Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy - Any information needed.

Welp, I wish I had better news about Ares. I finally broke down and went through the expensive processes of having him tested to see why he was having breathing issues - and the specialist came back to tell me he has a mild heart enlargement, associated with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. I was a little beside myself, as he's only a little over 6 months old, and then was told I needed an EKG to confirm this before I could even get him on medication - which is another $300. When I asked the vet how expensive the medication was, she said it wasn't all the expensive, but when I asked how long his life expectancy is with this condition (while on medication) she said 3 years. This, of course, made me break down in tears. I decided to do a little more research on my own, and found that cats on medication (who don't have congestive heart disease - I was told his is not congestive) can live up to 6-10 years. This was much different from what the vet was telling me.

I would love any advice or experience people have with this condition and any helpful information I can get about it.

Thank you all in advance.

AWWWW Ares.... What a darling boy. :love:

I can say, I think, :lol3: that the medication, once diagnosed HC, can help them live quite a long time and that is what I will be hoping for Ares. :cross: The medications help the heart stay strong and healthy. PLUS - he is a kitten and this was caught early enough so that there has not been much damage to his heart from the condition going undiagnosed. I am no expert on HC, but know of two other cats who lived till 8 yrs. and the other 12 yrs. with the condition on medication. I am sure there is risk involved with any heart disorder or condition, but do try to stay positive and not worry so much for your little one, although I know that can be hard AND scary to do. It is always the hardest on OUR hearts :heart3: when they become ill with something. All my best to you and Ares. :cross:

Hi,

I just had posted this another thread in regards to someone else who has a cat with a heart murmur. My dear Tito had HCM and lived for almost six years with it. I'm just going to c/p some of what I said here:

My cat was diagnosed with a grade 3-4 heart murmur when he was 8 going on 9 years old. The vet recommended seeing a specialist because of his age. I'm so glad I did this for him. The cardiologist diagnosed him with HCM and it was actually a very manageable condition. My cat was diagnosed with moderate-severe HCM which sounds bad but all he had to do was take medicine twice a day and an aspirin 2 times a week. He never showed signs or symptoms of anything and acted like a normal cat. He ran around like crazy and loved life. He would go for vet visits twice a year, and yes sometimes they were expensive (but not as bad as some other conditions). The vet would adjust his meds as needed and as time went on, the murmur was less intense and he no longer had an arrhythmia either. His heart had healed somewhat. It never got any worse. The vet only wanted to see him once a year as well. He lived to be 14 (just passed away 6 weeks ago) and he didn't die from HCM either. Sadly it was cancer.

If Tito hadn't gotten cancer, I believe he would have lived even longer. The vet said it was remarkable how well he did and that he doubted he would go into congestive heart failure at all. In fact, at his last visit, he said "this won't be what kills him." Sadly his words were prophetic. I also want you to know I met people in the cardiologist's office that had cats in CHF who actually were living 2+ years. This cardiologist I went to was fantastic. I just wish Tito never got cancer because even when he was dying, the vet said he could tell his heart was doing well still.

My best wishes to you. Your kitten is beautiful.

Hi there, 

I am very sorry to hear this, how tragic! Your best bet is to join the yahoo feline heart group (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/feline-heart/info). They will be able to give you more specialized information. Some good info sites are (http://harpsie.com/hypertrophic_cardiomyopathy.htm) and (http://www.floppycats.com/hcm-in-ragdoll-cats.html).  Dr.  Karen Becker has some great information on HCM and some ideas for natural treatments which may also be helpful (http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/05/28/feline-hcm-treatment.aspx). Here is her video on it:


I have heard of many cats living fairly long lives with this and your vet is wrong that it always means they die within 3 years. 

Oh I also want to add that one particular vet I saw for a second opinion on the heart murmur was just awful. She gave Tito a year and a half to live. Needless to say, I couldn't stop crying. This was even before he was officially diagnosed by the cardiologist (I never should have doubted the first vet who suspected the HCM anyway). However, the cardiologist was much more optimistic and told me he saw years in Tito's future and he was right so never give up hope.

Thank you all for the information! At the suggestion of my normal vet, I'm going to go get a heart worm test done before I get the echocardiogram (not an EKG) which is a astounding $225. Yet, if it tells me whats wrong with him, and I can get him on medication, it's worth it.

Does anyone have any supplement suggestions for a healthy heart? I currently give them 1/4 teaspoon of fish oil every morning with their food,m but I was wondering if there was anything else I could try (first confirming with my vet). This has really just all been a mess. We had a adopted a cat a week ago before we knew he had heart disease, and now the vet wants us to keep them apart until Ares is on medication, They're both young (6 and 5 months old. Ares being older.) and I want to be able to leave them together while I go to work. I'm just horrified that if they play to rough Ares might over due it and get into even more trouble then he's in now. The second kitten, Corvo, to top everything off has (possible) allergies. I'm going to be bringing him to the vet in the next few weeks after I finish fixing Ares up (as his is potentially more life threatening.)

