Cats with heart failure HCM advice please :(

[KellyM1998]

Hi all, took my 9 month old kitten to the vets yesterday, was told he has a grade 4/5 murmur. He is having a scan on Monday to see if he has heart disease.

He has been seen by the vets 3 times before and nothing was picked up.

just wondering, if anyone else can share their experience if they’ve had a cat with a murmur / heart disease.

Worried I’m not going to get much time with him :(

My abused ex breeding Queen was diagnosed with the same. When she was about 7. She was completely asymptomatic. I knew she had a murmur, but no one would tell be how bad it was, until I spotted a note saying it was a 4, when she went for a dental. She was seen by a fab cardiologist, and started on medication. (Which fortunately she took really well) Her cardiologist described her heart as 'horrible' and even I could see his bad it was on the scan. She was on eight tablets a day abs scanned every few months. Unfortunately the diuretics were increased and they caused her kidneys to pack up. I had her PTS nine months after diagnosis. But they were a good nine months. Hopefully your cat is younger and diagnosed earlier. If you are in the East Midlands/ Derbyshire/ Staffordshire area, Sarah Smith Cardiology was amazing.

Our BSH boy was diagnosed with HCM when he was 10 and lived to the age of 15. Just like Toddlertea's cat, he was asymptomatic at that point and it was only picked up when he needed dental surgery. For the first three years the condition was managed with Benazepril tablets twice a day and a blood thinner every second day. Heart scan once a year. For the last two years of his life he needed additional medication for the HCM and also for hyperthyroidism. He had a good quality of life until about two or three months before his death. Cats can have a decent life experience with HCM, it's not always an immediate death sentence.

I'm not an expert and really hope I'm wrong, but from what I've read, the fact that your cat has been diagnosed at only 9 months can indicate a quite severe case that may progress quickly. Responsible breeders of British Shorthairs or other breeds with an increased genetic risk of HCM have the parents scanned for HCM at regular intervals, but if fairly young cats are used to breed, the scans aren't completely reliable. This is because in the majority of cases, the condition only becomes apparent / diagnosable at around 3 years +. A diagnosis at 9 months is very early and I'm afraid you may need to prepare yourself for bad news. I'm so sorry and really hope there's a different explanation for the heart murmur or that the HCM is one of the milder cases.

Thank you for your response. I’m gutted. He’s a domestic short haired cat. I am preparing for the worst. He was neutered a few months back and seen prior to that and the vet picked nothing up then. I’m guessing it’s bad due to the grade of the murmur.

I'm so sorry, it must be such a shock. Don't give up all hope yet, heart murmurs (even loud ones) can also be caused by things like anemia (my friend's cat had this) and don't always mean there's a (severe) cardiological problem. Apparently heart murmurs in kittens can also be innocent, especially when they're growing rapidly and may just disappear again a few months later. Thinking of you and your kitty and hoping for good outcome!

@RedCatWhoGotTheCream my girl was a Persian, she'd been beet badly treated in a kitten farm. And the cardiologist said it had definitely contributed to her heart disease. 😡 Her sister was also scanned and has a thickened septum. Which hasn't changed. Stopped having her scanned after 5 years of no changes.

My 13 year old ragdoll was diagnosed 3 years ago after suddenly becoming very unwell and needed oxygen. Since then she's on Benazepil and a diuretic which seems to work well. Prior to becoming unwell she was asymptomatic and had regular check ups. I don't know what grade her heart murmur is but I focus on giving her the best quality of life that I can.
I dread the time when I have to let her go. I know it's coming so you have my sympathy OP.

My girl was on 8 pills a day. Fortunately she took them like a superstar!

Did She have a murmur? If so, what grade was it?

People can be so cruel :(
Did she have a murmur? If so do you know what grade it was?

Our cat was diagnosed at about 8 months. I don't know what grade. He takes 2.5mg benazacare every day, and the vet added a diuretic about 4 months ago as she felt his breathing was a bit laboured. He also started thyroid medication at around the same time. He is 14.5 years & has lived a wonderful healthy, happy life. He's never had another scan.

The grade of the murmur is just how loud it is and the noise is created by turbulence in the heart. The grade does not always equate to the severity of disease.

Yes HCM is the most common heart disease of cats, but in an otherwise well 9 month old cat there are quite a few other possibilities so I would for the scan and try not to worry. As we scan cats with heart murmurs regularly now we are diagnosing conditions earlier and cats are living longer

@KellyM1998 it was a 4. I had asked what grade it was previously when she'd had major surgery and multiple anaesthetics. (Jaw kept getting stuck open) and been told "oh we don't talk about Grades."
We went to the vet for a dental and saw on a piece of paper that it was a 4. I was really cross that no one was going to discuss it with me. Had her X rayed while she was asleep
And it showed her heart was enlarged. Cardiologist was NOT impressed that the vet had anaesthetised her without further investigation. Especially for a non urgent procedure.

Ps, I hope you've got very good insurance. Heart scans are about £600 a pop.

When I saw how bad her heart was, I couldn't believe how well she actually was!

yes, price isn’t a problem luckily. I just hope he is OK. I’ll do whatever I can to give him a good life, even if he doesn’t have long left. Glad your cat is doing ok.

I feel your pain. My ragdoll kitten was diagnosed with a murmur at his first vaccination appointment. Was a grade 2. By the time he had his second vaccination the vet could barely hear it and classed it as a grade 1. He's 8months and due to be neutered so I'll be having a scan to ensure he's strong enough but I do hope he's now grown out of it.

I blame myself as a vet nurse I took the breeder at her word the kittens had all been vet checked. I now, on hindsight see how I was duped. He was insured as soon as I brought him home but like you I'm terrified xx

Our cats murmur didn't show up until 8 months - I'm not sure it's something that would necessarily be picked up by a vet checking them as kittens, would it? No need to best yourself up.

How old is your cat now? Do you know if the murmur was loud?

@Ludo19 the lady who rescued my two, said that the breeder seemed completely legit. However she'd seen behind the house and the conditions they were really kept in. Out if 6 that were rescued. Only 2 are still alive. It was that bad.

Our cat is 15, has been on medication all her life.

That’s good to hear. I was worried as the murmur is loud but apparently the loudness does not always correlate with the severity of the disease if present. I guess there’s no way of telling how long he’ll have

@Toddlerteaplease I made the mistake of chosing my kitten by a photo toddler, when I went to her house she only had him to be viewed....she said all his siblings were sold which wasn't true. I did meet mum and dad and they seemed in good health. Mum was shut in the kitchen with the two Frenchies, dad was on the stairs. It would've been helpful to see him with his siblings to see how his size compared and energy levels but I was so fixated on him as he reminded me of my boy i lost the year before. My sentimentality was my downfall.
Hope Cheddar & Magic are well.

*choosing

My last cat had one all her life. She lived to 21 and didn't die of heart problems.

What did your cat need medication for? We’ve just been given Atenalol because he has a small hole in his heart and HCM.