Hi,
We had 3 cats including two five year old males from the same litter. The biggest and we thought healthiest one, called Chester, was PTS yesterday after suffering what the vet thought was probably a saddle embolus (large blood clot affecting blood supply to the legs). Apparently the most common cause of this on cats is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy which is fairly insidious and hard to spot until the cat is really sick or there’s a complication. Cancer is another possibility.
It’s all been fairly shit - he went missing on Monday and didn’t come back till Thursday with limp, infected legs, painful legs although there was some blood supply. The first vet thought it may have been trauma secondary to being hit by a car - although she wasn’t sure - with secondary infection and he was transferred to the local cat ICU and given loads of antibiotics, pain relief and fluids and medication to support his blood pressure. There was no spinal injury, no fractures and no other injuries. He made it through the night and there was a plan to amputate the worst leg. We knew he was sick but also felt he had a chance. I actually went in overnight to say goodbye but then he picked up again so I think that gave me false hope.
In the morning we consulted with the vet ICU specialist who said the pattern of infection of both legs was symmetrical, there was no sign of trauma and it was entirely consistent with a thromboembolic event. I am a doctor and I agreed based on how dusky and floppy his legs were when I first saw him. She also said that he was struggling with the sepsis and while theoretically he might pull through this illness with an amputation of the worst leg there was a good chance it would happen again in a few months. He was pretty sedated with the fentanyl infusion and overall comfortable but still in pain when his legs were moved. His blood pressure wasn’t great and he hadn’t passed urine. It was an easy decision to have him PTS and he passed with me telling him how much we all loved him (other cats and the 4 kids).
We have decided to get an autopsy because if it was HCM because then we’ll get his brother checked out with a cat Echo and he can go on prophylactic medication to reduce clots, though hopefully he doesn’t have it.
I’m just really struggling. The kids are devastated but OK because they knew he might die from the onset.
I’m not coping with 2 parts of it though. The first is that he would have been in so much pain when the clot happened. The vet said cats go away to hide when things like this happen and I’m grateful he came back so we could make him comfortable but it breaks me to think of him hurting by himself.
The second thing I’m struggling with is that we noticed a few weeks ago that he wasn’t eating as much and I wish we’d taken him to get checked out, although he didn’t have a heart murmur and hasn’t lost weight and was still energetic. Realistically I know he would’ve examined normally and there would have been no need to refer for an echo but I’m stuck in that “what could we have done earlier” thought pattern. We just joked that he was probably getting fed across the road because he used to hang out there.
Sorry this is so long. I’m surprised by my grief, I’ve had other cats PTS before but they were old and this was so sudden.
Presumably this is just normal grief and it will pass? We’re getting him cremated and the kids are choosing the best picture of him to put on the decorative box.
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The litter tray
Cat PTS yesterday - not really coping
nolongersurprised · 15/02/2020 00:51
Thank you for the kind replies. I am a medic too and last night DH was called into work so I read some vet papers about it and they do recommend getting siblings checked, so hopefully the vet won’t think I’m nuts.
I tried to listen to his heart last night with my stethoscope but all I could hear was purring 
.
His ashes will come to us next Tuesday as they need to be delivered in person and I don’t work on that day.
It helps us talk about them and feel sad but also remember the happy times and how loved they were.
Three weeks later the trauma of having him turn up so sick is passing and now I (we) just miss him. Although I have to be honest and say the other two cats don’t, he could be a bit of a bully to one of them.
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