How to explain my kitten's accidental dryer death to my kids?

Ouch. Check out your kitty for burns and other injuries (she must have hopped in when the dryer was still hot. If there are none, make sure she has enough to drink, as she may be more thirsty. If you do find burns, she needs to be seen by a veterinarian. Otherwise I think she will be ok, as just being locked into a small space for a few hours is not usually detrimental. If the photos you uploaded were taken after she came out of the dryer, she looks pretty unfazed to me, not hurt by the adventure. HOWEVER! Make it a rule every day, to check the dryer and to close it , so your cat is not locked in it again.

I am so sorry that you found Moosh like this. This is very traumatic and difficult situation to deal with. It sounds like he was no longer alive but he could have still felt warm from being in the carpet. My sympathies go to you as I know this can be difficult. Just know you gave Moosh a wonderful home while he was with you. Hugs!

I am so sorry you came home to two dead kittens! Newborn kittens are very fragile, and it could the one who was cold simply wasn't strong enough to make it. As for the one with the intestines out, it could be a birth defect causing the intestines to be outside the body. Without seeing them in person, I can't say for certain. I can say keep the father away from the kittens until they are older. Mother cats can be very protective of their kittens, and the father should not be around until the kittens are weaned. I hope this helps, and again I'm sorry for your loss.

He may have had an injury, been hit by a car or he had a congenital heart defect that caused a blood clot at the bifurcation of the aorta (that paralyses hind legs and hurts terribly). This can also cause a clot in the lungs which would cause breathing problems. Unfortunately most cats with these blood clots die within a short time. I am so sorry for your loss. This is very sad.

Hello. I am so sorry for your loss. It is possible that Jason hit the back of his head severing his spinal cord. His death was swift & painless. But I wonder if something actually occurred while he was attempting to jump on the mantle. It is possible he suffered some type of cardiac event that caused him to fall. This too would have been a swift & painless death. Sometimes in life, we see death way too early. Whether it is by accident by trauma or a birth defect that just now shows up, things happen. Assure your daughter that Jaxson did not suffer & while his life was short, it was meaningful because he had people who loved him. Please accept my condolences on your loss & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I am so sorry you lost Buffy! I think it’s unlikely that the heater was the cause of death - I would think you would see some kind of burn or hair loss externally if that was the case. Heart disease is one of the more common causes of sudden death in cats and can cause bloody fluid to quickly build up in the lungs and come out of the nose and mouth. Other possibilities would be kidney disease, blunt trauma or a clotting disorder. You could ask your vet about a necropsy (autopsy) which might reveal a cause of death.

I'm so sorry for the loss of the kittens. They may have had a parasite infection or virus such as panleukopenia. Salmonella can also kill them quickly. Without a post mortem exam there is no way to know what they dried from. Mom will probably go back into heat fairly quickly so you might want to get her spayed. Monitor her mammary glands that they don't get engorged or painful. You can apply cool compresses to them if she will let you.