Talk to me about Cats with Heart problems.

[MaddyHatter]

My 11mo kitten went in for a cardiac ultrasound yesterday after a heart murmur was picked up on his HPC a couple of weeks ago.

They found he has an enlarged heart wall, probably been there since birth, and its causing a narrowing of the chamber and artery when the heart pumps.

At the moment its not affecting him, but i've been advised to have the scan repeated yearly, and also to monitor him for signs of heart failure, so given an App which i can use to test his sleeping resp rate as it will pick up any changes.

I hate this not knowing, he's so little and such a little bundle of mischief. :(

[TroysMammy]

Part of me wants to tell you my story but it would probably upset you.

[Lovelydiscusfish]

Our cat has a heart murmur diagnosed when he was about 7 (pretty much by accident tbh - he was in the vet's for something else). He takes a tablet every day and is still healthy now at 12.

[MaddyHatter]

Thank you :)

Its ok Troy, i know how it can go, i have extensive experience of Mitral Valve disease from the King Charles Cavaliers i grew up with... from the medicating to the losing them early and all the other issues involved there-in.

Its just i have no experience of this or of it with cats!

[TroysMammy]

Troy had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, he was diagnosed in January after extensive tests in Bristol. He was in heart failure and had to have his chest drained 3 times in 3 months. Bless him, he was the best behaved cat the vets had treated. He just sat there whilst they carried out the procedure. He was on furosemide 3 times a day, vetmedin twice a day, fortek and clopidogrel once a day. He also had to have a potassium supplement. I regularly counted his breaths and anything over 30 in a minute I was to contact the vet as it meant he was filling up with fluid, unable to hear a purr was also a good indication. Luckily Troy was insured and Petplan marvellous.

I was warned that cats with this heart complaint usually last no more than 6 months. Sadly on 10 May, exactly 2 months off his 6th Birthday Troy died. I was driving him to the emergency vets at midnight as I knew all was not good. We had only travelled about quarter of a mile when my partner said "He's gone". I was devastated. I no longer had my baby to care for. I couldn't have done more for him if I tried.

He is now buried next to his brother Barnaby who was run over at the age of 3.

The best bit of advice I can give you is to love,cherish and spoil your cat every day.

I miss him so much.

[Potentialmadcatlady]

I have two with grade 4/5 and 5/6 murmurs... Neither were expected to last that long after murmurs found when they were rescued....One I would say will be here for a long time - she's sedentary, likes things her own way and is a bit like an old cat in a young cats body...the other one is a mad man who is currently running round the house sideways at top speed shouting loudly for fun.He has had quite a few infections,has stayed very small and is underweight no matter how much I feed him- I don't think he will be around for long because he's so active and hard on his heart ( he has lasted far longer than I was originally told by the vet to expect)
I take each day as it comes and spoil them rotten for whatever length of time they are here..I will have no regrets because while they have been with us they have been happy and loved...