How long does it take for a cat to go cold after death?

If your family’s beloved pet dies suddenly at home, would you know what to do? If not, you’re not alone. People ask “what to do” on a regular basis. Here you will learn 8 things you’ll need to do, to properly handle the situation.

When we make the decision to bring a pet into our home, most of us do our homework. Topics of conversation and planning revolve around house breaking, cage training, socialization and overall behaviour. Unless you adopt a senior dog or one with a disability, rarely does the topic of pet death ever come up. For the next few minutes we’ll review the necessary actions that every pet parent or owner should know when their pet dies at home unexpectedly.

Here’s a guide on what to do when your pet dies at home

First and foremost, as strange as it sounds, make sure the pet is deceased! All too often, people think their pet died, only to discover that they are still alive. This is because they are breathing very shallow and lying still. Most likely they are transitioning, and death is near. Don’t be afraid, this is normal. (Note: If your feel the pet is in distress, you may want to think about euthanizing. Please call your vet clinic, they can answer your questions. If you were planning to let them die naturally, keep the area calm and quiet).
After a pet dies, typically their bowels will release. This may not happen immediately. (If your pet is dehydrated or hasn’t eaten, this may not occur.) Don’t be alarmed, just be prepared as nature is simply taking its course. If your pet is lying on the floor or a piece of furniture, you’ll want to place some a towel or even plastic under their hind end immediately.
If there are other pets at home, let them smell their friend. By allowing this to happen they will understand what happened to their buddy. Otherwise, they will wonder where they went. Your pet will know naturally what to do. Should they act aloof, it’s alright. The scent of the deceased pet is what the living pets need. This can be accomplished by being in the same room.
A decision will need to be made to either bury or cremate.
Some people want to keep their pet at home for a day, until they decide what to do. If you want to do this, place your pet’s remains in a container. Why? Without being placed in cold storage, the pet’s body will begin to decompose (this presents a health risk!) One stage of this process is known as rigor mortis. This is when the energy supply to the pet’s muscles deplete. When this occurs, everything becomes stiff. The average time for “rigor” to set in is 3-4 hours and it is typically complete within 12 hours post death.
Depending on the position your pet was in when it died, you’ll want to tuck their front and back legs tight into their body (known as positioning), rather than leaving the pet outstretched. Why? Primarily for transportation and burial reasons. If you want to transport you pet, place them in a container or even wrap them up in a blanket. When their limbs are not properly positioned they are awkward and difficult to transport or place in a burial container.
Should you choose to cremate, you’ll need to contact Bamganie on 1300 514 414.
If you come home and your pet died while you were away, you’ll need to attempt to figure out how long the pet has been deceased. If rigor mortis has set in, you’ll know it was at least 3 hours. Depending on the time of year, if it is warm outside, you may have an odour that could be difficult getting out of your carpet or even floor. Don’t try to remove this smell out of your carpet/ floor yourself, consult a professional. In the long run, it will be worth it.

In closing, the loss of a pet is never easy. It’s especially hard to remain calm and think through what to do if it’s a sudden onset illness or accident. Finally, keep in mind it’s okay to not know what to do. For most of us, we’ve never walked this journey before.

Handling your pet’s body
My pet has passed away, what do I do?

Death begins when the heart stops beating. Deprived of oxygen, a cascade of cellular death commences.

It begins with brain cells and finishes with the skin cells. Death is therefore a process, rather than an event.

Heart stops beating and/or lungs stop breathing.
Body cells no longer receive supplies of blood and oxygen.
1. Blood drains from capillaries in the upper surfaces and collects in the blood vessels in the lower surfaces.
2. Upper surfaces of the body become pale and the lower surfaces become dark.
Cells cease aerobic respiration, and are unable to generate the energy molecules needed to maintain normal muscle biochemistry.
1. Calcium ions leak into muscle cells preventing muscle relaxation.
2. Muscles stiffen and remain stiff (rigor mortis) until they begin to decompose.
Cells eventually die and the body loses its capacity to fight off bacteria.
The cells' own enzymes and bacterial activity cause the body to decompose - muscles lose their stiffness.

Brain cells can die if deprived of oxygen for more than three minutes. Muscle cells live on for several hours. Bone and skin cells can stay alive for several days.
It takes around 12 hours for a human body to be cool to the touch and 24 hours to cool to the core.
Rigor mortis commences after three hours and lasts until 36 hours after death.
Forensic scientists use clues such as these for estimating the time of death.

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Rigor mortis refers to the state of a body after death, in which the muscles become stiff. It commences after around 3 hours, reaching maximum stiffness after 12 hours, and gradually dissipates until approximately 72 hours after death. Rigor mortis occurs due to changes in the physiology of muscles when aerobic respiration ceases.

Muscles are made up of two types of fibre. These fibres have connections between them that lock and unlock during muscle contraction and relaxation. These connections are controlled by a biochemical pathway within the cell, which is partially driven by the presence of calcium ions. The concentration of calcium ions is higher in the fluid surrounding muscle cells than it is inside the cells, so calcium tends to diffuse into the cell. High calcium levels inside the cell drive the biochemical pathway in the direction that maintains muscle contraction. To relax, muscle cells must expel the calcium ions from the cell and this requires energy molecules to pump them across the cell membrane.

After a body has died, the chemical reaction producing these energy molecules is unable to proceed because of a lack of oxygen. The cells no longer have the energy to pump calcium out of the cell and so the calcium concentration rises, forcing the muscles to remain in a contracted state. This state of muscle stiffening is known as rigor mortis and it remains until the muscle proteins start to decompose.

Grave wax, or adipocere, is a crumbly white, waxy substance that accumulates on those parts of the body that contain fat - the cheeks, breasts, abdomen and buttocks. It is the product of a chemical reaction in which fats react with water and hydrogen in the presence of bacterial enzymes, breaking down into fatty acids and soaps. Adipocere is resistant to bacteria and can protect a corpse, slowing further decomposition. Adipocere starts to form within a month after death and has been recorded on bodies that have been exhumed after 100 years. If a body is readily accessible to insects, adipocere is unlikely to form.

Bodies decompose through the feeding activities of a variety of organisms.

The body will be preserved if:

organisms can be excluded
the body is made unpalatable
the environment is made too hostile for the decomposer organisms

Insects can be excluded from a body by deep burial, protective wrapping and sealed crypts. If insects can be excluded, a body will decompose quite slowly, because maggots are the most voracious flesh feeders.

Although an exposed human body in optimum conditions can be reduced to bone in 10 days, a body that is buried 1.2 m under the ground retains most of its tissue for a year. However, the larvae of some blowflies and flesh flies, can easily locate and burrow down to bodies buried at 0.3 m. Adult coffin flies can burrow 0.5 m into the ground in four days.

If insects are excluded and the body decays slowly, other chemical reactions take place. Grave wax (adipocere) accumulates on the surface of a buried body if fatty deposits are permitted to break down slowly.

Bacteria can never be excluded because they are present in the intestine before death. However, the environment can be made unsuitable for bacterial activity by rapid drying of a body (mummification) or the introduction of bactericides (embalming). Similarly, freezing of bodies (cryonics) will prevent decay.

The time taken for a body to decompose depends on climatic conditions, like temperature and moisture, as well as the accessibility to insects. In summer, a human body in an exposed location can be reduced to bones alone in just nine days.