Sudden death of cat and cardiomyopathy diagnosis in littermate

My sweet, gentle and beautiful cat Mooch died suddenly last week while I was at work. He was only 6.5 years old and didn't have any observable signs of illness prior to his sudden death. When I got home from work and found him on the ground, I held it together enough to immediately take Mooch's body and Hobbes, his littermate, to my local emergency vet. The emergency clinic said that Mooch likely died of heart disease and recommended that Hobbes see a cardiologist ASAP.

After examining Hobbes and giving him an echo, the cardiologist diagnosed Hobbes with moderate to severe hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and prescribed beta blockers twice a day and a 1/4 of aspirin twice a week. However, he noted that this disease is incurable and the lifespan doesn't seem very promising. Needless to say, I'm devastated by this whole ordeal. Two weeks ago I had two active and inseparable adult cats and now one is suddenly gone and the other is apparently dying. Every time I come home from work I'm terrified that I'm going to find Hobbes dead. Is there anything else I can do to increase Hobbes' lifespan?? Does anyone have any encouraging stories following a hypertrophic cardiomyopathy diagnosis? Any input or even just general support would be greatly appreciated...

I don't know anything about hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, I just wanted to tell you I'm so sorry that Mooch died, and Hobbes is so sick.

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss of Mooch. He sounds like such a sweet, loving boy.

I just wanted to offer some encouragement regarding your situation since I have some experience with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). While there is no cure, it is a very manageable disease and, with treatment, it is possible to slow, or even halt, its progression. I have two 6 1/2 year old litter mates, Peter and Claire, who have both been diagnosed with mild to moderate HCM. Peter was diagnosed almost five years ago, and Claire just last fall. Like your cat, they take beta blockers daily and baby aspirin twice a week. It's too soon to tell how Claire is responding to the meds, but Pete's last ultrasound showed there has been no further progression of the the disease and his heart is essentially functioning normally. He has shown no other symptoms of HCM (lethargy, coughing, shortness of breath) and is otherwise a very healthy, active (a little too active for his sister's liking sometimes) kitty. Claire has had a few health issues unrelated to her HCM, but also seems to be doing fine for now.

It sounds like you and your vet have a good treatment plan in place for Hobbes. I'll be sending lots of vibes for him. You're welcome to PM me if you have any questions/concerns.

O I am so sorry you found your little friend gone. I, too, came upon my Farley V passed in the night.

I will keep you and your other kitty in my prayers. Please take some comfort in the above words. I hope with the right treatment your kitty will live a long time.

God bless and RIP Mooch and for Hobbes.

I am so very sorry for your Mooch and the shock you have endured. I, as well, lost a four year old cat early last summer to sudden death from cardiomyopathy and I had no prior problems ever with my boy. I do know that there are many cats with this condition that are receiving meds to control it. I just wanted to send along many for Hobbes. You have come to the right place to get support though

Also wanted to add a link to a yahoo group that provides support for folks with cats who have HCM and other heart disease. It was a huge help for me, especially when Peter was first diagnosed:

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

No experience, but I'm so sorry for your tragic loss - that you are given the strength to keep caring for your Hobbes for as long as possible. You were so strong to get him to the e-vet immediately.

Thank you very much for the supportive messages and info. I'm trying to stay positive for Hobbes but this situation has been really hard to deal with. I was just not prepared to be faced with my kitties' mortality at less than 7 years of age...

eilcon, thank you for the yahoo group info; I just joined.

I found out my cat was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy last month. I came home from work and she wasn't breathing very well because she was filled with fluid. After a few hours of oxygen at the vet, stress over talking about putting her to sleep, and some diuretics she started to breath normally over the next few days. Two ultrasounds later she was diagnosed with an enlarged heart.

Today, aside from heavy breathing, she acts the same as she always did. She's currently on a daily beta blocker and an ACE inhibitor regimen. She also takes a baby aspirin twice a week. Things are looking okay for now, and I'm hoping she'll keep going for the next few years with no ill effects. Hopefully your cat does the same.

