Old Goosecat had lots of allergies. He was sixteen, almost seventeen. Crookedtail was nineteen when he died last Thanksgiving. Crook, he died of kidney failure, unknown reasons. But Goosecat was doing okay until I changed the cat litter to a multi-cat brand that clumped, but made lots of dust. I have had the cat box in a plastic storage bin for a few years, with a lid ... big forty gallon job, becuse both cats were big guys. I cut a hole in one end which they used as the netrance/exit. Goose started caughing and throwing up not long after I changed to the new multi-cat litter. I didn't make the connection until a couple of weeks had passed. I removed the lid so the box was open from the top, but Goosecat still threw up and gaged shortly after using the box. I finally made the connection and changed to the low dust and added baking soda, but it was too late, Goosecat had burned his little throat from gaging so much. He wasn't throwing up hairballs, just gagging everytime he used the litterbox. The last four weeks he stopped throwing up, but he slowly stopped eating the dry food, then the canned wet food, then stopped drinking regularly. I suspect his throat just was too sore to swallow. The heart attack was likely due to electrolytes being all screwed up from lack of fluids. I gave him fluid food and water via an eyedroppere for a few days, but Saturday the insult was too much for him.
The warning is to never have a lid on the catbox and don't use litter that makes dust, especially the clumping kind because it turns to a semi-solid concrete in the kitty's airways. Sorry to be so windy, going on so, but it was my faulkt Goosecat went downhill and I want to caution others with furry friends to be careful, they are more fragile than we want to believe when they live the indoor life.
Sorry for all the typos ... it’s hard to type when your eyes are so wet.
There is no possible way that it is your fault. We expect that what we buy for ourselves and our pets to be safe. The Chinese food contamination is one example that no one (except for the food company) had any warning of. The moral is to stop kicking yourself, it sounds like you did everything right down to hydrating the little guy with an eyedropper.
The bottom line is that kittehs are like a Ferrari engine, one fouled plug and it runs like hell while a Chevy V8 could have a flat cam and you wouldn't notice. I think it's God's way of ensuring that they don't suffer. When they get sick, they often hide it and despite what people think, injured and sick kittehs purr like healthy cats for some reason. So once you notice a problem, it's possibly already too late. I think of a dog we had the same problem with and dogs are much heartier. I still kick myself over him although intellectually, I know it wasn't my fault.
I had a Maine Coon that started losing fur along his back. We took him to the vet and he was the one that asked if anything had changed and we had just changed the dry food. Turns out he was allergic to it. Luckily we didn't have to buy something like Science Diet which is incredibly expensive.
We had the multi cat litter that clumped as well and it was nasty. When you poured it out of the new bag the dust wafted up and almost choked you. It worked well once it was in use but we ended up experimenting and then finalized on The World's Best Cat Litter made from corn:
It really works well, no dust, it clumps and it's reasonably priced.
I feel for your loss and understand that you feel responsible but don't. I've been through it many times and it doesn't get easier and I always blame myself as well. You start thinking, if only... But, the bottom line is you gave them a nice home and took care of them through their lives; that's the best anyone can do.
Hmmmm, I think it was quite possible that Goosecat could have had some sort of allergy to the new litter you changed to as well causing the reaction he had. Cats have allergies as well, I know Pansy had allergies too where we had to take her to the vet every so often, after a steroid shot and anti-biotics, she was fine for several months and then when it came back, we had to do it again, rinse, repeat.
My condolences. I’m certain Goosecat loved you and knew you loved him. Cats are very good at hiding it when they are ill. So good that often when their person notices, they are very very ill.