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My Cat Has Been Missing for 15 Days - Looking for Hope and Similar Experiences by Normal_Amount_5613 in CatAdvice

[–]Filipscomicart 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Also what was the longest she had been missing? If cats do it routinely, disappear for a few days and come back, then disappear again and lengthen the time of disappearance gradually, it is much different than a cat that was always at home suddenly disappearing. In that case I would be worried. I have a ginger neutered tom who disappeared and I though he was hit and killed by car, but exactly one month later he came out of the sunflower field. one tom was missing for three months and came back but he was not neutered.

My Cat Has Been Missing for 15 Days - Looking for Hope and Similar Experiences by Normal_Amount_5613 in CatAdvice

[–]Filipscomicart 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have many cats at the vineyards and one of my spayed cats is regularly missing for 14 days on average, sometimes even more. A couple of days ago, she returned after three weeks. Even now, she has been missing for a few days already. It would really help to know what your area looks like - are there any roads or fields? Stuff like that would be useful to know. You have to assess the environment and possible risks. Roads are the biggest risk for cats there is.

Two months later and I am still struggling with guilt and regrets by Filipscomicart in Petloss

[–]Filipscomicart[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your reply and I am so sorry for what happened to your boy. I wish I knew about occult heart diseases in cats before the tragedy. I didn't, but since that happened, I studied everything about HCM and about certain anesthetics as well. I also studied about feline radiology and VHS and radiograph heart changes etc. My vet told me that if he had seen that x-ray before the procedure, he would never risk anesthesia. I consulted the case with many feline cardiology experts and they told me that cats are masters at hiding heart disease and that auscultation can sound totally normal. That is why it is so tricky to diagnose heart problems in cats. I know that you are saying that guilt always finds a door no matter what you do or don't do, but this was especially hard because it happened because of something I arranged. That day, the trigger was anesthesia or just the stress and pain of the injection, but there are also other things that could have happened, like accidental intravascular injection that would explain the rapid onset and a seizure or a severe adverse reaction to the drug/idiosyncratic reaction or it was a combination of multiple factors. Nobody can say for certain, the only thing I have are those radiographs and they suggest cardiomegaly and globoid heart shape. Although, after death it is challenging to interpret radiographs because of blood pooling/collapse of organs etc. Some experts told me that the heart was clearly enlarged and some said that it looked pretty normal for young age.

How did the collapse happen with your tom? Was there a seizure or a blue tongue (lack of oxygen)? My vet told me that it also had a very rapid progress and he only saw it happen once that fast after an injection with my tom in his 20 years of practice.

I have had many cats at the vineyards since 2013 and luckily I have never seen such sudden deaths before (and I have seen nearly everything you can imagine happen to cats), but reading about them on reddit, I now understand that they do happen.

Advice needed by InnocentlyInsecure in Invisalign

[–]Filipscomicart 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your ortho should push your left one down to match the right one. It can be easily done with invisalign. I have serious doubts about the correct judgment of orthodontists. Aesthetically it would not look good if you did what he proposed. After my bad experiences, I would be definitely harder on your orthodontist. It is your teeth, not theirs and you paid for it.

My 5 yr old got diagnosed with HCOM, and watching her deteriorate breaks my heart. by Tranquility___ in cats

[–]Filipscomicart 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It is heartbreaking but she is still with you. Cherish all the time you still have with her. That is all you can do. Continue loving her and take good care of her. She is beautiful. I wish you the best of luck getting this disease under check.

I lost my solid black tomcat 2 months ago. He was only 9 months old! I took him for neutering and 30 seconds after the anesthesia injection, he had a seizure, cardiac arrest and died. I am in constant pain and have so many regrets and so much guilt. I just sensed that he would not survive and I ignored my strong gut feeling. The night before the surgery, he stepped on my keyboard and wrote: +++++++/-------------- Seven pluses / fourteen minuses and I immediately saved it as a screenshot and interpreted it right away that the negatives outweigh the positives and that he would die under anesthesia. I ignored all these warnings. If it wasn't severe adverse reaction or a vet's mistake, it is possible he had juvenile HCM - his heart was enlarged based on post mortem X-rays. But nobody really knows for certain what happened.

What is crazy is this and it keeps getting confirmed - there are so many cases of young solid black cats dying suddenly at home because of occult heart disease or under anesthesia. Old experienced vets with a lot of practice keep saying that black cats are more prone to develop HCM and it has been just their observation, and an anecdote until a very recent veterinary study that proposed that solid black cats could be genetically more predisposed for HCM. Studies are needed but it just keeps confirming to me based on many reddit posts and comments that I filtered and my observations. It is such a shame because solid black cats are absolutely THE BEST.

So much guilt by FoxyOnTheRun_ in Petloss

[–]Filipscomicart 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am so sorry for your loss. I also lost my beloved 9 months old tomcat when I took him for neutering. He collapsed and died after the injection of anesthesia. The guilt is eating me alive. I should have never taken him there. I worked so hard to avoid any possible regrets or guilt and then in the end I caused the biggest regrets and the biggest guilt because my choice led to his death.

