# Cat just died, could I have done something else? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 31, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-just-died-could-i-have-done-something-else/569671 "2011-01-31T17:27:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![eno801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@eno801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eno801)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-just-died-could-i-have-done-something-else/569671/1 "2011-01-31T17:27:38Z")
Well this morning I stopped by my parents place to pick up my dad, as we carpool to work and my mom informed me one of her cats was sick. She found him this morning huddled behind the washer. She brought him in and put him in her room. Right around the time I got there he started having bloody diarreah and touble breathing and was very lethargic. She said when she picked him he didn’t feel right. We took him to the vet around the corner at my insistence and he was meowing on the trip there.The vet said his temp was really low and they were going to try to warm him up, so we went out to wait and a few minutes later a nurse asks if we have given him any medicine. Two minutes after that they inform us he passed away, that he started vomiting blood and stopped breathing. Now I feel guilty because I’m thinking maybe he woulda pulled thru if we didn’t take him to the vet. Maybe the stress of going there? I mean he had started moving around and drinking water before we took him. My mother wanted to just wait it out and keep him warm and comfortable at the house. and then he dies just ten minutes after we get there. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-just-died-could-i-have-done-something-else/569671/2 "2011-01-31T17:29:38Z")
It sounds like he was in a bad way and it would have happened no matter what you did. I’m sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-just-died-could-i-have-done-something-else/569671/3 "2011-01-31T17:51:58Z")
I agree with **SteveMB**. The symptoms you are describing are severe. I hate to put it bluntly but if the stress of a car trip is going to kill a cat, the cat is going to die anyway. Cats don’t suddenly vomit blood and die from mild stress. There is no chance you made his condition measurably worse. I’m no expert but with bloody diarhea, vomiting, water drinking and sudden cardiac arrest it sounds like he got into something poisonous. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-just-died-could-i-have-done-something-else/569671/4 "2011-01-31T18:33:38Z")
I also agree. I think he probably would have vomited blood and died at home, too. If you’d left him at home and he died, maybe you would have been wondering if you should have taken him to the vet. Did the vet have any ideas about what was wrong with him? Your mom needs to know since she has more cats in the house. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-just-died-could-i-have-done-something-else/569671/5 "2011-01-31T18:37:08Z")
I suspect kitty didn’t have a hope and taking him to the vet was by far the best choice. Sometimes you just can’t do anything. ☹ Sorry about your meow. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-just-died-could-i-have-done-something-else/569671/6 "2011-01-31T18:47:22Z")
As others have said, the cat didn’t die because you took it go the vet, the cat died because it was in the process of dying. You said they asked if you gave it any medications, so was it given any medications at home? ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-just-died-could-i-have-done-something-else/569671/7 "2011-01-31T19:05:34Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m no expert but with bloody diarhea, vomiting, water drinking and sudden cardiac arrest it sounds like he got into something poisonous. I agree with this, especially if the symptoms came on suddenly. You should talk to your vet about the cause of death and make sure it’s nothing the other cats can catch. Then double check just to be sure there’s nothing poisonous that the cats can get into. Taking the cat to the vet was definitely the right choice. The reason he was hiding behind the washing machine was because he knew he was dying. Cats and dogs can sense that and often try to crawl away somewhere alone at the end. So your cat was desperately sick. There’s no way he would have recovered on his own. I’m sorry for your loss - losing a pet is like being punched in the gut, over and over. ---
**Author:** ![eno801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@eno801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eno801)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-just-died-could-i-have-done-something-else/569671/8 "2011-01-31T19:16:13Z")
no the only thing my mom gave it was some water with a pinch of salt and sugar with a dropper. The vet said it might have been poison, he was not sure though. He did not think it was any disease since he was pretty young and healthy up until sometime yesterday. My dad last saw him around 3pm on Sunday and he was fine following his regular routine eating then taking off outside. Who knows how long he was behind the washer though anytime after 3pm til 5 am when my mom found him. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-just-died-could-i-have-done-something-else/569671/9 "2011-01-31T19:21:01Z")
