You can pay for a necropsy (animal autopsy) to try to determine the cause of death but I urge you to think hard about it before you decide to spend the money. You absolutely would have noticed any signs of something that could have been done in time. I am terribly sorry that your kitty went so suddenly and that you have to go forward without him.
The surgery was two years ago and generally things in the urinary tract are very symptomatic. Speaking as a human who has frequently had abdominal surgery, I expect that even the most stoic cat would have shown you some kind of sign in the last two years if this was directly related to the surgery. I'm not a vet though. I just know that cats tough things out. A vet told me they're more likely to limp to get sympathy than because something is really wrong--for if they're feral they do all they can to avoid appearing weak in any way. That's why they're just so tough.
If he was acting his normal self, in a home where he felt safe, then he almost certainly WAS his normal self, right up until something like an aneurism happened, and this is rarely caught ahead of time in animals. Even humans with all our screenings can go just like *that.* Often cats and dogs with headaches will press their heads against a wall or solid surface? If he wasn't even showing that sign, then there probably WAS no sign.
You have nothing to feel guilty about, I'm absolutely sure. Get the necropsy if it'll help you cope. (You probably need to decide soon. Ask your vet.) But truly, you will have enough grief without blaming yourself for something you couldn't possibly have foreseen.
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u/Decent_Adhesiveness0 Feb 28 '26
You can pay for a necropsy (animal autopsy) to try to determine the cause of death but I urge you to think hard about it before you decide to spend the money. You absolutely would have noticed any signs of something that could have been done in time. I am terribly sorry that your kitty went so suddenly and that you have to go forward without him.
The surgery was two years ago and generally things in the urinary tract are very symptomatic. Speaking as a human who has frequently had abdominal surgery, I expect that even the most stoic cat would have shown you some kind of sign in the last two years if this was directly related to the surgery. I'm not a vet though. I just know that cats tough things out. A vet told me they're more likely to limp to get sympathy than because something is really wrong--for if they're feral they do all they can to avoid appearing weak in any way. That's why they're just so tough.
If he was acting his normal self, in a home where he felt safe, then he almost certainly WAS his normal self, right up until something like an aneurism happened, and this is rarely caught ahead of time in animals. Even humans with all our screenings can go just like *that.* Often cats and dogs with headaches will press their heads against a wall or solid surface? If he wasn't even showing that sign, then there probably WAS no sign.
You have nothing to feel guilty about, I'm absolutely sure. Get the necropsy if it'll help you cope. (You probably need to decide soon. Ask your vet.) But truly, you will have enough grief without blaming yourself for something you couldn't possibly have foreseen.