What might have caused the death of two cats?

Question

My girlfriend has had three outdoor cats forever. This morning we woke up at her house finding two of them dead. We didnt hear any noise while asleep which would indicate the cat fight or struggle. They were found at two different locations in the yard. I inspected both of them, they had no visible bite marks, no blood. One of them had a bit of blood coming from the eye. Other than that no signs of anything biting them, they were almost intact. Only thing we noticed were little patches of fur around them and their otherwise fluffy fur was all clumped up and "wet". What could have killed them? My girlfriend thinks it could be another cat. Racoon, possum, dog, cat, snake? What? The third cat was missing for a while, then appeared coming from neighbours driveway and we moved it inside until we figure out what killed them. Could it be a person?

Answer 1

Since you said that the bodies were intact, it sounds like someone in the neighborhood beat or poisoned your girlfriends cats (or even both). I'm sorry for your loss.



edit: sean, where in my answer does it say anything about a car? I think you should read my answer again because nowhere does it say anything about a car.

Answer 2

As the majority of people have said...it does sound like poisoning.

My own cat got poisoned by a neighbour close by and she was exactly the same.

If they had been fighting there would be some way of recognising this, as with if they were hit by a car/shot etc.

I'd keep your cat indoors for the moment...just ot be on the safe side and try and determine exactly what or who did this to the cats.

I wouldn't keep them in forever, however, because an indoor cat is not something I believe in, this obviously is your choice.

I have four cats now and they all go out, no more poisonings around the area since.

Answer 3

Woah... Well, first, I am really sorry for your loss. I know how pets can feel like a part of the family. But I gotta say, it really sounds like a person killed your cats.



If they were killed by ANY kind of wild animal, there would be a lot of evidence of it: wounds, chunks of missing fur, and a lot more blood.

It is possible that they were hit by a car and sustained internal injuries and just made it back to the yard to die, but it seems unlikely that they were BOTH hit.

It could be poison, but again, it seems unlikely that BOTH cats would find a source of poisoned food, eat it and die at almost the same time.



Judging by the fur in the yard and the fact that the only trace of blood was coming from one cat's eye, I'd guess that they were killed by someone. They could've been drowned or had their necks broke or been strangled. Keep your other cat indoors. And I recommend alerting your neighbors. If they have pets, they may want to keep them indoors.



I would take them to the vet to determine the cause of death, just for peace of mind. The situation you described is very disturbing and seems unnatural.

Answer 4

It might have been a person people are so mean now a days they probably didnt like the cats roaming in their yard, and its odd that 2 are dead at the same time so I dont think it was a possum or a racoon unless it was a gang of them which I dont believe that would happen plus you would hear both crying its really loud when they are fighting. A snake bite would be alot of swelling in the area if they were bitten. I am sorry that 2 of your gf cats were killed I would keep the other one in for now on.

Answer 5

it's very possible that they were poisoned. aspirin is deadly to cats, and someone could have easily powdered some aspirin tablets and mixed into some meat or canned food. the aspirin causes kidney failure, which is invariably fatal. i doubt that they were killed by any other animal, or else there would be obvious fatal wounds and blood. snake bite is possible, but unlikely since they were both dead, as snakes generally bite and flee.



there is little chance that they were both shot, since there would be a small antrance wound and a larger exit wound, plus once a gun was fired, the other cat would have been scared off. i wouldn't suspect anti freeze either because it causes the body to swell and become bloated and deformed. the most likely scenario is that the cats have been roaming in other peoples yards and garbage. someone put aspirin in food and left it out for the animal to eat. your cats ate the food, then died from kidney failure just a few hours later.

Answer 6

It could have been a person. If they're not ripped up it wasn't another cat or a dog, possum would likely shred em pretty bad too... same with a ****. Maybe a snake but most cats can kill a snake and only get sick from a bite not dead, and it wouldn't kill both cats just the one. Take them to your local vet and have them tested. Its most likely that they were poisoned by someone in your neighborhood

Answer 7

I would suspect possible antifreeze (ethylene glycol) poisoning? Especially since that would be leaking out a car in a driveway (where you said he was hanging around). Cats love the taste of it. You might want to take the third cat to the vet like, right now, seriously. And maybe the dead cats too, for testing. I am sorry for your loss.

Answer 8

Poison.

A wild animal.

Someone shot them.

A stray dog could have grabbed them by the neck and shaken them - breaking their necks.



Any number of things can happen to pets allowed to wander around outside. And yet another example of why cats belong INDOORS.

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=indoorsoroutdoors



I would definitely bring them to the vet to see if he can determine cause of death. That's very sad :( "Forever" doesn't last very long, does it?



edit: jylnne1 - you should be a detective! You're so right. If an animal attacked one of them surely the other one would have ran. I agree - I think they were poisoned! Look around your yard for anything suspicious. You might find some food that was purposely put there for them to ingest. I would also call the police and report this - your cats might not be the only victims. Also go door to door and tell neighbours. And if anyone seems to be bothered by you telling them this - let the police know. Most would WANT to know what's going on - unless they're the ones that did it.

