Advice on bloody diarrhoea and heart murmur

[Georgina887]

Hi all,
My cat has had diarrhoea all week and yesterday she started having thick bloody mucus appearing in it. She was in so much pain and vomiting too so I took her to the vet. I left her at the vet on IV fluids and tomorrow she is having an ultrasound. The vet ran off a whole list of scary sounding things. To be honest I was so worried I didn’t probe as much as I should have and I have no idea what it could be.
I’m fearing the worst. The vet also left me a voicemail saying she detected a heart murmur.

honestly I’m terrified of losing her. If anyone has any insight I would appreciate it. I probably won’t hear from the very until Monday morning now and my thoughts are driving me crazy

 

[BellaGooch]

Hello!
. to TCS.
I am so sorry this is happening!
Firstly, let me start by saying please do not panic. Stress and anxiety will never make anything better, and, though I know it's hard, trying to stay calm and not think about the worst possible scenarios is the best thing to do right now. It is going to be okay.
How old is she?

 

[Georgina887]

She’s 9 and she’s my baby girl. I’m really fearing the worst. I’m trying to be positive but easier said than done. She’s honestly the sweetest, most loving cat ever. I can’t imagine my life without her. She had blood dripping out of her butt this morning. It was so bad (((

 

[BellaGooch]

I know how you feel.
I am NOT a professional at ALL, so I don't want to tell you what this may or may not be.
I know it's hard to stay positive. I'm so sorry this is happening to you. I'm praying for you and for your kitty

 

[fionasmom]

Despite the list of scary things, try to wait for an actual diagnosis. Your poor cat will not have that entire list of things wrong with her. Once you have the dx, you can proceed. Right now your imagination is running wild and googling all those things will not help you to feel better. Being told that there is a heart murmur is also not enough information to cause panic. There are grades of heart murmurs and the fact that one was found does not necessarily tie into the diarrhea.

 

[BellaGooch]

I definitely agree with fionasmom . And if you ever need to vent, feel free to message me or talk to me on this thread

 

[Georgina887]

I definitely agree with fionasmom . And if you ever need to vent, feel free to message me or talk to me on this thread

Thanks all. Did an ultrasound this morning and no sign of anything serious there. She did mention inflamed colon. Perhaps colitis but cause unknown. The vet suggested a new diet.

Regarding the murmur it’s grade 2-3 and will have a scan in a couple of weeks with a specialist. I am really concerned about this. The vet said it’s definitely heart disease just a question of how bad and said she could have 5 years at best.
Are there any experiences with murmurs on here? I did search the thread and some positive experiences but the vet made it sound like a death sentence. I’m really worried about her still.

 

[Rowen]

Heart murmurs are tricky- but I've read sometimes cats with heart disease dont always have a murmur. My vet always said it didnt always mean something but it did end up meaning something in my cat- she had other things going on and I ended up wondering what caused what. I think heart checkups should be recommended by vets with or without murmur since it could or could not mean anything. She also had one episode of diarrhea with blood in it and it was an episode of pancreatitus.

 

[fionasmom]

I would check with a veterinary cardiologist to make sure that you get the best information. I don't want to scare you, but don't ignore it. I lost a cat to a heart murmur that the vet (regular vet, not a specialist) did not think was serious despite the vet tech telling her that he thought it was. Glad that nothing else was found and I hope that your cat recovers very soon.

 

[Georgina887]

So she’s been in the vet for 4 days now on fluids. She’s not been vomiting or had any diarrhoea. I want her to come home now but the vet is pushing back saying that she needs to stay until she has passed solid poo. I visited her yesterday and she’s miserable in there. I feel bad going against what the vet wants but I think she would be better off at home and it’s expensive keeping her there just to do a poo.

 

[Georgina887]

So she’s been in the vet for 4 days now on fluids. She’s not been vomiting or had any diarrhoea. I want her to come home now but the vet is pushing back saying that she needs to stay until she has passed solid poo. I visited her yesterday and she’s miserable in there. I feel bad going against what the vet wants but I think she would be better off at home and it’s expensive keeping her there just to do a poo.

should I just get her home?

