Calicivirus

[Beanpole]

We just recently euthanized our 17 year old diabetic male cat. He was diagnosed with diabetes 6 years ago and had received 2 insulin injections a day. We had to board him when we went on a week's vacation because my pet sitter did not want the responsibility if he became ill, which was the right decision. But cats don't do well confined. He would not eat for a couple days nor urinate or defecate and my vet had to decrease his insulin and forcefeed him. We knew he was on his way out but did not want him to die there. My vet hooked him up to an IV and put a catheter in him. She thought he may have had a stroke (we thought that too) but said he was not suffering in any way. When we picked him up when we returned from our vacation he was doing well. At home, he ate, drank and used the litterbox. I figured it was because he had had the IV and catheter. My vet was too busy to speak to me and let me know what to expect but I knew it was close to the end. The next day he went into a coma (body limp, eyes open and unmoving, mouth and tongue hanging open, unresponsive,) and we thought we'd let him die peacefully at home. But towards the end of the evening, he started making a growling noise about every 10 minutes. I freaked and thought he was in distress so we took him to an all-night emergency clinic and had him euthanized. Days later, from talking to friends at my gym, learned that the noise he made was probably 'death rattling.' I had never heard of it before and looked it up on the Net. My cat was not aware of the noise or that he was making it. The noise is from air moving though mucus in the throat that accumulates because of the inability to swallow. If I had known that, I would've kept him home with us to pass away. Has anyone had this experience?