Cat sudden death - heart murmur

[Scottish_cat]

hi

Our 20 month old british short hair cat passed suddenly yesterday. My wife found him early in the morning on the bedroom floor.

He was about 8 months old when we got him and the vet said then just before the neutering that he had a double heart murmur. They told us he should be good for a year without medication and to bring him back if there were any big changes. He already had subtle odd breathing but nothing changed and he always was energetic and acting normal.

Now were are feeling guilty that we should have taken him in sooner for maybe an ultrasound. We're not sure how long any medication would have helped him and of any side affects those would have caused. Just looking for advice if we should/could have done more? we are not even sure if surgery would have helped. He had a happy short life but we miss him terribly.

 

[Flybynight]

Hi,
Very sorry to hear about your boy.
Did the vet do an echocardiogram or any type of testing ? It sounds likely genetic to have a heart issue so young. I am not sure why the veterinarian decided to wait a year but maybe he based it on that many cats with genetic heart issues pass around 2/3 years old.
There is not guarantee medication would have helped.
I would inform your cats breeder. I think there is HCM in some Scottish fold lines. Did your breeder test her cats to your knowledge?

 

[fionasmom]

I am very sorry for your sudden and unexpected loss of your very young cat. Several years ago I had a cat, about 4 years old at the time, who was the picture of health. Any time we went to the vet for something minor like a routine checkup, the vet tech always said that he heard a heart murmur. The vet said that it was minor and nothing to worry about. A few months later, my cat fell over dead at my feet one Saturday morning.

We all look to our vets for medical advice and you cannot blame yourselves for not asking for procedures that the vet might have declined anyway. These things always look clearer in retrospect.

I do have a cat currently who has HCM, diagnosed at 2 years old. We see a cardiologist who, possibly ironically, took him off of atenolol and plavix as she said that he has an early case and that the medication should be saved for later. In her opinion, atenolol has shown no effect on cats with HCM and its use is more obligatory than supported by research. Who knows if she is right?

 

[Uncled]

So sorry for your loss, we too lost a cat a few years ago to what the emergency vet suspected was a bad heart, our cat Jack literally dropped dead next to us in the kitchen he was fine one minute gone the next. Please don't blame yourself.