kidney and liver function he suggested that chemo might work really well. Before that though they needed to take a biopsy.

After the biopsy, the vet said the bad news was that the mass (attached to small intestine) could not be completely removed but still seemed quite positive about the prospects of chemo.

The vet perscribed sulcrate, pepsid AC (little 1/2 tablet),and oral metcam suspension (per ml/#0.95 Give 0.19 cc once per day with food)

The first 2 days after surgery, my kitty ate small portions but ate better than before this surgery. Days 3 and 4, he stoped eating so I had to give him food through a syringe which he hated. He would often throw up his sulcrate dosage.

By day 5 he was obviously on a downward slide. He stoped taking water and his gums looked pale so I took him to the emergency vet clinic. He was very anemic so they put on IV took an X ray where they saw "fluid" in the abdomonal area. His body temperature was low and his blood pressure was low. He then began to "crash" which included a series of heart wrenching convulsions. They recommonded we put him to sleep so I complied.

Since his death, I have been scouring the internet looking for answers. Is it normal for a cat to crash so fast? A week ago he lost his appetite...now he is dead. My vet suggested that the cancer might have got into his blood stream or caused internal bleeding/anemia. Is this normal?

My question is mostly associated with concern about the metcam suspension. I understand that this is not a product safe for cats? I really only gave him 2 of the 5 dosages but I am wondering if these might have triggered the anemia?

My vet has been really great...only charged me for the euthanasia and cremation... so I feel bad questioning him on what happened.

Any insight you can provide will provide me with much needed closure.

thank you!

Hi, Stephanie,

I am sorry to hear that you have lost your pet.
Your vet clearly took heroic measures to try and save him, but this kind of tumour in the cat can rarely be treated succcessfully. In most cases other organs are affected, such as the bone marrow, causing anaemia, which also lowers his ability to handle the chemo. I do not think that the medication itself was responsible for his death, but that the malignancy was too advanced for any treatment to work.

W

My cat was 9 years old and we thought healthy went in my room and died.She had
blood coming out of her mouth and nose.I don't know what happened.Her stomach
was always sensitive when you picked her up you had to watch her belly.I thought
it was because she was a big cat and she was uncomfortable.Can you give some ideas on what it could be.I thought maybe a ucler in her belly because of the blood.I don't know and my 2 daughters are very upset.


Thank You
Gina

Hi,

Only a full PM could answer your question, but it sounds to me like trauma - had your cat been outside shortly befor she died and possibly been struck by a car, or injured in some other way?

W

my cat was eating, going to the bathroom as normal, but then she couldn't jump and kept getting skinnier and skinnier then when she was walking she collapsed and started breathing heavier and before she passed away her saliva was as white as copy paper and was running down her face. Why did she die?

Hi, Joe,

Sorry, but it would need a post-mortem to tell you that.

W

I am trying to figure out the time of death of my cat, I believe she was hit by a car, I found her laying on the shoulder of the road, there is no visible sign of damage, it just looked like she was sleeping, but when I picked her up to bring her home her body was already hard, my question is, how long after death would her body go hard?

Hi,

It is impossible to say with any accuracy. It depends on the ambient temperature and could be anything from a couple of hours to a day.

W

My Tit Cat was 15 years old (105 cat years). He started losing weight from vomiting and diarrhea...he also was sneezing with clear discharge. I took him to the vet several times to treat his illnesses. The blood tests did not reveal anything neither did the xray. Tit did not respond to the liquid antibiotics so a pill was given. I saw very little improvement. He would not eat runny eyes and nose and not pooping. He received an enama and steroid shot....in the end nothing worked for my Tit Cat and the Vet could not tell me what was wrong. The Vet suggested it could be neurological and he saw signs of anemia. He put Tit on a geating pad and gafe him oxygen but a few minutes later Tit Cat was pronounced dead. I went in the room to say my goodbyes and Tit came back to life. The Vet said he would put him on fluids oxygen and give him a blood transfusion but called me a few hours later saying he passed away. Any ideas what was wrong with my sweet, loving, loyal, special, best furry friend?????