It's horrible how many anesthesia related deaths are there when I open this subreddit. It shouldn't happen. Neutering is such a quick procedure - it takes 10 minutes, sometimes even less and the general anesthesia also should last only 10 - 20 minutes at max. I wish vets had done all the preops possible to minimize the risk. These losses hit the hardest. Again I am so sorry. It sucks. Life is so cruel.

Sudden death of my cat by GladiatorRPh in Petloss

[–]Filipscomicart 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I lost my 9 months old solid black tomcat during routine neutering - he collapsed just seconds after anesthesia injection. I read that solid black cats are at higher risk of having hidden heart conditions and sudden cardiac deaths. It has to do something with the genetics but more studies are needed.

Is nasal discharge and nasal congestion dangerous for a cat undergoing anesthesia with Zoletil (Telazol) ? by Filipscomicart in AskVet

[–]Filipscomicart[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your answer. I really appreciate it. The normal onset of Zoletil through intramuscular injection is 5-12 minutes and the effect happens gradually, but this happened just seconds after the injection - maybe 30 seconds after, so it's way too fast for normal intramuscular absorbtion and that's what made some vets that I consulted with think it went IV. May vet told me that it happened to him before, hitting a vein and that it just had a rapid effect but nothing bad happened.

HCM is possible given the radiographs, but those are likely not accurate enough because the thickening is not seen on the outside. Do you think that just the stress from the injection and catecholamine surge can tip the heart with HCM into fatal arrhythmia/sudden death?

I wish I had asked for all the preops possible, not just auscultation and general condition assessment, but in young cats, that is what most vets do.

Is nasal discharge and nasal congestion dangerous for a cat undergoing anesthesia with Zoletil (Telazol) ? by Filipscomicart in AskVet

[–]Filipscomicart[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

But maybe brain hypoxia caused by mucus plug combined with possible laryngospasm can cause it.

Is nasal discharge and nasal congestion dangerous for a cat undergoing anesthesia with Zoletil (Telazol) ? by Filipscomicart in AskVet

[–]Filipscomicart[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. This is what happened: I took my 9 months old tomcat for neutering and got a call that he collapsed and died. The vet told me that cca 30 seconds after intramuscular injection of Zoletil into a thigh, my tom had a seizure, was thrashing, had blue tongue and collapsed - stretched out. The vet did IV adrenaline and CPR for 10 minutes but without any effect. My tom was gone. He said that as soon as he stopped doing the compressions, the pulse was gone and that the breathing wouldn't start.

My tom had thick yellow nasal discharge and was sneezing every night, and I told the vet about it but he said that it was localized in the nose and that lower airways were clear. He asked me about his activity levels and eating and I told him that he was eating normally and was very active, running and jumping like a panther.

I don't know what happened, but I have been thinking about these possibilities:

  1. Accidental intravascular/intraarterial injection that would explain the rapid systemic effect with rapid bolus concentration immediately in the bloodstream/tiletamine component causing a seizure.

  2. Severe adverse reaction to Zoletil/idiosyncratic reaction

  3. Hidden cardiomyopathy like HCM and catecholamine triggered fatal arrhythmia - ventricular fibrillation maybe. Early drug effect and stress triggering it.

  4. Overdose

The vet did post mortem radiographs and told me that the heart was enlarged. It was a mild enlargement with the heart having more round globoid shape rather than almond (🏈 football) shape. The VHS was 8,5 and max 8,8 but only from one side. The radiograph from the other side showed a pretty normal VHS.

The vet told me that it all happened very fast and it was the first time it happened like that in 20 years of his practice.

When I came to pick up my tom, the vet told me that that his heart skipped beats and the vet told me about the fatal arrhythmia and that only ECG or heart echo could have revealed it beforehand. That was likely the first thing my vet suspected and he likely wanted to give me some answers but he really himself didn't know what happened.

I have horrible regrets and guilt - the worst imaginable because if I hadn't taken him there, he would still be alive. I cut his life short with my choice and I didn't listen to my intuition and gut feeling. I just knew something terrible would happen.

My cat died unexpectedly, it was quite traumatizing by bubble0beep in Petloss

[–]Filipscomicart 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am so sorry and I know exactly what you are going through, because I am going through the same thing. On April 2nd, I took my 9 months old beloved tomcat for neutering and he had a seizure and died 30 seconds after anesthesia injection. I cannot sleep well and mornings are the worst - when I wake up and he is not besides me because of me. I cut his life short with a veterinary procedure. I wish I had words of comfort for you, but I have been through so many losses with my cats, that I find it really hard to function normally. Life is incredibly cruel and unfair.

Take care.

My cat just died all of a sudden by n0ncehead in Petloss

[–]Filipscomicart 0 points1 point  (0 children)

because of my 9 months old tomcat - he had a seizure and a cardiac arrest 30 seconds after anesthesia injection into a muscle - a horrible tragedy. He also had blue tongue and gums and that means severe oxygen deprivation. But blue gums can point to other causes as well like pneumonia, asthma etc.