Oh, poor kitty. I’m so sorry for your cat, but I agree with everyone else - I think you did everything you could. Cats are notorious for a) not showing pain and b) hiding themselves away when their time’s almost up. I’m sorry for your loss. ---
**Author:** ![kath94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@kath94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kath94)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-just-died-could-i-have-done-something-else/569671/10 "2011-01-31T19:29:32Z")
I’m so sorry for your loss, **eno801**. You did the best thing possible for your kitty. Don’t blame yourself, but do ask the vet for the cause to protect your other kitties. ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-just-died-could-i-have-done-something-else/569671/11 "2011-01-31T19:32:53Z")
If he was an outdoor cat, it is very likely he got into something poisonous. Cats are generally 10-15 pounds, so it only takes a very small amount of certain toxins to be fatal to them. I’m sorry for the loss of your pet. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-just-died-could-i-have-done-something-else/569671/12 "2011-01-31T19:34:36Z")
My condolences - losing pets is terrible. You did the right thing taking the cat to the vet - I’m sorry it didn’t help this time. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-just-died-could-i-have-done-something-else/569671/13 "2011-01-31T19:55:01Z")
Another possibility is a cat (or other) bit that had gotten septic. Happened to one of mine some years ago. We didn’t notice that she even had a bit until she started acting strangely, and took her immediately to the vet. But it was too late. She (mine) also had low body temp, and was probably already going into shock when we took her in. ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-just-died-could-i-have-done-something-else/569671/14 "2011-01-31T21:02:40Z")
So sorry about your cat, but don’t blame yourself. All we can ever do is work with the situation at the moment. Don’t let hindsight make you feel guilty, especially since it sounds like nothing would have made a difference. ---
**Author:** ![eno801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@eno801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eno801)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-just-died-could-i-have-done-something-else/569671/15 "2011-01-31T21:07:33Z")
thanks folks. it just sucks. this cat would greet me every morning in the driveway and walk on in with me. I asked my mom where he was since he did not meet me. and that’s when she told me he was sick ---
**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-just-died-could-i-have-done-something-else/569671/16 "2011-01-31T21:23:11Z")
You had not chance and did the responsible thing. With those symptoms, that cat was a goner for sure. It had something developing over a period of time. Fortunately, it made it to the final day without too much fanfare or problem. We should all be so lucky. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-just-died-could-i-have-done-something-else/569671/17 "2011-01-31T21:38:07Z")
Oh, poor kitty. It sounds like, as everybody else has said, that he was already too far gone by the time your mother found him. Cats are way too good at hiding illness sometimes, or else it was super-sudden. I’m sorry, losing them is awful. But you guys did the right thing, really you did. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-just-died-could-i-have-done-something-else/569671/18 "2011-01-31T22:57:13Z")
If your cat is both vomiting and excreting blood, a short trip to the vet is NOT what did it in. The vet was the proper call. Rat poison can contain anti-coagulants, which causes uncontrolled bleeding. Just throwing that out there. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-just-died-could-i-have-done-something-else/569671/19 "2011-01-31T23:02:35Z")
Never have second thoughts about doing the right thing, which, in this case you did. I agree with everyone else. Had you left him alone, he may have died anyway. At least by taking him to the vet, you gave him a chance. Bless you! Bill ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2011, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-just-died-could-i-have-done-something-else/569671/20 "2011-01-31T23:13:21Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > If your cat is both vomiting and excreting blood, a short trip to the vet is NOT what did it in. The vet was the proper call. > > Rat poison can contain anti-coagulants, which causes uncontrolled bleeding. Just throwing that out there. I was thinking that as well- could he have found some rat poison outside at home or at a neighbor’s house? In any case, you didn’t cause this and it’s just a shame. I’m sorry to hear it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-just-died-could-i-have-done-something-else/569671.md?page=2)