 

[fionasmom]

Is she eating enough to pass anything? I would ask the vet what the consequences are of bringing her home early. Are they waiting to see if anything does not look right or any other complication? Any danger to her in coming home? What kind of care does she need if she comes home early?

 

[Georgina887]

Is she eating enough to pass anything? I would ask the vet what the consequences are of bringing her home early. Are they waiting to see if anything does not look right or any other complication? Any danger to her in coming home? What kind of care does she need if she comes home early?

she just said she wants to keep her to pass solid poo and if I take her home and she has diarrhoea I will just need to bring her in again which adds to the stress.

But I don’t agree with what she said. She is way more stressed at the vets than at home. She’s barely eating because she hates being there and if she’s not eating much, she’s not going to poo. I told the vet I will make my spare room into a nice home for her to relax so my other cat won’t annoy her with wanting to play.

I’m thinking of giving it one more day and then demanding to bring her home.

 

[Rowen]

The stress level of your cat plays into all results, and if she is too stressed to eat the vet won't get results. I would do what you feel comfortable with-.what you think is best for your cat. If she ends up having to go back then you can take her back in- or go to a different vet and get another opinion. Vets are not always right.

 

[Rowen]

I would check with a veterinary cardiologist to make sure that you get the best information. I don't want to scare you, but don't ignore it. I lost a cat to a heart murmur that the vet (regular vet, not a specialist) did not think was serious despite the vet tech telling her that he thought it was. Glad that nothing else was found and I hope that your cat recovers very soon.

Fionasmom, sorry to interrupt this thread- I was wondering if you have a thread on the cat you lost with a heart murmur? Trying to see if there were any similarities in your experience and mine.

 

[fionasmom]

No, I do not but I can fill you in very quickly. Eliot was a very large Maine Coon type cat, an adult rescue. Over a period of time, when we went to the vet for routine things, the vet tech would always say that he heard a heart murmur. The vet would always either disagree or say that it was very minor....and even in people no one gets excited about the low grade murmurs. Eventually, I started to notice that things were tipped over in the house when I returned from work and I could not figure out why....knick knacks off book cases, etc. Then out of nowhere he had a seizure or what looked like a seizure and came out of it. I called the vet and got ready to bring him in and as I turned to get him I saw him walking down the hall raising one front paw, then the other, very high and carefully and not at all like a cat. About 30 seconds later he fell dead at my feet. Vet happily agreed that he threw a clot...we no longer see her.....and that we should have looked into the heart murmur. Apparently Eliot had been having some sort of episodes when I was not home that caused him to fall or feel weak and knock things over. It is possible that he was having symptoms of lethargy and weakness and also possible that what I saw was not a true seizure.

From what I have come to understand, the cause of the murmur is very important as a lot of heart murmurs don't amount to a major cardiac condition. My dad lived to 92 with a heart murmur and minimal, standard treatment for it.

Did you bring your cat home? I do agree with the fact that stress is not going to make anything better.

 

[Georgina887]

No, I do not but I can fill you in very quickly. Eliot was a very large Maine Coon type cat, an adult rescue. Over a period of time, when we went to the vet for routine things, the vet tech would always say that he heard a heart murmur. The vet would always either disagree or say that it was very minor....and even in people no one gets excited about the low grade murmurs. Eventually, I started to notice that things were tipped over in the house when I returned from work and I could not figure out why....knick knacks off book cases, etc. Then out of nowhere he had a seizure or what looked like a seizure and came out of it. I called the vet and got ready to bring him in and as I turned to get him I saw him walking down the hall raising one front paw, then the other, very high and carefully and not at all like a cat. About 30 seconds later he fell dead at my feet. Vet happily agreed that he threw a clot...we no longer see her.....and that we should have looked into the heart murmur. Apparently Eliot had been having some sort of episodes when I was not home that caused him to fall or feel weak and knock things over. It is possible that he was having symptoms of lethargy and weakness and also possible that what I saw was not a true seizure.

From what I have come to understand, the cause of the murmur is very important as a lot of heart murmurs don't amount to a major cardiac condition. My dad lived to 92 with a heart murmur and minimal, standard treatment for it.

Did you bring your cat home? I do agree with the fact that stress is not going to make anything better.

