Can a cat's accident cause heart failure or an enlarged heart?

Hello and I am so sorry to hear about the passing of your kitty. It is so heart breaking to lose them. Without an autopsy, one can't be certain, but most often in a cat without any other clinical signs, it's usually a bad heart that will cause sudden death. One of the most most common heart diseases in cats is called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. It often has no symptoms. It is often not detectable on a physical exam. Sometimes there will be fluid in the lungs from congestion in the lungs that can leak out after passing. I hope this helps to provide some closure and with time, I hope your heart heals. My condolences, Dr. Elizabeth

You didn't do anything wrong and although the symptoms might not have been there, it doesn't mean the condition wasn't developing slowly without you being able to notice it. unfortunately this is bad news, but with the right treatment you could buy her a good quality of life for the next 1-2 years.

Hi, I am really sorry to hear this. It is difficult to understand what could have happened, I think maybe a blood clot ? As these can cause sudden death. However without having checked her over and without a full clinical history it is difficult to understand exactly what could have happened. Sending you lots of sympathy from the other side of the world.

I'm so sorry to hear of your cat's passing. Heart failure is very common in older kitties. When the heart isn't pumping efficiently and/or when a clot moves to other areas of the body, the brain doesn't get the oxygen it needs. This causes disorientation and is likely why your cat was meowing loudly on the way to the vet. I doubt he was in any pain. And you did the right thing by taking him to a vet immediately. My thoughts are with you during this difficult time.

I am so incredibly sorry to hear about the loss of Raven. Heart disease is particularly devastating in cats because they often give us no signs on physical exam or at home. With dogs, there is very often a murmur, episodes of collapse, coughing, etc.; this is often absent in cats. In cats, the first sign of heart disease is often a horrible clot (many times causing paralysis) or death. A ruptue of the chordae tendonae is usually caused by underlying heart disease (enlargement, valve degeneration, other). What I am saying is, there was no warning sign you missed, or anything you could have done differently. It is important for you to know that tendonae rupture is NOT painful (neither, we think are large clots that can cause acute death). So likely Raven simply passed almost instantly with little or no pain. I am so sorry again for your loss and hoped this brings a little clarity and peace.

I am so sorry that your kitty died. The fact that he had a heart murmur means that he likely died of a blood clot in the lungs which then actually killed him. There would have been no way to save him and you would not have been able to prevent it. It is just one of those terrible things that happen. But he had 5 great years with you and that is something you can be proud of.

I'm very sorry to hear about poor Kim! When is comes to secondary heart disease, it's usually hyperthyroidism, or kidney disease that lead to heart failure. However, I would not be suspicious of a secondary heart disease from what you've described. Secondary heart disease tends to arise more slowly; where a primary disorder is more likely to happen suddenly. There are many primary conditions like tumors, infections, valve defects, artery defects and pericardial effusion that could have caused this. The only way to find the specific cause is for a veterinarian, or veterinary pathologist to examine Kim's body. This is often more fruitful when the body is examined sooner rather than later; so if possible, I recommend requesting this from your veterinarian to get some more answers. The hair loss on the ears would be unrelated to any condition causing heart disease and I would not be suspicious of Cushing's (very rare in cats and does not cause this specific hair loss). The bald ears are actually a common finding with cats and is usually not associated with any diseases. I hope that helps, and again, I'm very sorry for your loss.