Heart murmur advice!

Hi, I have done a search and have come across some interesting threads, but just wanted to ask a few questions of my own.

Dora has just turned 3yrs and she went for her flu jab just over a week ago (with a different vet than usual). The last time she was at the vet was this time last year for her jab and then six months prior to that as she had a kidney infection (she had an FBC done too, all normal).

The new vet gave asked if it's ever been mentioned that she has a heart murmur before? Definitely not!

She said that her heart was beating very fast (vet visits do upset her) and that this can accentuate a murmur. I do vaguely recall at her last check up that the opposite was true, her heartbeat was very steady (compared to my other cat whose heart was racing with nerves). Nothing about a murmur, though.

Vet asked if she has any symptoms re: breathing, weakness. Nothing like that. She said she would grade it as about a 2. She mentioned heart disease (!) but said at this stage it is fine to just monitor her and come back in 6 months.

A few days later, I took my other cat for her jab (saw a different vet again) and asked about the murmur. This vet told me the other one had actually graded it 2-3. Again, she spoke of heart disease.

Obviously, I have been a Google warrior since this and while I have been reassured in some instances, it just seems that the odds are that this would most likely be heart disease, given her age and that this murmur has apparently only developed some time within the past 12 months.

I feel wrong in waiting so long to take her back for a another check-up and would like to know, if this was your cat, when would you take her back to get her heart listened to again?

Would it be too soon to take her in another week or so or would it be OK to wait until the new year? Or three months instead of six? Also, do you think it would be worth asking for the proBNP blood test to measure her heart health? Does anyone have any experience with that?

Any advice much appreciated. Thank you.

If she's not showing symptoms like wheezing/ shortness of breath, lethargy or bluish gums, there isn't any urgency about a visit, so you can do as the vet suggested and wait 6 months.

The proBNP test revealed that our last cat had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy when it was done as part of a routine senior panel. At that point he had no heart murmur or other symptoms. The vet recommended he be seen by a cardiologist, and he was prescribed Fortekor, an ACE inhibitor, to support heart function. From then on he had check-ups every six months, and the proBNP test was done annually to track the progression of the HCM.

It wasn't until the last 18 months of his life (he made it to 2 months shy of his 14th birthday) that he had some bouts of congestive heart failure. At that point a beta blocker, diuretic and aspirin were added, and he got check-ups (without the proBNP test, IIRC) about every three months.

I hope that helps. The proBNP test would tell you whether you're dealing with HCM, which isn't necessarily the case. Many cats live a decade or more with heart murmurs and/or HCM, but that's difficult for even a cardiologist to predict.

My cat has heart murmur and had ultrasound by a cardiologist showing no immediate risk. You might want to find a cardiologist and test it once. 

There are different types of murmurs as well as grades.

Some vets are well-versed on the subject, others.. not so much.  My vet detected a very slight murmur in one of my cats when she was younger.  She determined that it was not really anything to get excited over, and the cat is now 11 years old and still kicking. 

We also had an older dog (schnauzer) who had a rather high grade murmur; you could literally feel the "swish" with every heartbeat through his ribs.  I can't remember what tests we did, but the vet ended up determining that the murmur was caused by a faulty valve on the "return" side of the heart.  Due to the placement of the faulty valve, it was determined that he was in no real danger.  He never received any medication for it, and ended up living up to the ripe old age of 20.  He actually died of kidney failure.

Now, I have very high confidence in my vet, because I have a tendency to do my research and come in with questions, and she is always willing to talk with me.  Some other vets, I would not be so confident.  If you feel that something is not quite right with what your vets are saying, then I agree with some of the other folks here that you might want to consider talking to a specialist.

Thank you jcat!

The vet basically said to come back in six months and they will listen again and in the meantime to keep an eye on any related symptoms. I just feel, though, the six months is a bit long to wait. My preference would be to take her back in half that time and my an appt with the usual vet we see (just as a different pair of ears). I just wasn't sure, though, whether it's OK to leave it months.

I just read on another forum that a lady took her cat to the vet today for a check-up and a murmur was detected and a scan has been arranged for this weekend. Obviously,different vets will work differently but I just didn't want to sit back do nothing for six months. 

