Heart murmur in cats?

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My two rescue girls (both 8) had their annual checkup this morning. Always a clean bill of health before now.

one of my girls has been diagnosed with a heart murmur. Apparently ‘grade 2/3 over 6’? She hasn’t been showing any symptoms and has gained weight. The vet has recommended an echo. Quote is attached. Is this reasonable?

The other girl is obese. I knew she was fat but not that fat. The vet has said I should half her food but I’m not sure I can - she gets 35-50g of wet food (depending on sachet/tin size) and an eggcup of biscuits, twice a day. This is nothing compared to what the packets say I should be giving her! The fundamental problem is she just doesn’t move - no interest in playing, running, going outside (unless j do) etc. She just sleeps and sits on my lap.
can I honestly give her just 25g of wet food in a meal? They have microchip cat bowls so I know she isn’t eating her sister’s.

I have known two cats with heart murmers and it only really presents as a problem when an operation is needed as anaesthetics can cause the heart to dip/stop. The first cat was monitored more than usual when she had a tooth out. The second cat had to be brought out of sedation before being given a different anaesthetic, this has happened twice so we won't be putting her through any xrays etc unless absolutely necessary in future. We know they both have a higher chance of not coming round after an operation unfortunately.

Your little fatty catty... our stray was/is the same. We are having slow but steady progress by mixing weight loss biscuits into her normal ones and giving her weighed/measured amounts (follow the packet instructions). This means she still has the amount filling her tummy so she feels full but they are "fat free" equivalent. There are different brands/types but ours seems to like these
https://www.petsathome.com/product/royal-canin-feline-care-appetite-control-dry-adult-cat-food/7139348P?productId=7139348&purchaseType=easy-repeat&weight=3.5kg

whats the purpose of the echo if it’s confirmed? Seems unnecessary ? Is your vet proposing heart surgery?

our rescue cats both died from this. Very common apparently and difficult to diagnose. Heartbreaking but no one ever suggested it’s an outcome that could have been changed. They had a good life and death was sudden.

One of mine has a heart murmur, low grade 1 (our own vet downgraded it from 2). The only thing I've been told is that when she needs to have GA they want to test her heart beforehand. The insurance won't cover anything to do with her heart as it's not a new condition so it is something I have to pay for. Other than that I've not been told I'll need to do anything. They don't see it as an issue.

My old cat had a galloping heart so much more serious. They wanted to do a heart scan. She had congenital heart disease though and sadly died from it a couple of years later.

As for the overweight cat, hopefully once the weather starts getting nicer the cat will go outside more and start moving more.

My cat had a heart murmur. Died age 17 and not of the heart murmur.

If you’re anywhere near Cambridge, the Queens Veterinary School Hospital have a feline heart murmur clinic. My 5 year old cat was diagnosed with a grade 2/3 murmur earlier this year by my vet at vaccinations & referred me to the vet school. It cost me £350 for consultation, ultrasound, ECG & bloods. Cat was diagnosed with mid-left ventricular obstruction with no other signs of heart disease. They said that when he gets stressed his heart beats very fast causing the murmur (obstruction) but when calm no murmur was heard (paraphrasing the report but this was the gist of it).

I’d definitely recommend the vet school as the clinic was hugely cheaper than my other local referral centre with a cardiologist. Not sure if any of the other vet schools/referral centres offer this service as reasonably priced Cambridge but it may be worth researching it.

After losing a cat to heart disease at 3 years old this really put my mind at ease.

Thanks. I’m in Brighton and I haven’t got a car so I think Cambridge is a bit far, but thank you.

I've had three cats with heart murmurs, they all lived to their 20's. The vet was forever trying to make me pay for expensive scans yet there was no treatment so I said no.

That’s good to hear, thanks

They didn’t say so yes, that is a big thing to find out. The poor cat is quite anxious generally and I do worry that this will be an enormous stress for her.

as others have said, it also seems to be a bit odd to be sedating a cat to investigate a potential condition that makes sedation unsafe…

My cat has a heart murmur. When I first got her (I inherited her when my mum went into a care home) I got her checked out at my vet and her heart was fine. About a year ago she had a cough and the vet listened to her heart again and said there is a murmur (so developed sometime in the last couple of years). He (the vet) is very laid back about it, suggested no treatment or further investigation and just said we should keep an eye on it. I take very to him regularly (she has to have her claws clipped every six weeks or so as she is an indoor cat and doesn’t know how to use a scratching post!!!!) and he always checks her heart. There has been no change and she is perfectly well. He has never said what grade her murmur is to be fair - I will ask him next time

Can’t help with the murmur but re the obese cat have a chat with your vet about Satiety food. My chonk of a cat eats Royal Canin Neutered Satiety dry food and he’s lost 2kg and is now maintaining his new weight on it. It means he gets the volume of food he thinks he needs (and it keeps him feeling full for longer) but only the calories he should be having and quite frankly it’s been fab for him. Think there is also a wet Satiety food.

What would be the point of the echo? There's no treatment as far as I'm aware?

Our cat had a severe heart murmur successfully managed for years with beta blockers.

My late Maia had a grade 4 heart murmur. Only the vets didn’t think to tell me until
she’d had to anaesthetics for other reasons. She has severe HCM, which was managed well with medication. Each visit to the cardiologist used to cost the insurance company about £6-700. And as you had bloods as well, that quote seems ok.

My cat has a heart murmer found out when she was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism a year ago. I think grade 4

They said it could be due to the tyroid issues or heart disease etc.

Focus has been getting her thyroid levels good, we have 6 to 8 wk blood checks, recently they said the murmer has reduced or can't be heard.

Insurance pre authorised a heart scan last year, quote from vetwas over £1000 but we have not had it done yet due to risks with sedation and heart issues.

I was considering radiation treatment for the tyroid but will need to check her heart prior to this, but as she has improved on meds
( still not 100% levels) but has put on weight with some tweaking of meds I don't want to risk sedation.

Every time we go for check ups in my mind I think I'm going to arrange a scan but change my mind as I feel if any thing went wrong whilst she is relatively better I wouldn't forgive myself.

With this train of thought
it means I can't look at radiation treatment ( or really know if she has heart disease or if it is / was due to tyroid issues ) So i am stuck giving meds 2 x daily which is a pain as she hates it.

My cat had an ecocardio recently, he didn’t need to be sedated, nor did my other cats when they had their abdominal scans. Always best to avoid excess sedation as stressful on their kidneys, and their heart (we were doing it as he needs an op so checking if he could withstand anaesthetic). My cat’s cardio ultrasound also “only” cost me €190, £545 seems an awful lot but then I’m not in the U.K.

my previous cat had a murmur (no idea what grade) but he had hyperthyroidism which probably exacerbated it. He did live to 17 and died of a stroke unrelated to the murmur.

Nither if my girls needed sedation for their scans. They lay still and were as good as gold. However they were exceptionally compliant dopey Persians.

My vet said its very difficult to do a heart scan without some sedation as the cat has to stay in a certain position and most cats won't/ cant tolerate that for 40 to 60 mins, asked why so long he said that there are lot of different areas in the heart so takes time.