Why did my old cat with heart issues and hyperthyroidism die suddenly?

I am so sorry to hear about the loss of Crystal. 18 years old is a great age for any cat, so you must have been doing something right for her to be with you for that long! Without a complete necropsy, you probably won't ever know exactly what happened, but it certainly is possible that she had a brain tumor or stroke. The symptoms you described (weight loss, nausea, fixated on food, crazy for attention, dizziness, then sudden death) makes me think of hyperthyroidism. Overproduction of the thyroid hormone is common in older cats (especially Persians), and is characterized by all of the symptoms your mentioned. Untreated, hyperthyroidism eventually affects the heart, so sudden death from a heart attack or stroke could have occurred. There is also the possibility that she had cancer, or that she simply died of heart failure related to old age. Regardless of the cause, she lived a long, long life with you, and I know she was loved. My deepest condolences for your loss, and I hope that time eases your sorrow.

I'm so sorry you suddenly lost your cat! Without seeing her in person, I can't say for certain what caused her to pass away, but I can make some guesses. In senior cats, cancer is common, and because our animals can't tell us what is going on with them, oftentimes we find that they are suffering from cancer but we don't know it until it's too late. It could be possible that your kitty had cancer, and it ultimately took her life. She could have also been suffering from kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, or other organ failure. I hope my guesses may give you some peace of mind, and again I'm sorry for your loss :-(

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

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.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry for the loss of your cat P! Cats are very good at hiding illnesses until they are very sick. Jaundice in cats can be from: 1) destruction of red blood cells. They tend to be anemic on blood work. This can be from blood parasites, cancer, immune problems 2) Liver disease: cancer, infection, toxin, inflammatory conditions or fatty liver disease (hepatic lipidosis). Fatty liver is a secondary condition. Prolonged anorexia is usually the cause. Anything that makes a cat stop eating for more than 3 days can cause fatty liver disease and 3) Gall bladder, biliary or pancreatic disease: infection, cancer, gall stones, biliary obstruction. P didn't die from an overactive thyroid. She died from whatever disease caused her to stop eating, that could have been liver disease or another disease that caused fatty liver syndrome. She sounded like she was very sick. I hope this provides some insight. Again I am sorry for your loss.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I am sorry to hear about the loss of James. It is never easy to see a loved one pass away. His untimely death could have been due to a heart condition leading his heart to fail. Any underlying systemic disease that was going on that you did not know about could have progressed to the point where it overwhelmed James' system leading to his acute death. Unfortunately, it is difficult to speculate as there can be so many causes. I would discuss this with your veterinarian as he / she may be able to perform an autopsy on James to help determine what the cause of his untimely death could have been. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi, I am sorry to hear that your cat suddenly passed away. Since her death was sudden and her clinical signs had resolved with treatment of chylothorax, I am also inclined to think a clot caused the sad outcome. I am sorry, it is very sad and unexpected. I have come across this before with trauma, heart failure patients and also in a dog post gastric torsion surgery. I send you all my sympathy.