How does tonto die in harry and tonto?

Answer 1

The cause of Tonto's death is not stated in the movie, but it is known that Tonto dies at 11 years old, which - despite Harry characterizing that as being equivalent to 77 in human years - is still a relatively young age for a cat to die. There are many ways a mature cat can die - it could have been kidney disease, an untreated endocrine disease such as hyperthyroidism, unregulated Diabetes, cancer, viral diseases such as Feline Leukemia (FeLV) or Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), or even exposure to a toxin.

For the scene, Tonto was sedated, according to Paul Mazursky (the director of the film), and was never truly harmed in any way. Art Carney, who played Harry, stated that although he was generally not a "cat person", he bonded with the cat and respected the cat as a good actor - stating that although Tonto had two stand-ins, he never needed them. Carney admitted to being a bit overwhelmed emotionally to see his costar sedated and in such a sorry-looking state, and this seems to translate beautifully in this farewell scene. "Dear Leroy" Harry wrote his friend the janitor after losing Tonto. "Hope you are well. Tonto passed away. He was 11 years old which made him 77 by our count. He had a good life."

Both Harry and Tonto had a good life.