We lost two of our cats a couple of years ago. The female grew lethargic and then died before we could get her to a vet. We don't know what the problem was but have guessed at a spider bite, a coral snake bite or that she possibly ate a skink. That is if it wasn't a disease we didn't detect --she was vaccinated for most things-- or some kind of internal failure like the one mentioned above. We'll never know.

The male, brother to the first one, died about 6 months later from a snake bite, most likely a pygmy rattler. He was bitten under his chin but didn't swell significantly; he died on the vet's exam table and the veterinarian found the bite as he was examining him.

Both cats were five years old, altered, utd on immunizations, well fed barn cats.