autopsy

[blair.clover]

Our cat recently died. The cat was a male 4 years old and healthy, well nourished and muscled. We live in a subdivision. The cat was healthy, active and playful the night before. The next morning (8 AM) we smelt a very strong smell outside like an aerosol. It dissipated within 5 minutes. A family member found the cat within 20 feet of the fence on the ground gasping for air, mouth gaping about 11:30 AM. We took the cat to a vet around 12:30 PM and the vet took the cat and suggested it was a urinary tract blockage. The cat was to stay with the vet but passed away a few hours later. The vet cleared the urinary tract but the cat had problems breathing
We subsequently had an autopsy done by BC animal health center and their results had to be interpreted by the vet and we had no sense of what really happened. They indicate lungs: edema, marked, diffuse, acute with extensive congestion; urinary bladder: cystitis (yet there was ‘no indication of persistent obstruction’), marked, nodular to diffuse; kidney: nephritis, interstitial, mild, multi focal; Liver: congestion and a lack of heart failure cells discounts a pre-existing heart problem.
The poisoning scenario was specifically not excluded and the rest of the findings were suggested as possible contributors to the death, the BC animal health center would not interpret the findings and said your vet can do that. The vet kept to his first view that it was a urinary tract problem.
Would poisoning have produced the same results in the autopsy? Or is it possible for a urinary tract blockage to create breathing problems and kill a cat within hours? The autopsy person did say that the urinary blockage was more blood and mucous.

The autopsy person seemed very hesitant to offer an opinion/interpretation, but implied it was likely poisoning

[Love4himies]

I am so sorry to hear about your kitty. . I understand that some toxins can cause crystals in the kidneys causing the kidneys to fail (I think that is what happens when a cat ingests antifreeze). There are signs when a cat has a urinary blockage, it is howling and straining when trying to urinate. It is very painful and a slow death.

It almost sounds like your cat breathed in something toxic, causing lung damage. Did you ever find out what the smell was from? Have you talked to your neighbours to shed any light? Where they painting/staining outside?

My Puddles got into some paint thinner from a rolling pan that was left under a deck by construction workers who were staining a deck. She ended up with kidney and liver damage. We were fortunate enough to have a vet who started her immediately with subq and then IV to keep her kidneys flushed.

I hope you find the answers you are looking for.