Thanks for the info about the proBNP. I definitely think I will ask for this when I taker her again.

Thank you for the reply, ankitty. Apparently my vets has someone who comes round and does mobile abdominal scans and is also possibly going to start doing heart scans. However, I'm assuming he isn't a cardiologist if he's presently doing abdominal scans. We do have a local teaching hospital, though, at the university, so I think I would request that.

How old was your cat when they discovered the murmur?

My cat was 7 yrs old when a vet detected it (she was an internist at an emergency clinic), but it was the first time anyone really really listened his heart. I think it's good idea to get a specialist. For me, my peace of mind is priceless.  

My vet discovered a heart murmur when my cat was about 6-7 yo.  He suggested an ultrasound with a specialist who diagnosed a particular heart condition.  The specialist suggested she be on a beta blocker for life.  Its been about 7 years and she has not had any heart issues -- although she was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism which adds additional strain on her heart.

I have a 14 year old that has a heart murmer.  I was just told to watch his breathing. If he started to breath rapidly or with his mouth open then to bring him in to see what could be done.  Drugs were not suggested at that time.

Hello, thank you for the further responses.

Furmonster mom ~ Yes, I'm the same as you, I like to do my research and try to be as informed as possible. I have decided to take Dora back in Feb (which will be three months from the last visit) and get the appt with the usual vet I see (as opposed to the different one we saw who diagnosed the murmur). For no other reason than for it to be another pair of trained ears to give her heart a listen to. 

Maurene ~ good to hear your cat has been doing well despite her heart condition. thank you for sharing

Keyes ~ Was your cat diagnosed with a murmur at 14? From what I understand, cats that develop them in their old age, isn't really a concern. Same with a lot of very young kittens that seem to grow out of them. It's more the ones who are around this 2-7 age bracket that are more likely to have heart disease.

my one cat Sabastian had a heart murmur and he lived until the ripe old age of 15. i wish you the best with your kitties!

Thank you cats4sky!

Was Sebastian diagnosed as a young kitten?

Ole was my mom's cat and when she moved into assisted living I became Ole's caretaker.  He was having some health problems and so I brought him in and he was then diagnosed with the heart murmur.  It was his very first vet visit and so I have no clue as to how long he's had this.

I can tell you are very concerned about your kitty's heart murmur.  I would take her back for a few reasons.  Firstly, it will tell you how and where you are with the murmur.  Secondly, it will put your mind at ease knowing exactly where you are at.  Thirdly, and I say this cautiously, through my research (as my senior cat has a murmur), it has been found on some cats that murmurs are there and then over time they disappear.  This, unfortunately, doesn't seem to be the case with my Pepper but having said that, he is doing just fine.  He is 12 and was diagnosed with a murmur about two years ago.  They did an ultra sound on his heart to confirm that he had a murmur (albeit only a slight one as I found out a bit later).  So he was put on 81 mg aspirin (baby aspirin basically) every 72 hours.  I had to extend it to a little longer as it was making him sick and now he can tolerate it better.  In addition he gets a Enalapril every day.  Needless to say, a year and a half later when he had to have dental surgery,  I was concerned but he came through with flying colours.  Heart murmurs in cats can be managed fairly simply depending, I suppose on the severity of it.  The big thing is to stay on top of it, monitor your cat at home and have the little furry girl checked and do your best to limit stress.  In saying this, you need to keep her life as simple as you would any other cat.  If you focus all your attention on her and watch over her like a hawk, then she will know something is amiss and stress out.  I started to do that when Pep was first diagnosed and he got annoyed with me and when I backed off, he was fine. Your and Dora are in my thoughts.  Hang in there.

Thank you for your very thoughtful reply, samnmag

I'm planning to take her back three months after the last visit when the murmur got diagnosed (so it would be Feb next year) and obviously keep an eye on her in the meantime. I have been told any medication wouldn't be given unless she became symptomatic , but I agree with you, I think it's for the best to know where you're at with these things.

Thank you for your advice and kind wishes.