I found my lovely old cat Abby dead in the back garden the other morning. She was lying stretched out on her side so I knew there was something wrong, but looked peaceful and asleep. She had not been dead for long as she was still a bit warm. She looked a bit bashed - one eye was closed and a wee bit swollen, and she looked like she had blood in her mouth. Her fur was disturbed and pulled looking on one side of her neck. She had no obvious open wounds, but when I wrapped her in a towel there were a couple of blood spots on it after a while, but only about 1-2 cm across. It did not seem obvious why she was dead. There were some little fur tags scattered around the lawn as though there had been a fight. She was 17 and a bit skinny and clumsy and deaf as a post, but lively, as greedy as always, and affectionate. I was worried about her in the garden at night as she was so deaf you could walk right up to her if she was asleep, but there was no point in locking the cat flap as she would hotfoot out the front door if anyone came in late and then might not have been able to get back in in an emergency. I live in an urban setting and there are foxes and cats, but no dogs running loose as far as I know. Could a fox have killed her, but wouldn't it have taken her away and eaten her? Could she have been killed in a cat fight? She just looked like she had laid down and died of exhaustion and/or injuries rather than been worried and thrown down in a heap. Could she have died of shock or heart failure or must she have had some internal injury that I could not see? I don't think she can have been hit by a car because of the fur tags. I am so sad to lose her, and I like to think that she saw what ever it was off, but that she won the battle and lost the war so to speak. I know it makes no difference to her being gone, but I wish I knew what had happened to her. Thanks in advance of any replies.

Hi and I'm sorry for your loss

the only way to find out for certain would be to have your vet perform a 'necropsy' (autopsy for animals)

it does sound like the effects of an animal attack but can't be certain with just a description sorry

Firstly, I am so sorry for your loss!

I am not sure what could have happened to the poor thing, it could be a lot of things really. I don't know if you could take her to the vet for a post mortem perhaps, though I notice you say a few days ago, so this might not be possible now.

You say she was seventeen, so it could be a combination of natural causes and a possible fight with something? It's difficult to say, I have foxes around here, but they tend to mainly scavenge through rubbish rather than attempt to attack any animals.

I hope you can find some answers, but I also hope you find some peace after such a terrible discovery.

So sorry to hear about Abby.

Does sound like a fight of some description.

Bless her she did well to live to 17 and looks like she enjoyed being a cat and out and about even at her grand old age.

Big hugs xx

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sorry, no clue.

Thank you so much for your kind replies, they mean a lot at a time like this. In a way I am lucky that she died in my garden so that at least I know, rather than her just disappearing and me not knowing. She did still look so pretty.

So sorry for your loss I'm afraid the only way to geta definitive answer would be to get a vet to have a look.

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Mummy to;

Sooty 9.6.1996 - 28.04.2011 Rest in peace my love!
Storm (Sueragdandy Phantom) 28.02.2010
Benji (Kassaro Benjamin Franklyn) 08.03.2011

It was possibly a fox, or she could have been hit by a car ... beaten up by a bigger cat. If she was deaf she won't have heard any of those coming, especially if she was out at night. Poor thing

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I'm so sorry for your loss, how horrible for you. But least like you said you found her and she didn't pass on somewhere she didn't like and you'd have spent time and energy looking for her.

Sorry, I couldn't even start to advise on what happened, will just agree with the other posts and say take her to the vet, so they can't find out.

again, so sorry hugs n paw shakes from Steph, David, Peanut and Mitsy xxx

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