What caused the death of my kitten?

Question

He was 2 months old and 2 weeks before he was suffering from hypothermia, me and my sister went to the veterinary and doctor said we need to keep him warm. On those days he was also not eating anything, so we were worried a lot, we cared a lot, then he survived and started eating food.

We were very happy, but then he got some issue with his tummy, his tummy was upset, we didn't care much as he was eating and he was in a better condition.

But suddenly he died. When he died I was with him, it was incredibly sad and depressing. 1 hour before his death he was getting some jerks, and while sleeping with me, I think he suddenly got some kind of attack because he started stretching his body very tightly (maybe he was paralyzed for some time) and when he relaxed himself, he was almost dead. He was having very weak heart beats and after few seconds those heart beats were also gone, which was incredibly depressing.

Could anybody please help me find out the real cause of his death?

We were giving him cow milk and one day we gave rice with egg. We always used to give a little warm food, but sometimes when we were not around, he used to eat the same as it is on room temperature which was cold. Could this have been a reason of his death?

Answer 1

I don't think anyone can say for sure why your kitten died, but one possible cause was the kitten's diet. Cats must eat meat because they require the amino acid taurine which is primarily found in meat. A diet lacking in meat will probably lead to taurine deficiency, which according to allivet.com, has symptoms such as "degeneration of the retina in the eyes, weakening of the heart, and digestion issues." If the taurine deficiency gets bad enough, it can even be lethal for cats. Furthermore, at two months, the kitten should probably be weaned, and therefore milk or kitten formula is probably not recommended. Cow's milk in general is not good for cats because it contains lactose, which will often cause digestive issues too, like diarrhea.