Answer 9

Sad to say but probley poisioned by some lunatic :P sorry about the loss, the only thing I se that doesn't lead to poison is the blood from the eye? Wierd you culd get them ummmm...can't think of the word where like colleges and vet places look through the body and see what killed them, grr can't think of it D; to late to think anyways, back on subject get a vet or local college to do an ABTOPSIE!! That's what it is. They should be able to tell what killed them



R.I.P. Kitties :(

Answer 10

It could have been from a number of things,including poison,blunt trauma,etc. You mention that the fur was wet. Some sicko could have drowned them and then threw them back into your yard. There are so many dangers to outside cats.Please keep the remaining cat indoors where it will be safe from harm.

Answer 11

As most have answered, it could have been poisoning, but my best guess would probably be anti-freeze poisoning, if someones car is leaking anti-freeze and it puddles under the car, the cat or other animal drinks it, and it only takes a teaspoon to be lethal, Anti-freeze contains Ethelyne Glycol which is fatal to cats and other animals, and has a sweet taste that animals can find irrisistable.

Answer 12

None. Cats are no longer canaries. you have curiously no longer paid for an expert reason in the back of dying record on the cat. you're no longer a vet. you have definitely no reality-based foundation to even make a immediately-confronted allegation that a "smell" led to the dying of this cat. and that i assure to you that your Roto-Rooter guy is packed with sewer if he tried to convince you that he had any expertise in figuring out the reason in the back of dying of something. you have no criminal recourse against all people. and you have defined no longer something that shows all people is to blame for the dying of your cat. Even assuming that your assumptions are a hundred% properly suited, this does not create any criminal duty on the area of the worker or the corporate. they did no longer create the sewer gasoline. You employed them to verify something. They checked it. they did no longer discover something. You employed others. They checked it. they did no longer discover something. the administrative is coming lower back out. he will verify it. perchance he will discover something and perchance he won't. yet in spite of if he unearths something, it does not propose they owe you something - different than perchance a reimbursement of the cost of the provider call from final year. And candidly, i does no longer have remained in a house that had a foul smell that i theory substitute into making my cat unwell. i might have moved myself and my newborn out of there in the present day. (the persisted smell might have given you the criminal suitable to break the hire, assuming you had a hire.)

Answer 13

Dogs stalking the neighborhood, we went through that crap one time with our cat and the nieghbors dog being loose over night. The guy would come home at night and leave his dogs loose, so we kept calling the cops on the dogs at nighttime until the guy got rid of the dogs. We found them playing tug of war with out cat and couldnt get the cats back leg out of its teeth, so we called the cops.



But I dont know what killed your cats.

Answer 14

It could be literally anything. From disease (FIP, felv, FIV, even Rabies) to trauma (fighting with another cat or wild animal) to toxin (rat poison, or eating a poisoned rat, antifreeze, etc.)



There's really no way to tell over the internet. Even a vet would just make educated guesses.



I'm so sorry for the loss.

Answer 15

Raccoon is probably the most sensible explaination. Have you heard of animals called Fishers? I doubt it was one, but you never know. I have a feeling it is either a dog or a raccoon. Possibly a large dog that shook the cats to death, probably not a fox or coyote though or else they would eat the cat as well, a regular well-fed pet dog wouldn't bother eating a cat. Here's a link for info about Fishers, I hate them! They killed my best friends bunny! They ripped the rabbits skin off the top of it's head and broke some of the skull for no reason and then just ran away and left the rabbit to die. My grandparent's kitten was killed by one too, it ate ALL the skin off the head of the kitten, it had a perfectly intact and furry little cute body with a skull as a head with all the veins and everything keeping the skull and backbone supported still. Creepiest thing I have EVER seen. I hate fishers they're stupid!! I mean they're smart because they know how to kill just about anything but I still hate them lol. Oh yeah they also attacked my friend's chickens, it ripped all the feathers off the neck of one chicken, and then my friend's dad punched the fisher and it ran away..haha..ha..ha



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher_(animal)

Answer 16

No sign of a fight would leave poison . Something someone left out or is doing it on purpose. Still take the healthy one to the Vet and see if it has any signs you may have missed..

Answer 17

If it was another animal I'm pretty sure you would see more blood. Someone may have poisoned them. Keep an eye on the third one the same might happen to him.



See: Punk Raw, her answer is best.

"Any number of things can happen to pets allowed to wander around outside. And yet another example of why cats belong INDOORS."

Answer 18

They could have been poisoned either accidentally or on purpose. Cats should be kept indoors where they will be safe.

Answer 19

They could have been hit by a car, bitten by something (like a snake), or poisoned, among other things.

Answer 20

yea kagome a car drove up on the yard hit the cats and the cars didn't do anything to the bodies.... seriously it has to be something poisonous in the area, go to i vet a get an autopsy, i wonder if there are cat autopsy

Answer 21

I HOPE YOU didn't feed them special Kitty (my grandma did and now hers died)

Answer 22

anti-freeze