Kitten Heart Murmur, First Time Cat Owner

[Simonalm]

Hi everyone! I'm new here and new to cat owning.. just a little background info. June 30th I was visiting a friend who lives on a farm with a lot of surrounding farms, so lots of barn/feral cats who of course want nothing to do with humans. We were outside and this little tiny kitten came running up to us from across the field meowing and climbing up my leg. Of course I couldn't leave him behind and so I took him in. I got him to the vet the same day, they determined he was 6 weeks old and he weighed 1.5 lbs. They gave him his first set of shots, dewormed him and treated him for ear mites but other then that and being slightly underweight he was perfectly healthy.

A few days after having him he developed a URI, runny goopy eyes a little sneezing etc.. both of my vets were filled up that day so I took him to a different vet and he was treated with an antibiotic and eye ointment and healed up nicely.

He has a strong appetite and can play play play. I got him a new toy last week, it has the ball that spins around and he chased it for probably 30+ minutes and was playing very very hard with it and I noticed he was panting. That's the only time he's ever done that and I took the toy away from him and he caught his breath back right away but I was still a little concerned. He had his vet appointment for his next round of shots on July 28th and she checked him over and again said he was fine but I mentioned the panting and she said she didn't hear a heart murmur but he was purring so she tried again. She tried listening to him 5-6 times and then on the last time she said he does have a slight heart murmur on his left side and that being that he is only 10 weeks old now it is likely he could outgrow it by 4-6 months old. And that the panting maybe didn't even have anything to do with that she said it sounded like he was playing really hard.

However I'm devasted, I have grown so attached to him. He is the sweetest, craziest most loving thing I have ever encountered. I have a few questions does anyone have any experience with this? Is it likely he will outgrow it? I'm assuming it must have been very slight murmur like she said because he has been seen by my two vets at our clinic and the vet in the other town over and no one noticed it. She wouldn't have if she didn't listen to him 5-6 times. What if the murmur doesn't go away? She mentioned doing an echocardiogram which I absolutely will if/when necessary.

I should also mention he has only panted that one time. He still plays a lot and even with that toy but I think the initial overly excitement he had for it had worn off so he doesn't go as crazy as he did that one night with it. I have also heard him uh cough maybe once or twice in the last couple of weeks. Idk if I should even call it a cough but a hacking very lightly? I think I'm making it sound worse then it is. I also cleaned his ears last night with the ear flush I got from the vet and he sneezed once after but I'm wondering if that just was something to do with the ear flush since it's all connected?

Anyways I know this is a very long post so thank you for who ever took the time to read this and if anyone has any advice for me it would be greatly appreciated. His name is Simon by the way.

Thank you,
Amber

 

[Simonalm]

I should have also mentioned that he now weighs 3 pounds so he is steadily gaining weight. The vet said aside from that he seems perfectly healthy, he is on a high quality wet food and I leave good dry food out for him to free feed when he wants since he's so little. He also still gets KMR once a day most days to help him bulk up a little. I got him a water fountain which he loves so he certainly gets enough water as well.

 

[verna davies]

When I took my 12 week old kitten to the vets for her vaccination the vet told me she had a heart murmur. Like you , I was devastated. I was told that a lot of cats and dogs are born with murmurs that disappear so not to worry. The next visit was at 6 months and yes there was no sign of the murmur. Did your vet tell you what grade it was. Usually 1 or 2 tend to just go within a few months.

 

[Kieka]

The first time your cat pants in play can be scary. But it is perfectly normal and just an indication of a well played cat or kitten. Really. The panting, so long as it follows hard play and goes away with a short rest, is perfectly fine. I usually recommend people play to panting when they are dealing with a hyper active cat because that is the only way to tell that a hyper cat played to their limit. In your case with the possibility of a heart murmur you might not want to get that tired again but it really isn't a bad thing.

Your vet is right that most kitten heart murmurs will self resolve with age. I had a cat who had a murmur as a kitten that resolved by adulthood. The best thing you can do at this point is ensure your kitten has a good diet, play daily to keep his heart strong, and just keep an eye on him. Any vet appointment you should mention that a prior vet heard a murmur just so they check extra for it. Unless the vet expresses concern you are probably safe to wait until 6 months old to worry about more extensive testing.

Should your cat keep the murmur it is not an instant death sentence. I know it may feel like the end of the world but it really isn't. Heart problems can be managed and your vet can help you with a plan if you end up in that place. We also are here for you through all your cat owner ups and downs so if it does stick around we will be here.

Here are some other postings on murmur that may help:
Heart murmur... I'm worried. Advice?
10 week old kitten with a heart murmur

Also, if you haven't already don't forget to introduce yourself and the four legged fluff on New Cats on the Block

 

[Simonalm]

Thank you both! She did not tell me what grade it was, he purrs so much she had to try numerous times to get a clear reading. She gave him his shots then he stopped purring for a few seconds and she listened and her exact words were "slight murmur." He goes back in August 11th for his last round of shots and I will ask then what grade she thinks it is. I think I may also have her do a full blood panel on him just to check and see if everything else with him is okay. I'm very happy to hear that both of your kittens heart murmurs went away. That makes me feel a little better and I can only hope the same happens for Simon, it just worries me so much. Poor baby, I'm so glad he found me. Who knows what kinda life he had in those first 6 weeks of his life.

