Very recently, I lost my daughter's beloved cat Pikachu to HCM (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy). Pika was first diagnosed when he was 2 years old. At that time, he went into heart failure unexpectedly and was rushed to the emergency vet where they were able to save him. His recovery was hard and my daughter was told at the time that she would be lucky if he lived another year or two. He lived for 8 more years and was happy and active during that time. He was on medication and under the care of a cardiologist, and he had enough sense to self-monitor, not letting himself get overly worked up or play too hard.
All in all, he was a wonderful kitty and had a great quality of life until he had another episode of heart failure and was not able to come back from it. He was part Maine Coon and my understanding is that HCM is seen in somewhat higher percentages in Maine Coons and Ragdolls.
So now, I have another lovely little boy who is about 16 months old. I suspect Stash is part Maine Coon as well. He has the silky double coat and the big paws with tufts of fur between the toes, and he has the tail. I brought up the risk of HCM in his first vet visit and his doctor always listens to his heart but I wonder if anyone has done any more aggressive monitoring, or if it's even advised, or any other words of wisdom on the subject. I'll freely admit I'm scared to death of losing another cat to it and I'd feel terrible if I didn't do everything I could to keep him healthy. I do plan to talk to the cardiologist who last treated Pikachu and see what she says but figured I'd ask here for others' experiences.
All in all, he was a wonderful kitty and had a great quality of life until he had another episode of heart failure and was not able to come back from it. He was part Maine Coon and my understanding is that HCM is seen in somewhat higher percentages in Maine Coons and Ragdolls.
So now, I have another lovely little boy who is about 16 months old. I suspect Stash is part Maine Coon as well. He has the silky double coat and the big paws with tufts of fur between the toes, and he has the tail. I brought up the risk of HCM in his first vet visit and his doctor always listens to his heart but I wonder if anyone has done any more aggressive monitoring, or if it's even advised, or any other words of wisdom on the subject. I'll freely admit I'm scared to death of losing another cat to it and I'd feel terrible if I didn't do everything I could to keep him healthy. I do plan to talk to the cardiologist who last treated Pikachu and see what she says but figured I'd ask here for others' experiences.
