3 out of 6 heart murmur/overweight cat

As luck would have it, I joined the forum a couple days ago to ask about toilet training, and on the yearly visit to the vet I find out that my 2 yr old cat who I've known is overweight, but has gained 2 more lbs and has developed a 3 out of 6 heart murmur. He weighs about 15.5 lbs so we're going on prescription food for the next 3 months to see if it's just excessive calories, which would come off with the food, or if it's soemthing actually metabolic causing his weight. Either due to his weight or the heart murmur, some of his vessels were more dense in the X-ray most likely because of an increase in blood pressure. He had no change in the size of his heart which is good, and everything else looks just fine. These next couple weeks are going to be just miserable feeding this cat 1/4c. food twice a day. Just wondering what kind of experiences are out there with heart murmurs and how others weight loss has gone.

Alex had a heart murmur, though we don't know what grade. He was always a big cat, too, and loved to eat. He'd purr while eating. His top weight was about 25 pounds. He was still about 17 pounds when he died very suddenly of what we assume was a heart attack or stroke. He had had the heart murmur for many years, and he was 12 when he died.

Good luck, and FYI, sty away from treats. They are high in fat and salt, very bad for the heart. I hope you are successful in getting some weight off, it will make a big difference.

i hope that the strict diet we're starting will really reduce mister pickles' weight so that we can cross that off as a risk factor for his health. they vet said he could go on and lead a long life with the murmur but it was just so unsettling to hear this news so unexpectedly. what did you do to get Alex's weight down from 25 lbs to 17? i feel like that must have been a lot of hard work!

Originally Posted by menagerie mama

Good luck, and FYI, sty away from treats. They are high in fat and salt, very bad for the heart. I hope you are successful in getting some weight off, it will make a big difference.

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thanks! and thats just what the vet said. no treats but as many green beans *unsalted) as he wanted would be fine.. i've yet to try a green bean because he hasn't cried for food yet, but i've got a can ready and waiting!

My persian has had a heart murmur his whole life. He is 9 years old now. He does have heart failure now but the vet said he could live a couple years yet with heart failure.

I also have an obese cat. She was 18lbs when I decided to monitor her food. I give her a 1/4 cup in the morning and at night she has lost 4 lbs in 4 months.

What prescription food are you feeding?

Originally Posted by christine chand

What prescription food are you feeding?

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i'm feeding hill's prescription diet r/d. i think they just want me to feed this food for the first 3 months to see if he has a considerable weight loss. then i can maybe switch to another brand of weight management food. i'd prefer something i can give big kitty and little teensy stanley, but i guess i've still got time before i worry about that.

Originally Posted by mlckeysue

i hope that the strict diet we're starting will really reduce mister pickles' weight so that we can cross that off as a risk factor for his health. they vet said he could go on and lead a long life with the murmur but it was just so unsettling to hear this news so unexpectedly. what did you do to get Alex's weight down from 25 lbs to 17? i feel like that must have been a lot of hard work!

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I'm honestly not sure how we did it. He was an indoor/outdoor kitty and was mostly free-fed, so I guess he just got a little more active. It is possible that he was starting to develop hyperthyroidism, but I wasn't aware of the disease at the time.

I'm using the WD. Once your cat loses weight the vet will probably switch you over to the WD for maintenance. My cat is eating WD because of pancreatic problems and weight. She hasn't lost any weight but she hasn't gained any either. Are you feeding strictly dry or dry and canned. I feed dry with 1 tablespoon of canned WD per day.

my kitten is 13 weeks old and its been discovered that he has a grade 3 heart murmur, however he isnt overweight. and spoke to the vets and shes shocked cos he doesnt have problems running or running out of breath or overexhertion. so some cats have murmur and they cause no problems