WWYD regarding a vet vist - HCM and PKD

About 2 months ago my 2 year old cat died very suddenly and very unexpectedly. He had been diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease 2 weeks before he died, but the vet thinks that he ultimately died of a heart condition, most likely HCM which had gone undiagnosed. We didn't have a necropsy done because of the cost (we figured that there was nothing we could do since he was gone anyway), and because we go to an excellent vet with over 30 years of experience, we trusted his opinion (I know he can't just diagnose it as a guess, but the symptoms and the sudden death pointed to HCM). Now I'm regretting not having the necropsy done because it might have made it easier to know for sure what he died of.

However, since I can't go back and change my mind regarding a necropsy, thats what brings me to this post,

I have 2 other cats that I am pretty sure are related to the cat that just died. I don't know for sure, but based on where we found them all and how we found them, I think one cat is his mother's litter mate and the other cat might be his father. Of course, I could be wrong about both of those guesses. They were living in a feral colony and the one cat looks just like his mother, and the possible father was one of 2 males that we found in the small colony - the other male I think was also a litter mate of his mother. So its just a random guess on my part that he might be the father. I'm not sure why this didn't occur to me when he first died, but over the past few days I've been very aware of the fact that they might be from the same family (definitely not the same litter though - the other 2 are at least 1-2 years older than him).

The other 2 cats are healthy as far as I know and up to date on everything. They aren't due to be seen for a checkup for 8 more months.

I've been reading about HCM and PKD and from what I understand PKD is usually hereditary, and is a dominant gene passed down. HCM seems a little more confusing regarding how cats end up with it.

So my question is, should I take these other 2 cats to be checked for PKD and HCM? Money isn't an issue for me when it comes to medical necessity for my cats, but I would hate to take them in, only to find out that I over reacted and nothing is wrong with them. If they were showing any symptoms of either disease I'd bring them in in a heartbeat.

So being that I don't know for sure if they are related, and that they appear to be perfectly healthy right now, would you take them to have them checked out? I might be overreacting, but the cat that died was the cat that I thought was my healthiest (out of 10) so it came as a huge shock to find out that he was actually the one who was the sickest. He was only 2, but he had his shots up to date and had been to several vet checkups, but nothing was discovered until 2 weeks before he died. By then it was obviously too late to do anything about either condition.

So it might be a stupid question, and I'll probably end up just calling my vet to see what he thinks, but would you bring them in? I know the test for HCM is really expensive, and when my cat first got sick, it was suspected that he might have a heart condition, but his kidneys seemed to be the main problem at the time. A visit to the cardiologist was mentioned, but not encouraged at the time. So I'm not sure if I can even have my other 2 cats tested if they aren't showing any symptoms.

I'm just very paranoid now. Every little noise any of my cats make scares me. Meepers, the one who died, literally went from acting 100% fine to collapsing and dying within seconds. It was horrible to see, and the sound he made right before he died was awful. I don't think I will ever forget the way he looked and the way he sounded when he died. Thankfully we were in the vet's office for a re-check when this happened, so its not something that I had to witness alone at home (I don't know if I could have handled that), but now I'm so afraid that any of my other cats (I have 9 of them including the 2 that I think might be related) are going to have the same thing happen to them. My fear is telling me to have them checked out for peace of mind, but my logic is telling me that if they were just any random cat, it wouldn't even cross my mind to have them checked out, other than annual checkups, because they seem 100% healthy right now.

As a slight side note, does anyone know what percentage of cats are affected by HCM? I have found statistics about certain breeds of cats, and one that said HCM is the most common cause of sudden death in cats, but I can't find any information on how common it is in general, and thats something I would really like to know.

Thanks for pointing out your signature. I just sat here and looked up Dr. Meurs, and sent her an email. It looks like WSU has fairly low cost testing for HCM. I don't know if they'll be able to test my cats because mine all mixed breed DSHs and it looks like she focuses on the Sphynx and Persian specifically, but I figured it couldn't hurt to email her. I know that my own vet would refer me to a cardiologist, which would be much more expensive (and if my own vet can do the DNA test it will still be much more expensive than what they are offering at WSU), so I'm hoping I can get the test done, and if the results are positive then look into a cardiologist. If I can't use WSU, then I'll probably head off to my own vet. I'm not going to lie though - I'm terrified to get them tested. While I know this is completely stupid and illogical, in my mind I like thinking "if it hasn't been diagnosed then its not happening." I know thats the stupidest thing ever, but tests like this for conditions like this just really scare me. I have a house full of rescue cats, so I've always known that I can be taking in sick cats and cats that may not live long. My husband and I just try to give them the best life, but so far I've had one 8 month old kitten die from leukemia, and then my 2 year old from probable HCM, and its just so hard to deal with. I've only been doing cat rescue for about 5 years now, so I know its something I have to get used to if I keep bringing in the strays. I don't even know if I'm making any sense, but thanks for your opinion and for pointing me towards WSU. Hopefully everything will turn out to be just fine .

