Heart Murmur

duchess15 · Mar 8, 2007

So I just got back from the vet with Tedi. I found out that he has a heart murmur. That just reall depressed me.

So I have to take him to a cardiologist some time in the near future. Lexi has an enlarged heart and lungs...not bad, but it is. So maybe I can take both down at the same time and it will count as ONE office visit. It's sooo expensive. I told my mom that if she would pay for his general senior panel(all bloodwork), teeth cleaning(he really needs it), and a shave down, that I would pay for both tedi and lexi to see a cardiologist and treatment.
Has anyone else ever had a cat with a heart murmur? What can I expect. Will they be able to tell what isn't working and is treatment available? Or is it pretty much a lost cause? Any advice would be appreciated since I have never been in this situation before. I just want to do what is the best for them.

beandip · Mar 8, 2007

I'm sorry to hear about this.

It is most definitely NOT a lost cause. It all depends on the severity of the murmur, and what is causing it. How old is Tedi? Did the vet make any estimate of the "grade" of the murmur?

I have a cat with a murmur. We had the tests run (echocardiogram in particular, plus the chest xrays, etc). That's the way to find out what is causing it and how to proceed from there with treatment. So, I would recommend getting the cardiac workup.

duchess15 · Mar 8, 2007

Tedi is 14 years old. Lexi is between 2-3 years. Not sure of her age since we adopted her. She said the heart murmur wasn't big because she had to listen again to be certain.
He is getting an ECG done also while he is getting all that bloodwork done. I will get one done for Lexi also. She already had chest x-rays.
Both are acting perfectly normal and healthy. So this will be some time within next few months once we find out more information. I just hope this other blood work comes out ok.

tari · Mar 8, 2007

My vet found that Harvey has a heart murmur during our last visit. He's going to have his cardiac workup on Monday. My understanding is that it can either be something fairly minor or something pretty major, depending on the cause. We'll see what the veterinary cardiologist has to say.

greycat2 · Mar 8, 2007

My RB cat Sphinx (he passed away from unrelated illness - cancer) had a heart murmur - grade 3. He did well with the murmur with check-ups from the vet every time we went in with him and we monitored him at home. Depending on the severity, they can do quite well. Definitely go for the cardio workup.

Good luck with both your kitties.

swampwitch · Mar 8, 2007

My Lily had a heart murmur grade three, and after one year of being with us, was downgraded to a grade one. She's three years old. Our vet said she plans on hearing the squishy heartbeat for many years to come.

I hope your Tedi will be O.K. and that the murmur is minor. Good luck with Lexi, too.

kittycorner · Mar 9, 2007

Alley, my 4 month old has a grade 1-2 heart murmur as well. I was told it was nothing to worry about and that she may even outgrow it. I would get a cardiac work up before getting too worried ( I know it is hard when it is one of our babies!) but pets can live for years with heart murmurs and do just fine. I hope all goes well for both Tedi and Lexi and I will keep my fingers crossed that the news is good!

meower · Mar 9, 2007

A cat that I used to have was diagnosed with a heart murmur when she was about 12. It was never really bad. She ended up having kidney disease at about 16. I gave her a medication that was supposed to help the kidneys but also helped her heart. The vet said he couldn't hear the heart murmur anymore. The medicine was Benzapril.

duchess15 · Mar 10, 2007

Thanks for all the info so far. I will be getting the cardiac workup done, but there are a few other things he needs done first. He seems normal, and she said it wasn't that bad, so that is a good sign at least.

lsulover · Mar 10, 2007

Originally Posted by Duchess15

Thanks for all the info so far. I will be getting the cardiac workup done, but there are a few other things he needs done first. He seems normal, and she said it wasn't that bad, so that is a good sign at least.

I am sending prayers from Mississippi and hugs for you and for Tedi and for Lexi.

Please keep us updated on them.

eilcon · Mar 10, 2007

Sending lots of vibes for Tedi and Lexi.

Here's a link to an online support group for cats with heart disease that you may find helpful with answering any questions you have:

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/feline-heart/

My male cat, Peter, was referred for a cardiac workup after our vet detected a grade 2 murmur on several occasions and xrays showed he had a slightly enlarged heart. As a result of the cardiac ultrasound, Peter was diagosed with mild Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. He's now on daily medication and is doing great!

Hope all goes well with your kitties. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions/concerns.

tari · Mar 13, 2007

We got the diagnosis on Harvey today. His heart murmur is due to a very mild weakness of his mitral valve. It's nothing serious...he doesn't need medication or anything...just something we have to keep an eye on to make sure it doesn't get worse.

debskats · Mar 13, 2007

Katy was diagnosed with a heart murmur when I took her in for a dental 2 years ago. She had a cardiology work-up with an EKG and echocardiogram and was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Before she was diagnosed, she would get short of breath whenever she jumped or even walked through the house. She's been on atenolol (for her heart) and aspirin (to cut down on the possibility of a blood clot) since then and was later put on Norvasc because she also had high blood pressure.

She just went back for a check-up in November of last year and her HCM hasn't progressed so that's a good thing! She's 14 and has other health problems too, so there are times when she doesn't feel very good, but I don't really think it's because of her heart.

