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Original poster

Does anyone have a cat with a heart murmur?

43 replies

Hopefulmidwife · 14/12/2019 12:21

Hello!

My cat is 2.5 years, and was diagnosed with a grade 1 heart murmur last year. So around 1.5 years. Today we went for his booster jabs and his murmur has got worse, approx a grade 3. He's had bloods done. Depending on the results he may need more tests.

I stupidly never insured him because he was an indoor cat and I just kept putting it off. I know I shouldn't have and that's my fault, I know that.

But I'm unsure now what happens. Will it get worse and he'll just become poorly? Will he live to a ripe old age? The vet/nurse/assistant (not sure) did say depending on the results will depend on what will happen which I understand but just looking to see if anyone has any experience?

I'm fully expecting an expensive cat from now on! The vets said it's more than likely hereditary as he's so young, plus last year we were told he had a bit of bengal in him which is common in them too.

Any advice?

OP posts:
CaptainMyCaptain · 14/12/2019 12:23

Mine did and lived to be 22.

OrangeZog · 14/12/2019 12:26

Mine has had a grade 2.5 which was diagnosed at 1. He is now 12.5 and no problems at all. In fact, bizarrely, at two recent check ups it’s been considered to be much lower or barely noticeable and the vet said that stress can make it more pronounced. So it appears he is more chilled out about seeing the vet now he is older!

I hope you get good, reassuring news soon.

Original poster
Hopefulmidwife · 14/12/2019 12:26

Oh captain that's just what I wanted to hear! 😊

OP posts:
Original poster
Hopefulmidwife · 14/12/2019 12:27

Thanks orange! Interesting to know it could be caused by stress. Almost like white coat syndrome for cats!

OP posts:
Grumpelstiltskin · 14/12/2019 12:28

I also have a young cat (4yrs but diagnosed at 2.5yrs similarly) with a heart murmur. Hers is also a grade 3. We've had the tests for thyroid etc and all is ok, so the vet has advised just keeping an eye/ear on her respiratory rate. Should be under 30 when at rest (counting for a minute)- anything wildly different means she's having trouble getting enough oxygen. At the moment she's fine and perky and always has been.

The vet did advise it was likely her lifespan would be shortened but not drastically. She has a lovely life and so far is not expensive other than the initial tests.

Ohgoodness34 · 14/12/2019 12:29

I don’t know what grade my cat’s was but she lived for 15 happy years 🐈

Original poster
Hopefulmidwife · 14/12/2019 12:34

All wonderful news, thank you everyone! 😃 Also, I don't like to think of vets doing tests for the sake of it and for the money but I'm just keeping an eye out for not taken for a ride.
Have a pic to say thank you!

Does anyone have a cat with a heart murmur?
OP posts:
Toddlerteaplease · 14/12/2019 12:53

Mine had one. I was told not to worry about it. Until I discovers by accident that it was a grade 4. She had a heart scan and was found to have very severe Cardiomyopathy. She was heavily medicated but was completely asymptomatic. You'd have never believed she was so ill. She did very well on 8 pills a day. Unfortunately she developed kidney failure and she had to be put to sleep. She was 8. She was a Persian, and they are more prone to it. Her sister has very mild thickening of her septum but no murmur and no other heart issues.
My cardiologist is fantastic. But each visit is about £600.

Original poster
Hopefulmidwife · 14/12/2019 13:19

Oh @Toddlerteaplease I'm so sorry, that's so sad. Do you still have her sister?

Did your insurance cover the £600 each time?

OP posts:
Toddlerteaplease · 14/12/2019 13:26

Yes I still have her sister. The insurance has covered everything. With their other health issues, we have had about 20k of claims!

Does anyone have a cat with a heart murmur?
Toddlerteaplease · 14/12/2019 13:26

She just has 6 monthly scans

MangoStone · 14/12/2019 13:29

I have one with a heart murmur, I don't know what grade it is, not sure if I can't remember or maybe they didn't tell us.
She is fine, 10 yrs old and still going strong.

Boristhecats · 15/12/2019 08:14

Mine has. Grade two. He will be 11 next year. Only thing the vet says is they will have to be careful if he needs to be sedated.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 15/12/2019 09:30

Mine has a grade 1 murmur. We only found out last year when he had a heart scan after our previous vet scared me to death telling me he had congestive heart failure. The scan at his new vet showed a grade 1 murmur much to our relief.

We've no idea how long he's had it and he's 14. Like Boristhecats says, the only issue will be if he needs to be sedated.

Boristhecats · 15/12/2019 10:20

I also try to make sure I don’t scare him. Not sure if that’s something I really need to do. But it makes me feel better Confused

SmellMySmellbow · 15/12/2019 10:22

@boristhecats that's wise. My cat had a murmer and sadly died at aged 8 of a heart attack when she had a big shock. (She jumped onto our garden wall almost on top of another cat she hadn't spotted)

Boristhecats · 15/12/2019 10:35

Ahhhh good. I will keep that in mind.

madcatladyforever · 15/12/2019 11:33

My cat has always had a heart murmur and she's 18.

thecalmorchid · 15/12/2019 11:35

Yes, ours is 10. She needs her teeth scraping but I'm so nervous about the anaesthetic I'm delaying.

madcatladyforever · 15/12/2019 11:36

My last cat had a heart murmur and he lived to 14 when it turned into cardiomyopathy, when they stop eating and start heavy panting it's time for euthanasia.
I've had two cats with that, don't let the vet encourage you to have lung drainage and endless drugs, I spent £4,000 on all that (insured) it didn't help either cat or keep them alive for much longer and just distressed them.

SanFranBear · 15/12/2019 11:45

My boy also has one, spotted about 5 years ago. I took him for a scan so they could see what was causing it. Turns out he has a little flap of skin of one of his valves that trails slightly with every heart beat causing the disturbance.

He's monitored at his 6 monthly checks but because we know why it's there and isn't something that can progress really, he's fine - no tablets etc. The scan was expensive though (about £775) but worth it. I did have insurance, luckily.

Just keep an eye on his activity levels - if he's getting tired quickly, could be a sign it's beginning to effect him. But hopefully, like many pp's, there will be no change for many years.. it sounds scary but lots of cats live perfectly happily with their murmurs.

Wallywobbles · 15/12/2019 18:12

Inherited outside farm cat has one. The vet told us when he was 10 and had his nads off. Never been an issue.

Indella · 15/12/2019 19:41

I would recommend DNA testing your cat for HCM, you can get a mouth swab from
langfords and it’s much cheaper than the vets. This can tell you what you’re dealing with. A heart murmur is more manageable than a heart murmur that’s actually a symptom of developing HCM.

Original poster
Hopefulmidwife · 15/12/2019 21:07

Thank you for all your advice, interesting to see how it affects different cats. Luckily mine is an indoor cat but he does fright easily poor thing and when he plays he does get tired quite quickly!
@Indella what is HCM?

OP posts:
WildCherryBlossom · 15/12/2019 21:28

One of mine has a heart murmur. Not sure what grade, but first spotted when he was less than 2 years old. Every vet who checks him over mentions it. He's coming up to 10 now and a very contended cat. Not terribly active, doesn't hunt. Very sociable, decent appetite and healthy weight. We took the view that intensive testing would be traumatic for him and just let him live with it. We think his quality of life is very good and when his time comes, it comes. The last vet who saw him felt we had taken the right course of action. He said that medication is not always very effective for cats (more reliable in dogs though).