Originally Posted by Brooklet425

Thanks for pointing out your signature. I just sat here and looked up Dr. Meurs, and sent her an email. It looks like WSU has fairly low cost testing for HCM. I don't know if they'll be able to test my cats because mine all mixed breed DSHs and it looks like she focuses on the Sphynx and Persian specifically, but I figured it couldn't hurt to email her. I know that my own vet would refer me to a cardiologist, which would be much more expensive (and if my own vet can do the DNA test it will still be much more expensive than what they are offering at WSU), so I'm hoping I can get the test done, and if the results are positive then look into a cardiologist. If I can't use WSU, then I'll probably head off to my own vet. I'm not going to lie though - I'm terrified to get them tested. While I know this is completely stupid and illogical, in my mind I like thinking "if it hasn't been diagnosed then its not happening." I know thats the stupidest thing ever, but tests like this for conditions like this just really scare me. I have a house full of rescue cats, so I've always known that I can be taking in sick cats and cats that may not live long. My husband and I just try to give them the best life, but so far I've had one 8 month old kitten die from leukemia, and then my 2 year old from probable HCM, and its just so hard to deal with. I've only been doing cat rescue for about 5 years now, so I know its something I have to get used to if I keep bringing in the strays. I don't even know if I'm making any sense, but thanks for your opinion and for pointing me towards WSU. Hopefully everything will turn out to be just fine

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Hi Brooklet,
I don't have any experience with PKD, but unfortunately I have a lot of experience with HCM. I lost my first Sphynx to the disease and another one of my boys was just diagnosed with it in March. Your research is correct, HCM is the most common heart disease in cats, and it is not limited to any specific breeds. In fact you could say domestics, or moggies, are most commonly affected because they are the most common "breed" of cat. Dr. Meurs is an authority on feline HCM - she was one of the vets responsible for finding the genetic marker for HCM in Maine Coons and Ragdolls, so those 2 breeds can be tested with a cheek swab, but the rest of the cat population can only be diagnosed by echocardiogram. You should know, HCM is very commonly passed genetically. So, if you're fairly certain your boy that just passed is related to 2 of your cats, it would be a really, really good idea to have them HCM scanned. You should also know that HCM can be present without any outward signs - much like what you experienced with your boy, the disease can go undetected, often for years, until they die suddenly or go into congestive heart failure. Unless they are screened for it, you may never know. Only about 50% of cats with HCM even have a heart murmur.

So, a lot of people ask -Why screen for HCM if the disease doesn't seem to be affecting my cat? Because early detection means you can medicate, reduce stress, make diet & lifestyle changes...and quite possibly add years to the cat's life. To give an example, my first cat was diagnosed with HCM when he went into congestive heart failure. By the time his disease was caught, he only had 3 months left. Armed with everything I had learned about the disease and it's predominance in the Sphynx breed, I had all of my other cats scanned by echocardiogram, although they all appeared to be healthy. They all scanned HCM negative the first time. Four months later, one of my boys started having issues that prompted me to have him scanned again, and he was found to be HCM positive. His disease was caught in the early stages, and he's doing very well with treatment. This second time around is so much different - it's being proactive instead of reactive.

Anyhow, to sum it up - I would definitely recommend having your 2 cats scanned for HCM because it is passed genetically. But, it would have to be an echocardiogram. But, you can shop around. Look for HCM clinics. They might even have one at WSU, and those are not limited to specific breeds. Most cardiologist visits (here in FL) run about $600, but I have my cats scanned at UF at their monthly HCM clinic for $150. Or, often times they hold HCM clinics at cat shows for reduced cost. A radiologist will perform the scan and send them out to be read by a cardiologist and they mail you the results. If they come back HCM negative - Great! If they come back positive, then you'll know to make an appointment with a cardiologist.

I know you're terrified to get them tested. That's not stupid or illogical...it's natural! When I had my cats on the table getting scanned - I thought I was going to throw up. Especially after having already lost one cat to the disease, and then finding out another one has it. It was the worst feeling in the world. My cats are all rescues, too. It's one of those calculated risks we take, not knowing what we're taking on. But I think, and I'm sure you agree, it's our responsibility to give them the best chance for as little (or as long!) as we have the great pleasure of sharing our lives with them.

Best of luck to you. I'm sorry about the boy you just lost, and my fingers are crossed for HCM negative results, should you decide to have them tested.

BrookeSphynx thank you so much for your response. I thought I was getting emails telling me when this thread was updated, but I guess I wasn't for some reason so I just read your response now. I REALLY appreciate all of your insight and hearing about your experiences.

I am actually heading off to the vet this afternoon to have both of my cats checked for PKD and then I heard back from one of Dr. Meurs assistants, who directed me towards 2 different HCM clinics. Dr. Meurs only has the ability to test Maine Coons and Ragdolls, but the email response to me was very helpful and informative.

I'm still terrified though, and I will update when I have more information. Today my biggest fear is that both of them will get diagnosed with PKD. That can be seen with just an ultrasound so I'm terrified. A huge part of me wants to skip this appointment and go on thinking everything is ok, but I know that I have to find out. I wish I could settle my nerves down a bit though .

mews2much - I am so sorry about your friend's cat. I'm really learning that HCM is such a horrible thing to lose a cat too .

I would get them tested. One of my cats died last year suddenly, no symptoms. He was barely 2 years old. I am still heartbroken over this. He was a maine coon mix so he most likely died of HCM.