My 8 yr old Ragdoll collapsed and died this evening.

[Alfieisnoisy]

Don't suppose anyone is still around.

I am awake and stressing out.

DS found our 8yr old Ragdoll cat dead on the living room floor this evening. It was totally unexpected and sudden. Darling cat had been cuddled up in my lap and purring around 10 mins before. He has been eating and drinking normally, had a vet check last week (he was a sprayer despite being neutered) and was fine at that.

I literally went upstairs for 10 mins and then DS came rushing in to my bedroom to say that darling cat was dead. As it's a standing joke that the cat flops and just zonks out I thought he was joking, but no he really wasn't and my beautiful handsome boy was lying dead on our living room floor.

I suspect something cardiac and as his litter brother died at 20 weeks from HCM I think he may have had similar.

I am utter,y devastated though as he was such a cuddly lap cat, he was such a "mummy's boy" who adored a cuddle from me and I am going to miss him so so much.

He was the only pedigree I ever had as I take on rescues and hard to home cats usually (got two of those here too).

I keep wondering if I missed something but he was so well in himself and doing everything normally .

Don't know why I am posting really as nobody can do anything but I am just devastated.

[GazingAtStars]

What a terrible shock for you....so sorry for your loss

[mylittlephoney]

I'm so sorry for your loss you must be devastated. I can't offer any advice or anything other than a huge hand hold and big thinking of you's in this awful time. It's a major bereavement.

[Lunar1]

I'm so sorry, the same thing happened to my ragdoll. It's absolutely devastating.

[Papergirl1968]

I'm so sorry. What a horrendous shock. I hope in time it will be a comfort that it was very quick and he wouldn't have known anything about it, but eight is far too young to go. RIP little one x

[furlinedsheepskinjacket]

aww so sad x my siamese boy was pts a few months ago.he was 10 and had heart failure.i'm not sure i'll get a breed cat again.he used to do the zonking out thing too.

have a hug.

[DramaAlpaca]

Oh god I'm so sorry, what a terrible thing to happen. Sorry for your loss

[Alfieisnoisy]

Thank you, good to know some people are still up.

I am just comforting myself with the fact that he was pampered from birth (unlike my two rescue cats) and has only ever k own love in his life. He was such an affectionate boy though.

I honestly think it must be a heart thing.

Seeing my old vet on Monday (my Mum takes her cat to him) and am hoping to have a chat with him. He is. Roy sensible and I know he will reassure me that I could not have predicted this.

More worried about DS who found the cat though. He won't be going into schooo tomorrow as he won't cope (he is autistic). I normally do an art class on a Wednesday and am thinking of taking him with me to make a memorial for our Alfie cat. Agh....just remembered how I got my MN name....he was indeed "noisy".

[Hopelass]

Oh op I'm so sorry. It sounds like he had a lovely life and didn't know anything about it at the end so didn't suffer.

[cozietoesie]

This happened to me with Oneago. He was 8.

I went downstairs to get a parcel from the postie, leaving him upstairs washing in a shaft of sunlight. When I took the parcel back upstairs to open it, he was dead. I think it must, also, have been his heart.

It was incredibly fast - less than a minute, I reckon. I know how you feel.

[nichito]

I'm so so sorry OP. But how wonderful that Alfie had such a lovely life.

Sending love to you and your son.

[Vinorosso74]

What a horroble shock. I'm so sorry. Not much consolation I know but he was well loved and happy

[Mrsmorton]

What a shock for you all. Take it easy

[MissMarplesHat]

so sorry to hear about your darling boy.

[Manumission]

[fanniboz]

by the sounds of it Alfie had a lovely life with nothing but love and happiness! Hope that brings you some comfort OP. It's so hard losing a pet. Hope your DS is okay

[Puffinitee]

for you and your family OP. It's unimaginably tough at the moment, but hopefully over time you'll find some comfort in knowing he didn't suffer.

[Alfieisnoisy]

Thank you all for the good wishes, we are still shell shocked this morning but gathering ourselves.

I will talk to my Mum's vet on Monday who is lovely and sensible ...he used to see Alfie so knows his history.

[TroysMammy]

So sorry for you and your DS. Cats are very good at hiding illness.

Last January Troy gave a little cough and I took him to the vets. He was already in heart failure with HCM. He was an ordinary black and white moggy and he died suddenly but not unexpectedly in May, exactly 2 months short of his 6th Birthday.

[timtam23]

Oh I am so sorry, what a shock for you all. He sounds like a lovely cat

[OliviaStabler]

So sorry for your loss

[Fruitcocktail6]

Oh how awful

I have two ragdolls, and we were told one had a heart murmur when we adopted them. This has scared me.

[thatwouldbeanecumenicalmatter]

So sorry to read about your beloved Alfie, it sounds like he couldn't have had a happier life. How is your DS today? Poor thing must have been an awfully sad shock for him (((hug for you both)))

[cozietoesie]

Fruit

My own Seniorboy has had a heart murmur as long as I've had him. He's still here.

[Alfieisnoisy]

Thanks all, DS is okay today, a bit tearful at times but gradually accepting it.

I am more and more thinking that Alfie had HCM which is often asymptomatic and would be why the vet didn't find anything abnormal last week.

His litter brother died from HCM and Alfie was never tested as my lovely vet said even if he had the gene there was nothing we could do about ti so to take him home and enjoy him. At the time Alfie belonged to my parents and I only took him on when they could not cope with his spraying (he was a bugger for that).

I suppose I thought that if he did have this gene there would have been more signs. Having read more this morning though it seems that it is very asymptomatic in most cats who have it. The breeder he came from didn't test for HCM at that time but I know she does now.

It's just crap really....the litter Alfie came from was four kittens. I wonder if the others are still alive or if they have all inherited this gene and died.