Out of breath, panting, swallowing => Heart condition? Tumor? Fat?

Hi everyone,

as I said in my presentation, I have a cat named Poison. He will be 3 years old in august.

When he was still a very very young (orphan) kitten, he had a small heart mumur which disapeared as he grew up. Then he developped an infectious arthritis in his elbow which had been cared for and after that he was fine.

But, since he was a kitten, he has always been very quickly tired, like after chasing a toy for not longer than five minutes or running after my other cat. Tired (letting himself fall down on one side and panting) and breathing weird (I mean we hear him breathe). At first we weren't too concerned, as he was healthy and nothing showed up when he went to the vet for check ups. He had always been food attracted +++ and is not too much overweight (but not very slim either!). He has also always been swallowing quite often and to be honest, we have other cats and I never noticed that much swallowing in them, but maybe does he produced more saliva than other cats? That could explain it. We tried giving him hair ball stuff, but he never ever throw one out, so I'm skeptical it would be it.

Anyway, last week, he had a few episodes of coughing, not too bad, but like if he wanted to throw up, but he didn't. Concerned, we took him to the vet right away. The vet didn't find anything bad, maybe some inflammation down his trachea. As we talked, he said he was concerned about how fast he tired up, and panted as he played. When he listened to his heart, my little guy was of course in tachycardia, since he hates people and the car and anyplace that isn't his safe heaven (I assume just like a lot of cats). He mentionned we could, one day, have his lungs and heart x-rayed. Since we were there already, we decided to have this done that very same day, saving Poison from another trip over there.

His lungs are clear and fine. BUT... something looked weird with his heart. There is some kind of mass on the top of his heart. It could be many things: fat, tumor, heart defect ... maybe even nothing.

We'll probably have to start with  an ultrasound to rule out a heart defect and then a scan.

The vet send me the x-rays and the more I look at it, the more I'm worried (I know I should stop, like right now!) but I really want to know if someone had some experience I can relate to. I read many things about cats panting and getting tired after playing but none of them had finally had their heart checked (or only with a steth, and that didn't reveal anything for Poison).

I also feel quite guilty I didn't get concerned earlier... as I said, it has been happenning since he was a kitten, because if it is something bad, maybe we could have treated him earlier and stop "it" (whatever it could be) to become bigger or that big.

Poison is, thank god, fine right now, he has no sign of distress and has not change a bit, which is reassuring.

So, does anyone have some kind of experience you could share with me until this ultrasound is done? Does anyone has a cat who pants and gets tired that quickly?

Please?

(and sorry for my english and the mistakes I'm sure I've done, I hope you understood what I wanted to say)

Here is my little guy

Poor little guy (he's gorgeous, btw). I've dealt with a cat with chf, but he was diagnosed by stethoscope and had had a murmur all his life.

I think all you can do is wait and see what the ultrasound shows. Please don't blame yourself for not seeking help sooner. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but can also be very cruel. I hope the root cause is treatable. There are lots of treatments available for heart conditions these days. I'd be surprised if his symptoms couldn't at least be managed some way.

I'm sorry I can't be of more help. You stand a much better chance of getting specific advice once you have a diagnosis. Whatever happens, you can be sure of finding support and understanding here

Hi,

thank you Columbine, I talked to my vet today, they are trying to schedule the ultrasound for this week or next week. I'm looking forward to it because I guess waiting is driving me crazy, but they don't have the equipment so they have to bring in the machine along with the specialist.

Thanks for your words anyway

A specific ultrasound tech is best anyway, as the ultrasound is only as good as the tech/vet who performs it.

Bringing in one means this is what they do, and are usually excellent at reading results.

Not cheap but well worth the cost.

Also, why blame yourself? What would have changed to find out sooner that he has a heart defect that is/was genetic? 

