Senior cat with heart arrhythmia

[dianajune]

My senior cat, who's about 14-15 years old, was diagnosed with a heart arrhythmia close to two months ago. For now the vet and I are keeping an eye on his weight, how he's eating etc rather than put him on medication that worried me due to potential side effects.

His ekg confirmed the arrhythmia and the echo was normal.

Is it normal for senior cats to have this issue?

Is there anything I could have done to prevent this from happening?

I'm preoccupied with his diet and have done my best to make sure he has enough fiber and calories, He eats kitten chow and an indoor cat dry food that's supposed to help with digestion. He has chronic tummy issues (constipation off and on). He's on Laxatone, Miralax and Pepcid A/C. He's also on Nutrical and eats treats every day. Sometimes I give him light cream (with his vet's approval).

I feel like I'm not doing enough for my baby. Maybe it's just me.

Tx.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. How was your cat diagnosed, and what type of arrythmia is involved? There are a lot of variables, and most of them are not the cause of anything that you could have prevented.

Have you read up on this condition, just so you have an idea on the probable causes?
Heart Arrhythmias in Cats | FirstVet
Heart disease in cats: identifying and managing feline heart disease in practice - Veterinary Practice (veterinary-practice.com)

 

[lisahe]

We had a cat with an arrhythmia that was so obvious that even we could hear it just by lying next to her. I don't know how to explain it other than to say that every heartbeat sounded like it would be her last. There was a long pause before the next beat. The vets at the clinic always just kind of shook their heads. Brooksie's arrhythmia popped up one year at her annual exam and she was able to go back for many more annual exams. She never took medication for it. I forget how old she was when she was diagnosed but she must have had at least five or six more exams; she lived to be at least 16 and it was cancer that caused her death. Vets had warned us that her heart could stop during her sleep but that didn't happen.

Please don't feel guilty, D dianajune -- just keep feeding and loving your cat to keep him happy.

 

[dianajune]

Hi. How was your cat diagnosed, and what type of arrythmia is involved? There are a lot of variables, and most of them are not the cause of anything that you could have prevented.

Have you read up on this condition, just so you have an idea on the probable causes?
Heart Arrhythmias in Cats | FirstVet
Heart disease in cats: identifying and managing feline heart disease in practice - Veterinary Practice (veterinary-practice.com)

Pumpkin was diagnosed as having PAC's and they did two EKG's (the first one had too much artefact so they had to repeat it..he was moving around too much) and an echo. The echo was normal, the other one showed the arrythmia.

One of the articles you mentioned referred to traumatic injury to the chest as a cause, but as far as I know Pumpkin never had that happen. I don't know what happened to Pumpkin before I adopted him, but he's had numerous checkups over the years. If he had evidence of such an injury, I would think they'd tell me.

I am careful with his diet and treats and make sure he gets his meds. I'm just trying to understand why he has this issue. Is it common with senior cats?

Btw, he has no heart murmur.

 

[dianajune]

We had a cat with an arrhythmia that was so obvious that even we could hear it just by lying next to her. I don't know how to explain it other than to say that every heartbeat sounded like it would be her last. There was a long pause before the next beat. The vets at the clinic always just kind of shook their heads. Brooksie's arrhythmia popped up one year at her annual exam and she was able to go back for many more annual exams. She never took medication for it. I forget how old she was when she was diagnosed but she must have had at least five or six more exams; she lived to be at least 16 and it was cancer that caused her death. Vets had warned us that her heart could stop during her sleep but that didn't happen.

Please don't feel guilty, D dianajune -- just keep feeding and loving your cat to keep him happy.

Thank you!

I am going through a lot now with my health and worry too much. Sometimes I wonder if my stress impacts Pumpkin and his vet didt' think so but I must wonder. if stress can cause my heartbeat to get irregular - why not a cat's? I've had numerous panic attacks over the last couple of years and have had lots of ekg's etc. Now that I am insured I can make arrangements to get my heart checked.

Sometimes I can feel those "pauses" myself. But with me, they don't last long.