Yes I brought her home. She was in such a bad way when I first got her home but after a couple of hours she started to feel more relaxed and normal. I’m glad I did bring her back. But she’s currently back at the vets for an echo so we can figure out the cause of the murmur. Fingers crossed that it’s not as bad as I am fearing

 

[Rowen]

No, I do not but I can fill you in very quickly. Eliot was a very large Maine Coon type cat, an adult rescue. Over a period of time, when we went to the vet for routine things, the vet tech would always say that he heard a heart murmur. The vet would always either disagree or say that it was very minor....and even in people no one gets excited about the low grade murmurs. Eventually, I started to notice that things were tipped over in the house when I returned from work and I could not figure out why....knick knacks off book cases, etc. Then out of nowhere he had a seizure or what looked like a seizure and came out of it. I called the vet and got ready to bring him in and as I turned to get him I saw him walking down the hall raising one front paw, then the other, very high and carefully and not at all like a cat. About 30 seconds later he fell dead at my feet. Vet happily agreed that he threw a clot...we no longer see her.....and that we should have looked into the heart murmur. Apparently Eliot had been having some sort of episodes when I was not home that caused him to fall or feel weak and knock things over. It is possible that he was having symptoms of lethargy and weakness and also possible that what I saw was not a true seizure.

From what I have come to understand, the cause of the murmur is very important as a lot of heart murmurs don't amount to a major cardiac condition. My dad lived to 92 with a heart murmur and minimal, standard treatment for it.

Did you bring your cat home? I do agree with the fact that stress is not going to make anything better.

Hi, thanks for your story, and I'm sorry about Eliot. I too trusted my vets but I'm very different now and will ask endless questions. I have been agonizing about my Gems death in August. After her original tooth pulling in 2018 and pancreatitus- said to be caused by the anesthesia- they were diagnosing her with either IBD- or Lymphoma because of her weight loss- this seems to be kind of a diagnosis for everything. She had no heart murmur until after the pancreatitus- then it was a grade one. Stress of the vet visits also plays into the heart murmurs. She was a grade 2 in February 2020 until July 20th 2020- then she was a grade 5. The vets did not take the grade 1 or 2 seriously- always saying it doesnt always mean something- which is true - but why not check it out o make sure?! They said its whats behind the murmur- but how did they know it wasnt heart disease? Her only symptom was weight loss for 1 1/2 years. I never treated her with prednilosone because I was afraid of her murmur. Her weight was stable for a year- then dropped in April May and June. Then back up in July and eating the whole time. The vet decided that she should have the pred. to make her gain weight. Only then did anyone suggest a b12 shot. I asked again about the pred being risky but the vet said she needed to gain weight- I gave it to her twice- 2.5 - then she started panting and stumbled sideways. I didnt give it to her again. A few days later her eyes were running so I took her in to the vet and they said they thought it was a herpes flair up from stress. Her heart murmur was now at 5 and they were talking about heart disease. Two weeks later she had a pleural effusion and I had to have her euthanised. Did the pred do that? Now I wonder if her sickness was always growing heart disease. When Gem died the vet wrote- Cancer versus heart disease. I'm heartbroken that maybe she could have been treated for heart disease if they had just checked her heart,maybe she would still be with me. I feel let down because they just focused on the fact that she had had pancreatitus and weight loss so it had to be IBD or Lymphoma. I found out later also that running eyes and congestion have to do with heart disease- but they didnt pick up on that either. The heart is connected to everything- I hope what I'm writing can help someone else.
If I had known about this site I think the outcome would have ben very different.

 

[Georgina887]

An update on the heart disease.
She had an Echo done and she’s in the very early stages. There has not yet been a thickening of the heart so we are on watch a wait with yearly echos to monitor the progression. So they are calling it asymptotic at the moment. I will be keeping a firm eye on her though, counting her heart rate etc. Probably the best outcome given O knew she had heart disease. I am relieved it is not advanced.
In terms of the diarrhoea, she hasn’t had any since Sunday but she also hasn’t passed any poop at all. Fingers crossed now she’s at home, eating more and can relax it will come soon. I know when I’m stressed and in a foreign place, my bowels don’t work as regularly.

 

[Rowen]

I'm so glad you followed your instincts and had her heart tested!