Even if it can be treated, it is what it is. We do what we think is fine at the time, move ahead and focus on the present and future since we have control of this

Hi Catwoman 707,

I understand them to bring in someone, it's for the best. I could have choose to go to another clinic which has the technology and the techs but it's an hour away from where I live, and my cat is very easily stressed out and I don't want to increase his distress when it can be done in good conditions closer to home (10 min). I guess, for his own good, I'll just have to wait and worry for a litlle longer  lol.

I don't care about the cost, if it has to be done it will be done. He's my cat, part of my life.

I don't want to blame myself, but at times I can't help it. That mass is about 2 cm large and I can't stop thinking that if we'd known that sooner maybe we could have treated him so it didn't get that big. But I know it doesn't help or change anything. The idea keeps popping into my mind even though I don't want it to.

Of course, we all do it too. Easier to say it then to be in the shoes, I understand that

It does sound like a heart condition/defect. As your kitty grew and matured, so did the defect. 

Worrying won't help you either, imagine it will be something that is treatable or even fixable. Often times it is.

The ultrasound tech should be able to tell just what is next or how it will be in the future.

Hang in there, hoping for the best of course.

Lots of positive vibes for you and for Poison.

Thank you !

I'll try my best  

catwoman707 said:

Of course, we all do it too. Easier to say it then to be in the shoes, I understand that

It does sound like a heart condition/defect. As your kitty grew and matured, so did the defect. 
Worrying won't help you either, imagine it will be something that is treatable or even fixable. Often times it is.
The ultrasound tech should be able to tell just what is next or how it will be in the future.

Hang in there, hoping for the best of course.
Lots of positive vibes for you and for Poison.

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× 1000

Thank you @Columbine !!

The appointment is for monday.  I'm crossing all of my fingers

All fingers and paws are crossed here for you :cross: Hope it goes ok

Here we are, we left our little guy at the vet this morning. He was so stressed out. They tried to make a quick exam first, with a steth, but couldn't hear anything as his heart was beating so fast... Still a few more hours to wait and we'll know if it's a heart condition  

Fingers and paws still crossed for you. Update as soon as you know

So... we're back with Poison. Vets said he was a real angel and the exam was very easy to perform. He didn't move for 45 minutes as they looked closely at his heart.

They wanted to give me good news but... Poison has HCM: Hypertrophic CardioMyopathy. Basically, his heart walls are way thicker than they should be, leaving less room for heart chambers. As a consequence his heart is pumping less blood than it should with each beating.

We weren't able to deceal it earlier because his heart somehow manages to pump faster in order to deliver enough blood (and oxygen) into his body, the only sign being tachycardia which has been blamed on stress. Sadly, it is in fact his "normal" beating rate, even as his sleeps... It is easy to understand that if it beats that quickly when he rests then as soon as he plays or runs.... well, it can't go faster at some point.

They said we've been lucky to notice anything at all, most of cats with this condition often dies suddently without owners even knowing their cat had this and further more because the ones that actually are diagnosed have been because of a mumur, and Poison doesn't have one it seems.

There are some treatments we're going to start right now (benazepril and diltiazem) to help his heart but there is no cure.

They were not optimistic, because the pathology is pretty advanced. Basically, he will most likely die suddently when his heart will give up, or he will decrease slowly, or make a clot in his artery or lungs.

They give him 3 years tops. We will have to check him every three or six month to watch for clots and give him aspirin if we have to.

We also will have to take blood from him and maybe do some other exams to try and find the cause, because they can treat him better if they know what caused the pathology, but sometimes, they don't find any. we'll try anyway.



I do not know how I feel right now... he's only three years old! I'm glad tho that we found what he has and that we can at least help him, I would have feel even more horrible if there was nothing we could do to help him, BUT I also feel terrible... Terrible.

So here we are.

I can imagine the place where your mind and heart is right now. Very sorry.

This is what I suspected, as it is fairly common, and reading about his kittenhood and issues, really were pointing to HCM.

I'm quite confident it is genetic for him.