 

[verna davies]

Let us know what your vet says. Lucky you for being chosen by him. Enjoy.

 

[stacydc83]

My Zoe had a heart murmur also. It scared me to death when they told me. She is turning 1 next month and she is a murmur free kitten now. I need to ask if they can come back. She also pants, quite a bit, when she plays but she plays hard too, but always pants. That scared me too because with Lily,the only time I've seen Lily pant is when she's terrified from a thunderstorm.

 

[Simonalm]

Hi everyone. Thought I'd post again on here instead of making a new thread. I took Simon back to the vet today since he's a little over 6 months old. He still has the heart murmur they think grade 2, they did an ekg today and I will hopefully get the results tomorrow but he was really being a handful and wiggling around the vet warned it may come back inconclusive and we will have to retry. I will be taking him about an hour away to the nearest place that does echocardiogram to have that done as well. Though I'm quite worried because he really had a fit today at the vets. He hasn't been there in awhile now since he got his last shots, so when he was much younger but he did not act like that. He was trembling when I took him out of his kennel but was fine once he was out. Once they took him in the back room was when he really starting acting out and he started trembling again. I over heard an assistant say what if the trembling is a sign of whatever is going on with his heart. That kind of bothered me, I didn't even think that I just thought he was scared that he was at the vets alone with strangers. He has never done that before.

Anyways I kind of knew it, when he plays rough he pants.. Not much and he does catch his breath fast. We're home now and he's fine, he played and ate and is taking a snooze now. He still is not fixed because of this heart murmur and won't be until we get the results from ekg and take him in for an echo. Even then I think I'll still be very worried about getting him fixed but I know it needs to happen.

 

[Simonalm]

Very worried, I don't want anything to happen to him. I just lost my dog a month ago to an awful sudden auto immune disorder that 3 vets and 1 specialist couldn't do anything about since his cancer returned too. I can't lose him too

 

[Kieka]

Best of luck at your vet appointment. A grade 2 isn't the worse news with none being the best. I've heard of cats with low grade murmurs living long lives with only minor accommodations to their lives.

 

[Blakeney Green]

Grade 2 definitely isn't terrible news. It's not good news, but it's not the worst case scenario diagnosis. Some mild heart murmurs will resolve on their own or never cause any clinical symptoms. I would definitely continue to consult with your vet and monitor for the heart murmur worsening over time, but I would say this is more a cause for watchful concern than for extreme worry.

 

[Simonalm]

Since we've had Simon he's seen both vets at our clinic equally, the first vet said grade 1 possibly 2, the other vet said a very minor 2. He said he can hardly hear it but he'd grade it a 2 since he can't usually hear a 1. The good news is that it hasn't gotten worse, they both said today it sounds the same as it did when the first noticed it. Unfortunately we had all hoped it would be gone by the time he was 6 months old, I've heard they can outgrow them after that but it's not as common.

I'm also getting conflicting information on whether I should get the echo done now or when he is a year old. One vet is saying do it now that way we can go ahead and fix him the other is saying if you do it now you should do it again once he is a year old and done growing.

He is a very sweet boy, his behavior hasn't changed since he's gotten older/more mature. He is my only cat and is indoor only. Thankfully he doesn't spray but I would like to get him fixed as soon as I can regardless once I know it's safe for him. I've never had a pet this long and them not be fixed yet.

 

[verna davies]

I am so sorry you are having this worry over Simon but as other posters have said, grade 2 is not too serious and it can still just disappear.
All cats react differently to a vets visit, it is the unknown to them. Some people use Feliway spray in the carrier half an hour before using it and have had success with it.
My vet won't neuter/ spray until the kitten is 6 months old and by my reckoning Simon is nearly that now so IMO you could afford to wait another month or so for neutering and the ekg but I stress that is just my opinion. Please keep us updated.

 

[Simonalm]

Well the results from the EKG are in.. he has a normal heart beat but what's known as a left axis shift. Apparently this can be normal or it can be a sign of heart disease. We are taking him to have an echocardiogram done asap, within the next week or so. Heartbroken to hear the word heart disease

 

[verna davies]

Try not to look on the negative side. It may not be serious. I know thats easy for me to say but you are doing everything you can to make sure he is having the best care. There are many degrees of heart problems, let's hope your little one's is minimal. Good luck next week and please keep us posted

 

[Kieka]

Positive thoughts that it will turn out to be normal. I know how scary medical conditions can be but we are here for you and will support you through whatever happens. Heart disease wouldn't be the end of the road, just a slightly rougher road. But there are lots of resources to help with long term care.