Hi tulpen,

I am very sorry to hear about the loss of your pretty boy, Mooch. We lost our 7month handsome tuxedo, Elvis, yesterday morning. I woke up. I thought it was strange that he wasn't up and following me around. I shook his food container, and nothing. I frantically searched the apartment and found him sprawled out on the floor next to the couch. He was laying like he was sleeping but I knew better... my little baby was gone. Then I saw he had blood near his mouth and on the carpet. My boyfriend was still home, thankfully, and we managed to get him and his littermate, Buddy, to the vet.

The vet told us that Buddy's heart murmur is a little worse... it's now a 3 (it was a 2 in December when we went in for their shots and dewormers and at that time, the vet didn't hear a murmur in Elvis). The vet did a necropsy, but said that she couldn't give me a clear answer as to why our otherwise healthy, happy kitty had died so suddenly. She said that she believes it was a heart or lung issue, probably a clot had dislodged. She ruled out foreign objects and poisoning. His stomach was empty except for the pink frothy stuff he had coming out of his mouth. She suggested we take Buddy to the cardiologist ASAP and so we will do that this week.

I feel just as you do - I'm extremely depressed, I keep crying everytime I think of them playing and wrestling and meowing and chasing each other while I'm trying to sleep... I miss my Elvis following me around the apartment, Buddy misses his brother and best friend, I'm terrified that I will come home and find Buddy the same way...

How has it been going with your Hobbes?

Do you think this sounds like a cardiomyopathy or aneuryism death?? I miss him... but now I need to love Buddy twice as much. And Elvis had the best little life while he was here - he was spoiled and loved every single day. I'm sure Mooch was too.

Yesterday my lovely 6 year old boy Syd died of Cardiomyopathy we are heart broken. We will imagine him everywhere in the house and garden. There had been no signs of any problems, it is so cruel ...his sister will be watched closely.

Years ago another of our cats died quite suddenly then  a few years later another. The only consolation we have is that they all have died in the house --- imagine the horror if your cat dies somewhere away from home.

Daisytwo said:

Yesterday my lovely 6 year old boy Syd died of Cardiomyopathy we are heart broken. We will imagine him everywhere in the house and garden. There had been no signs of any problems, it is so cruel ...his sister will be watched closely.
Years ago another of our cats died quite suddenly then  a few years later another. The only consolation we have is that they all have died in the house --- imagine the horror if your cat dies somewhere away from home.

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So very, very sorry for you loss of Syd. There are other's here on site that have lost a kitty to Cardiomyopathy too. It IS a very cruel disease and can take them so suddenly and without much warning.

Welcome to TCS also. Please feel free to start a thread anywhere on the forums and if you have any questions, please ask away. We also have a Bridge Forum is you would like to post there about your Syd. http://www.thecatsite.com/f/19/crossing-the-bridge

I wish I had known about this before , Early this morning I woke to my Whiskygirl who just began sx , as I tried to figure out what was wrong and how to help her , my son was on the phone with an emergency vet , she quickly progressed and within 20 min she was gone. I won't go in detail but I can't decide if I am happy that she wasn't alone and passed at home rather then if she was alone at the vet ,if i knew she was sick and able to prepare or just be happy with the time we had her , she was only 7 . If I ever get another feline companion I will certainly have them checked regularly for this - My heart is broken  

I am a human doctor, a consultant general physician in internal medicine and cardiology, not a vet.  Human hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy results in swelling and weakness of the cardiac muscle of the ventricles and is very similar to the condition in cats.  This can cause no problems, except an eddy in the blood where the swollen muscle partially obstructs the aortic valve.  This eddy is  heard by a stethoscope and is called a murmur. In general a murmur has little prognostic significance and is NOT a disease in its own right as it can be associated with many illnesses, or no illness at all. 

In other cases the condition progresses and the heart fails to pump blood round the body adequately, either resulting in sudden death, or it can cause an accumulation of blood in the tissues and lungs - a condition known as heart failure.  This is characterised by marked shortness of breath. However I have seen marked improvement on beta-blockers in humans, but you should be guided by the vet about the prognosis in your cat. 

Incidentally Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy can be an inherited abnormality, explaining why the two littermates are both suffering from the same condition. 

With all best wishes,

Geoffrey