Pawsitive thoughts for Fattycat's heart scan tomorrow.

[Toddlerteaplease]

I totally panicked when the vet said the scan wasn’t actually till next week so got her booked to a independent cardiologist tomorrow. (One who doesn’t charge extra just to stay with her!) I may be clutching at straws but I think the fluid in her lungs may be due to fluid overload during her dental. As she’s just Too well and respiratory rate is normal. But please keep all your paws crossed for my darling girl.

Snorg and she are blood sisters aren’t they?

Who wouldn't!
Failing that any white patches you can colour with a safe product? (Well they can dye poodles!)
Or snip a tuft off the very tip off the tail furry tip?! Not that I would DARE!

Yes they are blood sister but I know nothing about them. They didn’t come with papers (or a name) they had a third sister who died shortly after rescue, as she was in such bad condition. I think that she was also fairly identical as the rescue called her Ebony. I’m wondering if she also had HCM, hence why she was so weak. Snorg doesn’t have a heart murmur and was very thoroughly looked at when she had pancreatitis in February. Would it be wise to have her checked, or not worth it if there are is no murmur?

My ‘understanding’ of HCM Is that it can just appear one day after nothing is found previously. Still - if they found nothing when she was ill, I wouldn’t bother, I reckon. Maybe check with your vet at her next MOT.

They both had an MOT only 3 weeks ago and nothing was said then. Other than I knew fatty had a murmur. No one told me it was grade 4 😡

toddler our cat is 9 and still healthy. He often purrs so loud at the vets they find it hard to hear his murmur. It developed at 7 months & he's been on benazacare & aspirin ever since. I can't remember what grade it was but I think it was quite bad but it has never changed. It was caught very early on, of course.

Thanks, please keep all these positive stories coming. I feel very sad.

Seniorboy had a heart issue so severe that the vet couldn’t hear any noise at all from one side of his heart. (That was at about 17.) The family youngsters were a bit perplexed how he kept going but then all agreed ‘Oh well - if it works for him’.

Just counted her respiratory rate and it’s come down from 26 to 19. So hopefully that’s a positive sign.

That sounds good. Hoping the medication really does help.

I got diagnosed in 1992 with hcm and I’m still here! Beta blockers really do help. Hopefully she will have a good few years left even if she has to take tablets everyday. Our neighbours cat with hcm was on beta blockers for years and lived to quite an old age.

She’s struggling with taking the pill is a treat as it’s too big. I think this mornings dose is somewhere in her mane! Fortunately the cardiologist has said they can be crushed up together and mixed with water. Was concerned about it affecting their effectiveness but she says it’s ok. And anything is better than nothing! I think she is feeling better. She was lying on my arm looking extremely smug this morning!

Little Hussy,

Best of luck and let us know how it goes......

Does she like lik-e-lix? The chicken ones are a newly discovered best thing ever here ( He didn't like the yoghurt ones). I think I could get just about anything down him mixed with one of those, the bowl actually rattles, he's licking so fast, then he bites the dish when it's all gone!!

Have you tried the salmon ones (pink tubes) or the liver ones (turquoise tubes), Weeds?

They used to like lik e lix but have gone off them. And Magic would probably snaffle her portion anyway.

When I first discovered them I’ve never anything devoured so quickly.

Crushed up and mixed with water went well....not!! Back to plan A!

She wouldn’t touch it?

Spat it out and we wore most of it. Will continue with the treats for now. And then try the tablets on their own when she is on the full dose of atenalol. As it’s currently so tiny I can’t pick it up!

How about hiding it in pate

I think I’ve been making it more difficult by mixing it with a treat. It’s too big for her to swallow. So will try without anything. I thought I’d choked her this morning.

My neighbours cat had beta blockers every day and unused to look after him.
The method was kneel on the floor with the Cat facing forwards between your legs. Open his mouth and chuck the tablet down. Clamp mouth shut and rub the throat till he swollowed. He was fine with all this and took it ok over the years.

I think there is a tablet chute to help with the chucking the tablet down the throat bit