My cat was bitten, got a secondary infection and sepsis, and died during surgery—is that normal?

Sepsis in cats already carries a high death rate, especially pyemia, where bacteria enter the blood and organs and produce large amounts of toxin, damaging local tissue and organ function and then threatening the cat’s life. In addition, surgery carries certain risks—anesthesia, the operation itself, post-op infection, and complications. Usually before surgery the vet informs the owner of these risks, so while a cat dying during sepsis treatment can’t be called a normal outcome, there is indeed a fairly high possibility.