His mom was clearly depleted of a good meat based protein food, over time this is the result often.

His sibs have a good chance of having the same thing as well.

Even mom will probably age into HCM, but this is the 'acquired' version.

If the vets are fully aware of his kittenhood as you described, they should recommend foregoing further testing as to it's cause, a cat with his history and current age screams genetic origin.

Less stress for him from here on, the better, and hopefully longer life he will have.

You don't want to encourage any activities that will help his heart muscle grow in size, although it will happen regardless, a lower keyed life and as little stress and change as possible will help slow it's progression.

Here is a good, clearly explained link that you can read through.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/05/28/feline-hcm-treatment.aspx

In time you will come to accept this, I don't mean you will be okay with it, but it is best if you think of it as hurting you, since you know his life will be cut shorter than it should have been, it's unfair for sure, but he doesn't know this, only you do. 

Cats are very accepting of life/health/death. This is why they will go off and hide and wait to die, they don't react anything near how we humans do, so your sadness is for you, your loss, how you will miss him, etc.

I hope you understand what I am trying hard to explain as gently as I can. When we lose or are going to lose our furry loved one, our hearts ache so badly, but it's actually for our loss, not theirs, as they don't feel or think that way, thankfully!

Their prognosis can vary a great deal, up to 3 years. It also depends on his lifestyle, how spunky/rowdy his personality is, and so on.

For instance how young playful kittens vary, some are climbing the curtains, ripping through the house and are just so full of it, while some like my cat Krissy, has never been a rowdy cat, playful yes but has a lower key nature about her.

Not sure how your sweet boy is in that way.  .   Of course you feel just terrible, we are all here for support.

I am so, so sorry. I too feared this would be the case. I nursed a cat through this disease, and am currently nursing my greyhound through it. There are lots of treatment options, all of which can maintain a good quality of life for a significant length of time. Vetmedin is a drug for this condition that was designed primarily for use with dogs, but is having good results with cats too. Depending on how far advanced the disease is (and, believe me, if they're even talking in terms of years, then it's not too advanced within the perameters of end stage chf) it can halt the progression for a while. Definitely something to discuss with your vet.

As catwoman707 said, we're all here to support you. Do feel free to pm me at any time - I'm more than happy to help in any way I can.

You can do this. It's not easy at times, but it's not 'goodbye' yet either. Stay as calm as you can, for Poison's sake. Enjoy the good days. I hope there are many of them to come.

catwoman707 said:

 
I can imagine the place where your mind and heart is right now. Very sorry.

This is what I suspected, as it is fairly common, and reading about his kittenhood and issues, really were pointing to HCM.

I'm quite confident it is genetic for him.

His mom was clearly depleted of a good meat based protein food, over time this is the result often.

His sibs have a good chance of having the same thing as well.

Even mom will probably age into HCM, but this is the 'acquired' version.

If the vets are fully aware of his kittenhood as you described, they should recommend foregoing further testing as to it's cause, a cat with his history and current age screams genetic origin.

Less stress for him from here on, the better, and hopefully longer life he will have.

You don't want to encourage any activities that will help his heart muscle grow in size, although it will happen regardless, a lower keyed life and as little stress and change as possible will help slow it's progression.

Here is a good, clearly explained link that you can read through.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/05/28/feline-hcm-treatment.aspx

In time you will come to accept this, I don't mean you will be okay with it, but it is best if you think of it as hurting you, since you know his life will be cut shorter than it should have been, it's unfair for sure, but he doesn't know this, only you do. 

Cats are very accepting of life/health/death. This is why they will go off and hide and wait to die, they don't react anything near how we humans do, so your sadness is for you, your loss, how you will miss him, etc.

I hope you understand what I am trying hard to explain as gently as I can. When we lose or are going to lose our furry loved one, our hearts ache so badly, but it's actually for our loss, not theirs, as they don't feel or think that way, thankfully!