Chloe also has a murmur and HCM, but hers is a lot milder than Katy's and she's never had any symptoms, so she's not on any medications.

The Yahoo group is really a great place to go for good info and lots of support.

sylorna · Mar 13, 2007

Chester has a grade 3 or 4 that he developed within a 6 month period (he's now 2 and a half years old). He was diagnosed last year during his checkup, and we had an ultrasound done immediately. Basically, because of the speed which his condition came on, the first vet gave him an estimate of less than one year to live with meds...fortunately the cardiologist says that he's seen cats in chesters condition live till the age of 10, and it's now over a year. He takes blood pressure meds every day and an asprin twice a week. So far still no signs (minus the odd panting in high stress/high heat situations) and he's a happy boy.

Can they really downgrade them? I always figured that he could only stay the same or get worse.

Gotta make an apointment for his yearly ultrasound when I get home. They cost $500-$1000 a go here, and he should have them yearly

BUT I'd do anything for the little man.

r_c61 · May 24, 2007

I have a 8-9 week old kitten.... he was born with it... and the vet said that he'll outgrow it..... i adopted him from a rescue group who got him from a vet who saved his life... basically a long and sad story. His breeders, sent his litter to a petstore to sell... the petstore naturally does a health check.. this little guy comes out positive for a heart murmur and a overbite.. the petstore comes back telling the vet to kill him(more or less)... the vet is touched by his personality which is loving, gentle, sweet, and easy-going.. the vet contacts the local rescue group that specializes in these kind of cases.. and i saw him online and kept an eye on him for a week... went and got him yesterday.... SO i'm learning on all this... the Heart Murmur.. I've had cats since i was a little kid.... I recently had to put a cat down for health issues(over-weight and heart).... But anyways.... The vet says he may outgrow it... but i didn't know about all those tests that need to be done... the rescue group didn't mention those... not that i'll want to give up the little critter... but how much does those tests cost, on average for a kitten?? curious.

swampwitch · May 25, 2007

Aw, he's just adorable! I want to pick him up and love him!

My opinion on this is to let your vet monitor his murmur. There IS a very good chance he will outgrow it, so I wouldn't worry about tests at this moment. In a year or so, if the murmur is worse, the vet will probably want an ultrasound to check his heart. (Sorry I don't know the cost.) But just enjoy your little one and don't worry about the murmur too much. Many kittens have them and "grow out" of them, i.e. the hole closes up.

How wonderful of you to adopt this little lovey!

debskats · May 25, 2007

OMG, he's too cute even for words!

I love that pic!

duchess15 · May 25, 2007

Originally Posted by r_c61

I have a 8-9 week old kitten.... he was born with it... and the vet said that he'll outgrow it..... i adopted him from a rescue group who got him from a vet who saved his life... basically a long and sad story. His breeders, sent his litter to a petstore to sell... the petstore naturally does a health check.. this little guy comes out positive for a heart murmur and a overbite.. the petstore comes back telling the vet to kill him(more or less)... the vet is touched by his personality which is loving, gentle, sweet, and easy-going.. the vet contacts the local rescue group that specializes in these kind of cases.. and i saw him online and kept an eye on him for a week... went and got him yesterday.... SO i'm learning on all this... the Heart Murmur.. I've had cats since i was a little kid.... I recently had to put a cat down for health issues(over-weight and heart).... But anyways.... The vet says he may outgrow it... but i didn't know about all those tests that need to be done... the rescue group didn't mention those... not that i'll want to give up the little critter... but how much does those tests cost, on average for a kitten?? curious.

He's sooo cute!

Anyway, here is an update on Tedi and Lexi. Tedi finally got his shave down (I know he feels much better) and his teeth cleaned. All his bloodwork came out normal. Thankfully! Lexi is going to be getting her teeth cleaned next thursday. She's never had them cleaned before since she was a stray we found.
Both are going to get ECG. I want to make sure that her heart and lungs are ok and not that it is due to a heart problem. Depending on what they find, I will ask if I should take him to see a cardiologist now, or just keep an eye on him until I have a reason to bring him in.
Hopefully everything will work out smoothly. For being 14 years old he sure is pretty active still and I want to keep him as healthy as possible for as long as possible.

r_c61 · May 25, 2007

That is good news about Tedi and Lexi... That is sweet of you to open your arms and heart to a wayward stray.

duchess15 · May 25, 2007

Originally Posted by r_c61

That is good news about Tedi and Lexi... That is sweet of you to open your arms and heart to a wayward stray.

She is the sweetest girl I have ever met.

Even though she was starving, neglected, and abused (as far as healthwise) she would let us clean her neck. It kept dripping like there was something in it. She would never bite. So we started to feed her and she would come by each morning and wait for me to come outside before work to water the plants. I could not say no to her and didn't want her to suffer anymore or get run over.

When the vet discovered the heart murmur on tedi, she had to check twice because she could barely hear it. So that's a good sign that it isn't that bad. But he is older and I read that male persian are more prone to develop heart murmurs so I will see what the ECG detects.

Heart Murmur

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