Oh this just made me burst into tears. I’m so sorry for your loss and the suddenness of it. I hope the necropsy results give you useful AND reassuring info.
I would suspect FIP as well. I am very sorry for your loss.
Aw crap. This is so awful 1sock, I’m sorry :’( I hope that you can draw a small bit of comfort knowing that it was quick. I know that there is absolutely nothing that can ease the pain other than time, but I’m jingling for you. Make sure you snuggle your other littles ones extra…that little purr-box always helps to comfort me.
Thank you so much everyone for your kindness and responses. I haven’t spent much time using the computer recreationally this summer so haven’t been to the forum more than a few times, but you guys were the first ones I thought of, who I knew would understand. Obviously COTH is filled with horse lovers and people who care very much for all animals, but sometimes its still hard to find a “cat person” to talk to, someone who doesn’t think you’re crazy when you share the antics of your cat, or the depth of your grief when you lose one.
Thank you for being those people who DO understand.
The necropsy results show that our sweet baby had a heart that was “smaller than average” with a defect in the lower ventricle and edema round the outside of his heart. I did not talk to the vet directly, so this is per my mother’s conversation with him (and she did not take notes so I might be missing something). He mentioned cardiomyopathy and my mom thinks he mentioned an enlarged liver as well. He said he did not believe Leo’s death had anything to do with the upper respiratory infection we’d been treating him for.
It’s been a week today since we lost Leo. I am very thankful I chose to have the necropsy done, for there is some relief in knowing that we “did” nothing to cause his death, and what killed him is not transferrable/infectious to Max and our other cats.
But it broke my heart all over again when mom relayed the results to me, for how can it be fair or right or acceptable that such a tremendous little soul only had a lifespan of 3 1/2 months. That even if it hadn’t happened last week, he was destined to live only a short time. His spirit was beautiful and so bright but his body was “defective” and would give out too soon.
The people I got him from were very nice people but I don’t really feel the cats had any exceptional care, I was told they’d had a number of litters of these kittens over the last few years but this year the father cat died (at age 4) of a URI he “couldn’t kick”, and a sister to Leo was already having “bathroom issues” (i.e due to being a “rumpy” Manx and having the dreaded absence of feeling to know when she was defecating).
I sat holding him, crying, the first few days after I brought him home because he was so precious and I was so afraid he would have nerve or other issues from being a “rumpy”. My husband kept saying “I don’t know what you’re worried about, he’s obviously fine” and I had to explain that those issues weren’t always apparent early on- to be honest I only knew that it was “not good” when a Manx has NO tail whatsoever, but I hadn’t known it could take a while to tell if there were issues and nerve damage/issues were more common than I had guessed.
I almost posted about Leo on COTH then to look for information or advice on “Rumpies”, but I knew already I would be unable to give up on him and I was afraid to hear anything negative. Plus, he was SO active and SO bright, I was starting to feel he’d be OK!
…Anyways…
Max is doing MUCH better. When we brought him home we had also agreed to take in his mother if no other home could be found, as his current owner had taken “Frisky” in as a rescue but needed to get down on the number of cats, asap (landlord issue). She let us know a week later Frisky still needed placement, so we brought her home with the intention of making her a barn cat and having her spayed. Well, after a few days of Leo being gone, Max being lonely and ourselves not having any desire to run right out and get yet another kitten, we moved Frisky in the bathroom with Max and that is working very well (but appears to mean we’ll have yet another housecat).
You know, pretty much every kitten is loveable or special or at the very least, adorable- Max is definitely adorable and to my mind he’s a “typical precious kitten”. But just sometimes, out of the blue, you meet one who is an “old soul” and feel a strong emotional response or connection, something like that. I feel very strongly that Leo was an “old soul”.
I’m sorry for the long length of this post but waited a few days to respond to get my emotions a little more under control and to have time to organize my thoughts.
Alicat & Dani0303- Hoping to hear your kittens are OK!
Alicat- those sneezing fits are definitely alarming but if it’s any relief- From the necropsy results I don’t believe they were a main factor in Leo’s death, it sounds like with the heart issues/cardiomyopathy it can happen “any time”.
[QUOTE=1sock;8304388]
Alicat & Dani0303- Hoping to hear your kittens are OK!
Alicat- those sneezing fits are definitely alarming but if it’s any relief- From the necropsy results I don’t believe they were a main factor in Leo’s death, it sounds like with the heart issues/cardiomyopathy it can happen “any time”.[/QUOTE]
Thank you 1sock! His snuffles cleared up on their own after a few days. He’s just fine now 
I’m glad you got some answers. I do hope it gives you some closure that there is nothing you could’ve done differently. Even though his life was short you showed him nothing but love and comfort.
Thanks for the answers. So sorry to hear though. 
Little Monroe is improving and his URI is nearly gone. Sneezing fits sure were scary but seem to have resolved.
I had one who just died like this. Her name was Grace. No explanation other than"fading kitten syndrome" except she wasn’t fading.
I am so sorry for your loss.
