heart murmur

What kind of symptoms does your cat have. Some symptoms typical of cardiomyopathy include weakness, lethargy, fainting, difficulty breathing, lack of appetite, abdominal swelling, vomiting, difficulty using hind legs. I had a cat who had cardiomypathy. She was very sick and that is when the vet found it. She had not been diagnosed with a heart murmur. Is your cat sick? I would certainly go for another opinion.

Did your vet say what grade the heart murmur is? They're rated on a scale of 1-6, depending on the severity. A murmur isn't necessarily a symptom of cardiomyopathy, but could be. Also, did the vet do an xray to see if your cat's heart is enlarged? That's what my vet recommended before referring my male cat, Peter, for a cardiac ultrasound, which confirmed Peter has mild HCM (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy). Pete has a grade 2 murmur and the xrays showed a slightly enlarged heart.

Pete was diagnosed four years ago (he'll be 6 years old in July) and his last ultrasound showed no further progression of the disease. Pete gets 1/2 a baby aspirin twice a week to keep his blood thin, and a low dosage of a beta blocker daily to regulate his blood pressure and prevent blood clots. His meds average about $20 every 3 months. Pete's shown no other symptoms and is an otherwise healthy, active boy.

Good luck with your kitty. Feel free to PM if you have any questions/concerns.

Yes blood pressure can be taken too.

Let us know what happens at the cardiologist. It's wonderful you are doing all you can for your sweet boy.

I have lots of experience with cardiomyopathy (unfortunately...). Specifically, HCM (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy).

I lost my first sphynx, Harold, to the disease about a year and a half ago. But, he was not diagnosed with it until he was very sick, in congestive heart failure. By the time they go into CHF, the prognosis is usually only a matter of months. Because HCM is quite common among the sphynx breed (and also Maine Coons, Ragdolls, and some other breeds, though all cats, dogs, and people can have it), I've had all of my sphynx scanned by echocardiogram. Last March, another one of my boys was diagnosed with it. The difference here, is that it was caught very early, so his prognosis is much better. Nelson (my current HCM+ boy) is showing no outward signs of having heart disease, except that he has some fainting episodes. They were much more frequent before he was on medication. Other than that, his only symptoms were a murmur (grade 2-3) and an enlarged heart on x-ray.

He is currently on 2 meds: A diuretic, Lasix, to keep fluid out of his lungs, and a Beta Blocker, Atenolol, to treat his high blood pressure. The vet bills upfront for diagnosing his condition, his echo, blood work, measuring heart rate and BP, and getting him on the proper dose of meds were close to $1500. Now that he's regulated and on a maintenance dose of medication and doing well, his monthly expenses are very low - less than $20/month. And he will have echo's every 6 months to monitor his progress. However, I have to always be prepared for any emergency trips to the ER that might pop up. I went through it with my first boy that passed away - and that is where the big expenses come in...

Each cat is different - I know people who have HCM+ cats that have lived many, many comfortable years with no problems.

Given the breed, and their pre-disposition to this disease, I would agree with your vet about getting the echo. It's the only way to diagnose or rule out cardiomyopathy. A vet can look at an x-ray and see and enlarged "valentine" heart and give a pretty good diagnosis, but the cardiologist will also be able to look at other measurements - for example, the size of the left atrium, or they'll be able to see any clots, and they can tell you if your cat is a high risk for thromboembolism and medicate accordingly.

Also, I wouldn't let the fear of HCM stop you from getting another Maine Coon, the breed that you love so much. Just make sure you support a breeder than scans their breeding cats yearly for the disease. It's the only way we can stamp out HCM.

Best of luck to you! A murmur does not always mean HCM. Fingers crossed.

My Hope has a 2/6 heart murmur, and like your has no symptoms.
She did have an x-ray done, which showed no enlarged heart. Per my doctor as long as she shows no symptoms, such as lethargy, low energy, I should not worry about it; as she gets older an ultrasound has been advised.
I am not stressing about it right now...

I'm glad you opted for the echo, and I'm so sorry to hear this news... what type of cardiomyopathy does Samson have?

My only experience is with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy - which IS (in many cases) passed genetically. I'm not sure if the other types of cardiomyopathy are also passed genetically, but I personally would not get a kitten from the same lines because of this. I'm sure you'll alert Samson's breeder about his diagnosis, and if she isn't scanning her cats, hopefully she will have them scanned now.

You're absolutely right about the genetic marker for HCM - it only tests for one particular gene, and there are many that cause the disease. It's not 100%, and because of that, it's still recommended that breeders scan their cats by echo every year even if they have the genetic testing done. The benefit of the genetic testing is that, yes, the cat may never develop HCM, but the breeder can remove that cat from their program and avoid passing the gene to future generations and spreading the disease - so I wouldn't say it's pointless - it's just not a perfect diagnostic tool...

My biggest hope is that you've caught Samson's disease early - you say he has no clinical signs, right? It was just a murmur detected during his routine exam? Did the cardiologist grade his condition (mild, moderate, or severe)? It sounds like he's on a rather low dose of meds and doesn't need a recheck for another year...that sounds hopeful to me!! My HCM+ boy has to come in for rechecks every 3 months...

Watch Samson carefully for subtle changes in his breathing, appetite, energy level. Take notice if you see him sitting upright, "perched" on his front legs with his elbows out. That might be a sign of fluid building in his lungs and the vet may have to medicate him for that if it starts happening down the road. Talk to your vet about possibly getting him on a low sodium diet.

I know many people who have had happy cardiomyopathy kitties for years. Each case is different. Learn everything you can, but don't let the internet scare you...stay hopeful and kiss that boy every day.