Their prognosis can vary a great deal, up to 3 years. It also depends on his lifestyle, how spunky/rowdy his personality is, and so on.

For instance how young playful kittens vary, some are climbing the curtains, ripping through the house and are just so full of it, while some like my cat Krissy, has never been a rowdy cat, playful yes but has a lower key nature about her.

Not sure how your sweet boy is in that way.  .

  Of course you feel just terrible, we are all here for support.

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I wish I knew about Poison's mum. But she is either a stray cat or a cat owned by people who didn't spay her and let her kittens reach almost two weeks before wanting to put them down. Either way, I'm pretty sure she wasn't fed with any good food whatsoever. I have no way to know anything about her.

I've planned to tell the owners of Poison's only brother (that we know of) about what we just found, I hope they'll check him out (I have no doubt about it, they will).

My ex-vet, was aware for where he came from, but we've changed vets a year ago and I'm not sure I've mentionned to this one Poison's kittenhood entirely. I will, since I have an new appointment with them on thursday.

I did take out all the toys he played with and will never use that kind of toy where you hold a stick with a feather or a mouse at the end again. He is an indoor cat so I won't to worry about a cat fight of something.

Thank you for the link, I've read through it. I noted some stuff I'll have to ask my vet about.

I understand what you're saying. And I know you're right.

Poison never went after curtains of things like that, but he would run after my other cats from one end of the house to the other and then go the other way being chased. And he's (was , since I put them away) very very very playful with toys. I think I won't be able to stop him from running after the others cats, because when he goes at it, you can yell but he's already on the other side of the house. He does this only twice tho, since he's all panting and lying down after... I don't how I'm gonna do with this.

Thank you for your support.

I absolutely agree that you need to avoid stressing his heart unduly, but you have to look at the whole cat, not just his heart. If chasing his friends about the house a little is something he enjoys, let him. Pixie (my greyhound) still has a run around sometimes. He knows when he's had enough. Poison will too. It's not the same as with wand toys, where he can get so invested in the 'hunt' that he continues going long after he should stop. Let him enjoy the time he has.

Columbine said:

I absolutely agree that you need to avoid stressing his heart unduly, but you have to look at the whole cat, not just his heart. If chasing his friends about the house a little is something he enjoys, let him. Pixie (my greyhound) still has a run around sometimes. He knows when he's had enough. Poison will too. It's not the same as with wand toys, where he can get so invested in the 'hunt' that he continues going long after he should stop. Let him enjoy the time he has.

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I was going to post the very same thing, I think the wand toys gone is def a good thing, those are certainly very high energy play toys, at the same time there is only so much restricting you want to do too, the bottom line is, his quality of life is bigger than anything of course.

I'm sure you feel this way

Columbine said:

I am so, so sorry. I too feared this would be the case. I nursed a cat through this disease, and am currently nursing my greyhound through it. There are lots of treatment options, all of which can maintain a good quality of life for a significant length of time. Vetmedin is a drug for this condition that was designed primarily for use with dogs, but is having good results with cats too. Depending on how far advanced the disease is (and, believe me, if they're even talking in terms of years, then it's not too advanced within the perameters of end stage chf) it can halt the progression for a while. Definitely something to discuss with your vet.

As @catwoman707 said, we're all here to support you. Do feel free to pm me at any time - I'm more than happy to help in any way I can.

You can do this. It's not easy at times, but it's not 'goodbye' yet either. Stay as calm as you can, for Poison's sake. Enjoy the good days. I hope there are many of them to come.

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Thank you @Columbine,

I will talk to my vet about Vetmedin, I added this to my list of questions I'll go through with him.

The tech actually said it was 3 years tops with treatment, but he did say it could also be tomorrow... I just want to hope for the most optimistic scenario or I won't be able to do this (accept and live with it). I do need to be optimisttic for Poison, I think.

Thank you for your support too, I will probably mp you along the way....

And yes, my little guy has many days ahead of him, he just has to, right?

Thanks again