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My beautiful 10 year old kitty Jacob never had any health problems in his life. Monday morning he got up to walk and fell down. He couldn't move one of his front legs and he was breathing heavy. He seemed to be in pain. I rushed him to the vet and found out it was heart failure. No warning signs at all. We did everything we could but it couldn't save him. His heart gave out. I got got a call early Thursday morning and rushed to the animal hospital, but he was already gone. I should have let him go sooner. While I could be there with him in my arms. But it was all so sudden. He showed signs of improvement for a while. I wasn't ready to let go. I feel so selfish.
No warning. Fine one minute, then this.
I've had cats all my life and have had to say goodbye before. But it was due to old age or illness and never unexpected.
I walk in a room and I expect him to be there. I wake up and look for him, then it crashes down on me a minute later.
My other cat is mourning and I can't do anything to make him feel better. He's 13 and he loved his baby brother. I never thought he would have to be without him.
And I feel guilty because I've never felt a pain so raw and shocking. Not with any human or feline.
When I close my eyes I see him. I can hear him purring next to me. I smell him on my pillow. I reach out to hold his little paw.
However . . . PLEASE stop beating yourself up for something you could not help,
and begin being positive about what you can do now in Jacob's memory,
for both yourself & your remaining pet, discussed here:
Perhaps your surviving cat could eventually appreciate some feline company again . . . ?
Besides, there are many adult pets -a youngster might be too stressful to deal with, for your remaining kitty- whose owners have died or could no longer take care of them for various reasons. The fortunate ones are in shelters waiting for homes to take them in, even if only as fosters.
Maybe you might consider fostering,until finding a good match for your surviving kitty? No other pet can replace Jacob in your hearts, but, having another pet to spend time with when you have to be away might make a huge difference in the mood & health of your cat (not to mention those of the fostered pet), who is used to having someone to pal around & play with.
I am so sorry for your loss. We also lost a cat suddenly, I presume it was a heart attack. Healthy eating & fun loving one day & died that night. It is not your fault, People or animals can die from a heart incident at any time. Remember your baby with love, & cuddle the survivor. HUGS.
I know how you feel. While it wasn't quick like yours, we had to let my 10 year old cat go last month. I fought for about a month, going from doctor to specialist, test after test to determine what was wrong. The first ER Vet, after keeping him hospitalized for 3 days told us his ultrasound showed no masses or lumps, but inflammation of his intestine, liver, and pancreas. At his follow up with our regular vet, x rays showed no blockages, or anything out of the ordinary. His ALT and Bilirubin were elevated and they kept him hospitalized for another 3 days. A couple days after coming home he wasn't doing much better, so my vet recommended a specialist. Off we went to them, they ran some tests and his bilirubin was 17. After some options, we decided on a feeding tube, which the internist was able to do the next day and he came home. He was home for about a week doing well, when he started straining in the litter box. Took him back to the specialist and they admitted him into hospital. They kept him for a few days. During that time he developed fluid in his chest, which they tapped to drain off and send for tests. His bilirubin was finally coming down and was 9. I had them do another ultrasound and an EKG. Turns out this time the ultrasound found a massive mass on his pancreas, and the EKG showed heart failure. The vet said the probability of him surviving the surgery to remove the mass was very poor, and in their experience cats with heart failure usually survived about 6 to 9 months after it gets to the point of fluid in the chest. We made the decision at that point to let him go, since his prognosis was poor.
It hurt, because 2 days before, when visiting him at the hospital he was playful and alert, and his bilirubin was finally coming down. I told my husband the worst part was that we finally were at a point in our life, that we could have afforded the surgery and after care without financial difficulty and since we are both working from home now, we would have had the time for after surgery care, but it wasn't something that could be fixed.
I've had to make that decision 5 times, and the one time I didn't was a cat that went exactly how yours did. Looking back it was probably heart failure, but she died before we could get her into the car to go to the vet. That one still kind of haunts me, but I know that there wasn't anything I could do and I gave her the best life she could have had.
It gets better. Just let yourself grieve and know that you did the best you could and that Jacob knew that you loved him.
So sorry, and know just how you feel! We lost one of our sweet babies the same way a couple months ago - one day happy and purring and that night he passed in his sleep. Couldn't believe it when we found him the next day.
We still are hurting for him but we do have one other kitty and we are spoiling him rotten. There is really nothing you could have done so just comfort your other little one and I am sure the baby you lost knows how much you love him and he will always be in your heart.
His big brother kept getting more depressed. He wasn't eating much and sleeping too much. Walking around the house crying all the time.
He has a little sister now. I attached a picture to this post. Hopefully it works.
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