For people who's cats have heart disease - were they able to play normally and be alright? I hate keeping Corvo locked up in my bedroom all day (and I don't too much like the litter box smell either!!)

Franksmom said:

 
Hi there, 

I am very sorry to hear this, how tragic! Your best bet is to join the yahoo feline heart group (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/feline-heart/info). They will be able to give you more specialized information. Some good info sites are (http://harpsie.com/hypertrophic_cardiomyopathy.htm) and (http://www.floppycats.com/hcm-in-ragdoll-cats.html).  Dr.  Karen Becker has some great information on HCM and some ideas for natural treatments which may also be helpful (http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/05/28/feline-hcm-treatment.aspx). Here is her video on it:


I have heard of many cats living fairly long lives with this and your vet is wrong that it always means they die within 3 years. 

Click to expand...

Just clicked her website! I'm trying to figure out the dosage for these things...I also don't know if this is a genetic HCM or one caused by another problem - things to bring up with my vet, and more money to spend I guess.

Has Ares seen a cardiologist? He would be the one to give you dosage instructions. I know I got my cat's medicine from a pharmacy that made it into a liquid flavored with fish, chicken, or beef. He was on Attenenol and they formulated it to be what the doctor prescribed per ML. So I would fill a syringe up to 1 ML and pour it into his food. He never seemed to mind it being there and just ate the food. I did this twice a day. As for the apirin, He required 1/4 twice a week so I would cut it up, dissolve it some in water and add it to his food. He also ate this as well without an issue.

To answer your question, I believe Tito's HCM was genetic from what I learned. Also, yes he did play and do everything like a normal cat. I was quite nervous in the beginning that too much running around was bad for him or maybe even a catnip toy might give him a heart attack. However, the cardiologist vet reassured me that I should just let him be himself. He never showed any signs whatsoever that he was ever in any distress. He played with his catnip toy, went a little nuts, and loved the play with catnip bubbles too. I really miss him. He was such a little fighter.

Taking Ares to a cardiologist would be a good idea ...  I lost my 6yr Aby Cairo last December to Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy -- very suddenly. One minute he was fine .. then next he was gone.

I didnt notice any signs at the time and he had just been to the vet for his annual checkup & shots and got a clean bill of health (apparently not) ....   a month later he was gone ....

Now, my 6yr Aby girl Foxy has early signs of HCM that were first noticed when she was in emergency a few months ago for a gastrointestinal problem .....   they noticed she had a heart murmur and recommended she see a cardiologist/have an ultrasound ... which she did.

Although she is showing early signs of HCM, the cardiologist is not worried 'yet' and just wants to watch her ... but I will be taking her for a follow up ultrasound in 2 months .. and will probably have to continue this every year just to monitor her ...

It is expensive (at least the original ultrasound/cardiologist visit,etc.) ... however after the guilt of losing Cairo and not being able to save him (or even help him) ... I will do anything I can to keep Foxy healthy ...

Cairo and Foxy are not from the same litter and HCM is not predisposed in Abys ... but it is genetic ...... 

Its very good that you actually found out now about Ares condition .. because you can do something about it ;o))))   Alot of cases with HCM, there are no symptoms (like there was with my Cairo) and they can just die suddenly ....

Best wishes to you and Ares !! He's a beautiful little boy ;o)))

I'm so sorry to hear about all the cats who have been taken by hcm. It honestly worries me...

I just got off the phone with my primary vet, and she made it sound like my cat was on his death bed. It was really surprising to hear her talk about euthanasia when all we know right now is his heart is a a little big ( some of the vets didn't even notice on the xray) and that he tends to pant easily after rough play. I am getting an echo done with a cardiologist on the 19th, so he will be able to tell me more. My vet ( who I am thinking about changing) said I need to get rid of my other cat so Ares won't stress out - which I just can't do. She says that playing could give him a heart attack.

Try not to panic. I was a wreck when my cat first was found to have a heart murmur and they said it was most likely HCM. I thought for sure any second he would drop dead, that if he startled at all, it was over. I barely slept waiting to see the cardiologist. He told me it was unlikely he would suddenly die once he was stabilized on meds. As I said, he did fine when he was on them and he didn't die from HCM.

If your vet is saying such things, I'd honestly go to another one. My vet always says that he won't even mention euthanasia unless there are absolutely no other options. My vet never mentioned it with Tito ever, until he got cancer. Also, getting rid of your other cat seems quite drastic. Tito lived with 5 other cats, started off with just him, his "bro" and "sis" but later adopted 4 more down the line after losing his "bro" in 2007. He was always the dominant cat too, instigating the rough play. The vet never put any restrictions on him. Tito also survived a move just fine in 2011 which was stressful on him but he was fine as well. The HCM never impacted him in any way. I think with meds your kitten's symptoms will improve and he should be fine to go on living a normal life. I know it's scary (I'm going through issues of my own with my other cat) but eventually you do adapt and the worry subsides somewhat. I remember after about 6 months or so, I started to see Tito as just a regular cat again.