Dead cat? No explanation?

[luckysamara199]

first of all thank for taking the time to read and answer this. I am extremely sad my cat he was about 10 years old he went missing last wensday and we called his name multiple times because he always comes when you call his name and he always comes back. And today we went out to look for him and we found his body. we live in a very rural area where there’s big fileds and trees. I found him right across from my house under a tree. He was laying down with his mouth open and teeth out. He had maggots all over him but it was hard to tell if he had any bites or mark of somethin that might’ve killed him because of all the maggots. I’m so curious on what happens to him because he was doing fine he was a healthy and happy cat. his face had lots of dirt and his eyes were gray and there was so many maggots but it seemed to be no bites or marks of another animal. He is an outdoor cat. he sleeps outside and does everything outside. we’ve never had a problem with coyates or anything trying to eat him. I’m so curious to find out what killed him or how he died if you have any ideas please reply or just any information on what might’ve happened to him please reply. I appreciate it so much

 

[Serenity06]

I'm so sorry about your cat that sounds horrible where are you from? It could've potentially been a venomous snake especially with a small one it would be hard to see the bite anyway. If it's been very hot out then possibly even a heat stroke although I wouldn't think so if he has always been an outdoor cat he would likely be accustomed to it. It could've been an underlying issue or just natural causes with his age and all. It's hard to say for sure with no signs of a struggle but I hope this or something someone else has to say can bring you some peace of mind

 

[luckysamara199]

I'm so sorry about your cat that sounds horrible where are you from? It could've potentially been a venomous snake especially with a small one it would be hard to see the bite anyway. If it's been very hot out then possibly even a heat stroke although I wouldn't think so if he has always been an outdoor cat he would likely be accustomed to it. It could've been an underlying issue or just natural causes with his age and all. It's hard to say for sure with no signs of a struggle but I hope this or something someone else has to say can bring you some peace of mind

thank you! We live in Oregon a few hours from Mt. hood so I don’t think it was a snake.

 

[Silkie Princess]

first of all thank for taking the time to read and answer this. I am extremely sad my cat he was about 10 years old he went missing last wensday and we called his name multiple times because he always comes when you call his name and he always comes back. And today we went out to look for him and we found his body. we live in a very rural area where there’s big fileds and trees. I found him right across from my house under a tree. He was laying down with his mouth open and teeth out. He had maggots all over him but it was hard to tell if he had any bites or mark of somethin that might’ve killed him because of all the maggots. I’m so curious on what happens to him because he was doing fine he was a healthy and happy cat. his face had lots of dirt and his eyes were gray and there was so many maggots but it seemed to be no bites or marks of another animal. He is an outdoor cat. he sleeps outside and does everything outside. we’ve never had a problem with coyates or anything trying to eat him. I’m so curious to find out what killed him or how he died if you have any ideas please reply or just any information on what might’ve happened to him please reply. I appreciate it so much

I'm so sorry about your cat

 

[5 Points Wingfeather]

It could’ve been an internal infection.

 

[Gizabelle]

I'm so sorry about your boy.
It may be too late, and I don't know how long the effects last after death, but checking the insides of his ears may give you some clue as to illness vs trauma/accident. Yellowing skin is a red flag. It could be caused by infection, liver distress, or a myriad of other things, but its a pretty clear sign of trouble.
If he was outside mostly, it would not have been hard to hide an illness from you for quite some time.
We lost our first cat to a urinary blockage, a pretty common occurrence in neutered males.
Again, I'm so very sorry for your loss.

 

[luckysamara199]

I'm so sorry about your boy.
It may be too late, and I don't know how long the effects last after death, but checking the insides of his ears may give you some clue as to illness vs trauma/accident. Yellowing skin is a red flag. It could be caused by infection, liver distress, or a myriad of other things, but its a pretty clear sign of trouble.
If he was outside mostly, it would not have been hard to hide an illness from you for quite some time.
We lost our first cat to a urinary blockage, a pretty common occurrence in neutered males.
Again, I'm so very sorry for your loss.

he did have tapeworm but we were giving him medication for it. And his body was days old when we found him the maggots had already finsihed half of his body. His face was really messed up we couldn’t really see his ears or face

 

[RosemaryDuck]

So sorry for your loss. Unfortunately with outdoor cats it can be any number of causes. They are at risk every day from predators, cars, illness, etc. Cats also hide illness very well.

At 10 years old it's also possible he just passed from old age.

 

[Poultry mum]

Cats also “hide” when they don’t want to upset their owners when it’s time for them to go… ive had many cats do this its horrible and sometimes they actually wonder grate distance so there owner can’t find them… at 10yrs old he did well…. That works out to be 56 in human years ( cat age calculator on the net)…. Which for a cat is amazing… he must be very missed …

 

[esme13]

I’m terribly sorry for your lost. That is truly a difficult way to find a pet. There are so many possibilities of what may have caused him to pass away. Stroke , uti, heart murmur , cancer , the list goes on. A venomous sting , a terrible kick from a larger animal? So many things could have caused it.
It seems your cat planted its self in an area where you could find it, which brings closure. You gave your cat a wonderful 10 years and 10 years is a long time for a cat! We wish our pets could stay with us forever.