How to help cat with heart disease

I have a foster cat that has been having medical problems since he came a couple of months ago. So far we've been to three different vets and gotten three different opinions. The first vet said that it's a stomach issue.The second vet told me that Herman has something incurable and untreatable and that he will most likely die within a year. Luckily I know to not take what a vet says as the absolute truth so we went to a feline specialist for a third opinion.
The specialist wasn't able to give me a definitive diagnosis but told me that she believes it will be one of a few things. She wants Herman to have an ultrasound examination of his heart to know more about what's wrong but her tentative diagnosis is cardiomyopathy.

I've never dealt with a cat with heart disease but I was hoping that someone here has and may be able to give me some tips about things that I can do to help Herman, like diet, supplements, etc.
Herman is quite a bit overweight so it's important for him to lose weight since the extra weight makes his condition worse. We're going to start feeding him on a schedule and reduce his portion sizes. Is there anything else I can do to help him lose weight?

If anyone has dealth with heart disease in a cat I would be really happy to hear what your experience is.

Please remember how important a second and even third opinion is if your cat gets sick. Clearly Herman was misdiagnosed by two vets and it's scary to think about what would have happened if I would have listened to the first two vets.

I lost a cat (Tigger) to cardiomyopathy many years ago. He was also overweight, 8 years old (prime age for male cats to develop the condition), and we didn't discover the condition until he had a thrombosis (blood clot) and lost a lot of use in his back legs. They didn't even detect a heart murmur until after he had the thrombosis. Realize that if he has heart disease, this can occur and is really not curable.

I'm struggling with an accurate diagnosis of his littermate (Eightball) 5 years later. They hear a murmur when he's at the office, but when they've put him under to do blood work and for the ultrasound on his heart, the murmur stopped (he and his brother were/are feral so I have to sedate him for any extensive vet exam). You typically hear a murmur with any heart disease but I've learned that the stress of a vet visit can cause it. His xray showed that his heart was smaller than it should be, indicating disease, but the ultrasound didn't show any real disease other than a possible valve problem.

I asked that they do an ultrasound on the rest of his body while they had him there. They also have suspected IBD with him for a while now, as he has had a steady weight loss over the last 5 years. Sometimes stress on another part of the body can cause strain on the heart. His ultrasound didn't uncover anything and his blood work is perfect. We know something is going on with him but can't pinpoint it. When you have the ultrasound, ask to look at the other organs in his torso in case it is something like a digestive problem.

There are different medications depending on the type of cardiomyopathy. If you use the wrong medication, it will kill them, thus the need for the ultrasound. One of them is a small pill that you give ever other day to control blood pressure. I'm not sure about the others.

Sorry, can't help you much more than this. Have the ultrasound to find out if he has it and what type it is and go from there. Medications can usually bring it under control. I hope they can pinpoint something for you, as it is maddening to have the tests come out inconclusive.

You people who do rescue and foster work are the Angels on Earth.

Exercise is an important part of any weight loss plan. Check with the vet on how much activity he can handle, but you can start slow with just encouraging him to bat at a string dragged under a newspaper, or dangled in front of him (which ever he likes).

Feed him on something he has to jump up on to get to. Nothing too difficult of course but every jump up and every jump down is exercise. From one jump, you can graduate to a two step jump, as he gets stronger.

Canned food is better for weight loss. Adding a little water to it can help him feel fuller at each meal and the extra hydration is good for him too. Feed smaller meals more often.

What's his name? Please keep us updated on his progress.

I lost a female cat to cardiomyopathy some years ago. She was very sick and had to be syringe fed. I had to wash her face and stimulate her behind to keep her going. The vet had her on lasix. I gave her some kind of supplement in a tube to give her extra nutrition. Taking care of her was an all day job. The vet said since she was the only pet in a stress free home she might survive a year if we could get her over the crisis. She slept by the bed on a towel because she could not have jumped down to use the litter pan. I took care of her like an infant. One night she woke me up when she jumped up on the bed. It was a miracle, but a short lived one. She lived maybe three to four weeks. One evening she ran around the corner of the living room and jumped in my lap. Then I could hear rattles in her chest. Things went downhill fast and we lost her.
I think you are doing the right thing to get other opinions and I hope your cat can be helped. Hugs to you and prayers for your kitty.

I lost my boy, Harold, a year ago this month to Congestive Heart Failure as a result of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM).

Definitely have the ultrasound done to determine exactly what's going on with his heart. Can you tell us what some of the symptoms are? Cats are so great at hiding sickness, especially heart conditions, because they lead such sedentary lifestyles that you often don't notice until it's progressed too far...such was the case with my Harold, who was diagnosed because he was already in heart failure - it started with coughing, then slight breathing problems. Once they're in heart failure, the prognosis is usually bad (3 months) BUT, if caught early - before heart failure, cats with cardiomyopathy can lead fairly normal, long lives with diet and lifestyle changes and medication. And, there's no textbook answer for how a cat will get on with HCM - each and every case is different. I have a friend whose cat was diagnosed with HCM, in heart failure worse than my boy Harold more than 8 months ago and she is doing fantastic! Harold, on the other hand, only survived for 31 days past his diagnosis. I have another friend who's cat was diagnosed with HCM and just celebrated her 14th birthday!...So, whatever you find out, don't lose hope.

If cardiomyopathy does turn out to be the diagnosis, some important things to know:

Diet - a low sodium diet is very important. Most food companies don't post the sodium content of their food on the labels, so you'll have to research this. The vet may suggest a prescription (Science Diet G/D is one) but I'm not a fan of Science Diet...you can find other premium foods without salt or sodium chloride as an ingredient that are nutritionally better, IMO.

Exercise - Exercise will be important, but within reason. Think of it just like you would with a human heart patient. Yes, you need to exercise that heart muscle, but remember it is fragile - don't over excite a kitty with a weak heart but do schedule play time (for 10 minutes 3 times a day), especially if you need to help him drop some weight.

See a specialist - a regular vet can treat your kitty for a heart condition, but a veterinary cardiologist is much better suited for the job and will give him a better chance at surviving. Schedule echocardiograms every 6 months to monitor his progress, that way the cardiologist can best assess his heart health and adjust medication accordingly.

Stay on Schedule - This is so vitally important with medications! The kitty may be on several meds (Harold was on lasix, a diuretic to keep fluid out of his lungs & atenolol and enalapril, for high blood pressure). If I was even an hour late with his medication, he was at serious risk for going back into heart failure.

Supplements - these are a subject of debate, some vets recommend and some don't feel that they help. I gave these to Harold, but made sure my vet was aware: CoQ10, Fish Oil, Taurine.

There's also a supplement called "Bio-Cardio" made by Thorne Veterinary that is supposed to be very good, that contains all of the above and also something called Hawthorne which is a homeopathic remedy for heart health. (Speak to a vet first before giving your cat Hawthorn if you're already prescribed blood pressure medication as the two together may lower BP too much.)

Thanks so much for fostering and taking care of this boy. I have a special place in my heart for cardiomyopathy cats. I like to think they've got so much love in them, their own hearts can't keep up. Please enjoy every moment you have with him. I do hope you have him for a long, long time! Do keep us posted!