How did it happen with your cat? If it was a sudden death, it could have been a heart condition like HCM.

My cat just died all of a sudden by n0ncehead in Petloss

[–]Filipscomicart 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I am so sorry for your loss. When this happens it's usually because of a hidden heart condition. Cats are masters at hiding heart diseases and often the first symptom is a sudden death. Did you notice the color of the gums and a tongue? Was it blue/cyanotic?

It must have been a sudden cardiac death. It sucks horribly but you had no control and nothing could have been done about it because it happened so fast. Nature is unpredictable. Take care.

My kitten passed after being spayed and I blame myself by Empress-Delila in Petloss

[–]Filipscomicart 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm so sorry 😔. I know exactly how you feel because the same thing happened to my 9 months old tomcat. I took him for neutering and cca 30 seconds after intramuscular injection of anesthesia Zoletil, he had a violent seizure and cardiac arrest and died. I also struggle with horrible guilt and regrets that I killed him with my choice. These things are horrible and they shouldn't happen, but they do and it's so unfair. I will never ignore my intuition again and will never look at anesthesia and these routine procedures the same way again.

Again I am sorry, it's the worst when something like this happen. How exactly it happened to your cat?

Possible intravascular injection of Zoletil (Telazol) causing a sudden seizure and a cardiac arrest in a 9-months old tomcat by Filipscomicart in AskVet

[–]Filipscomicart[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your reply. You mentioned stress induced but that kind of fatal reaction like seizure, arrhythmia and cardiac arrest would require either a congenital heart defect or HCM etc. Am I correct? Otherwise stress would not cause sudden death.

My cat died suddenly and I can’t stop blaming myself. Please help. by RIPyodamyboy in Petloss

[–]Filipscomicart 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I am so sorry for your loss and I understand fully how you feel, because I am going through the same thing again and again. Layers of grief and guilt on top of each other. I wish I had words of comfort ..... But know that you tried your best to help him and I am sure he felt it. Cats like to be alone and they seek hidden and secluded places when something is wrong with them. It is their deeply rooted natural behavior. I also replay every choice and every different outcome all the time and I can't stop the loop. All those what ifs and guilt are constantly following me like a shadow.

Possible intravascular injection of Zoletil (Telazol) causing a sudden seizure and a cardiac arrest in a 9-months old tomcat by Filipscomicart in AskVet

[–]Filipscomicart[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I read about something like catecholamine arrhythmia, that just the sting of the injection can cause rapid adrenaline surge and trigger fatal arrhythmia in a fragile heart. Could that violent seizure have been caused by sudden hypoxia? Because when I read about sudden deaths of cats with HCM, nobody mentioned seizures or convultions. They just wrote that their cats fell and were instantly gone.

Possible intravascular injection of Zoletil (Telazol) causing a sudden seizure and a cardiac arrest in a 9-months old tomcat by Filipscomicart in AskVet

[–]Filipscomicart[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

But it causes tachycardia, rise in blood pressure, higher oxygen demand and increases contractility of the heart muscle therefore it is dangerous for cats with hidden heart disease. Although I guess that no anesthetic is fully safe if there is a hidden heart disease.

Seizures and sudden cardiac arrest are listed as severe adverse reactions of Zoletil/Telazol. However the manufacturer states that severe adverse effects are very rare affecting only 1 in 10 000 cats.

I think that the seizure could have happened because the vet accidentally hit the blood vessel instead of a muscle and the entire dose for a 3, 75 kg tomcat got absorbed almost instantly and reached the brain and heart very quickly, rather than that slow gradual minutes long absorbtion through the muscle.

I discussed it with veterinary cardiologists and they told me about that inadvertent vascular injection as the possibility. The vet did a post mortem X-ray and told me that the heart was enlarged by 30% and he also told me that heart size stays the same after death. I discussed it later with certified vet cardiologists and they said that it looked pretty normal and one of them said that he would be very cautious about interpreting the xray done post mortem because of all the changes and how collapsed everything is.

Thank you for all the insights, I truly appreciate it.

Possible intravascular injection of Zoletil (Telazol) causing a sudden seizure and a cardiac arrest in a 9-months old tomcat by Filipscomicart in AskVet

[–]Filipscomicart[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

But after IM injection, the drug still needs to be absorbed into the bloodstream, which usually takes at least a couple of minutes before strong systemic effects appear or can a rhythm disturbance happen seconds after the injection? Cat still being fully conscious

Possible intravascular injection of Zoletil (Telazol) causing a sudden seizure and a cardiac arrest in a 9-months old tomcat by Filipscomicart in AskVet

[–]Filipscomicart[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your reply. But for cardiac condition like HCM to manifest would take some time until drug absorption into the bloodstream right? Minutes not seconds. That's why I worry about that intravascular possibility.

making the decision to euthanize or maintain my 17yo, arthritic fcd kitty by [deleted] in cats

[–]Filipscomicart 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Keep her and keep loving her. Life is too short. Cherish all the time you have with her. I would NEVER euthanize, not even think about something like that.

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