Murmur detected :(

[WhitnieC]

Hi fellow cat lovers…

I’m driving myself crazy on google so I thought I’d check with you all. I had a bonded pair that were littermates also. Age 2. One of my boys suddenly passed this weekend…suspected heart failure. Today I took my other boy (his brother) to the vet for a check up just to be safe and the vet thinks he heard a murmur . Now prior to this nothing has been said or documented in either chart about a possible murmur. However, given the recent events it’s better to be safe than sorry and the vet suggested I take him to the cardiologist. I’m waiting to hear back to schedule…in the interim my vet said to continue as normal and try to just keep as low stress as possible. He didn’t want to prescribe blood pressure medicine yet in case it’s not needed, but did say if there was a long wait to get into the cardiologist he would start him on a low dose.

So of course I google and come up with HCM….and I’m freaking out. It sounds exactly like his brother, who just passed but had sudden onset heart failure. This one acts/appears fine…but I’m still so worried. I did read that if a cat has HCM and isn’t in heart failure they can live several years with medication…but if in active heart failure the average is 6-18 months . What are your alls experience with this??? Am I getting worked up over something that may not be an issue? How do you know if they are in heart failure vs early HCM??? Any suggestions to help him…again he seems fine, but so did his brother.

this weekend has been horrible…I was really hoping for some peace of mind from the vet but definitely the opposite. Although I appreciate the honesty, I’d rather be cautious than not…but it’s still hard and I’m worried sick.
Thanks!
W

 

[Alldara]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

If it makes you feel any better, Nobel has had a faint murmur (grade 1) on and off most of his life. He is now 17 and a grade 4 murmur. He never needed any medications for it until just last week they said he might.

Magnus, our little one also had a level 1 murmur detected at a young age. He saw at least 3 vets before they caught it. He has taurine suppliments and we must watch for him to not overheat. They will monitor at his yearly appointments.

 

[WhitnieC]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

If it makes you feel any better, Nobel has had a faint murmur (grade 1) on and off most of his life. He is now 17 and a grade 4 murmur. He never needed any medications for it until just last week they said he might.

Magnus, our little one also had a level 1 murmur detected at a young age. He saw at least 3 vets before they caught it. He has taurine suppliments and we must watch for him to not overheat. They will monitor at his yearly appointments.

That does help me feel better. After this weekend my brain is in worse case scenario mode and it’s driving me bonkers. I’m hoping for best case and it’s nothing or 2nd best case where maybe it’s a murmur but with meds it can be contained. Your magnus and Nobel give me hope. Thank you!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I"m also so sorry for your loss. How awful

I don't have any experience with murmurs or HCM, but wanted to express my condolences.

 

[NekoM]

I’m so sorry for your loss.
If your two boys weren’t genetically connected and if the vet only “thought” he heard a murmur you can take a breath. Alldara explains it really well from first hand experience, getting it checked early by a cardiologist will put you ahead of any future curve.

 

[epona]

Heart murmur detected by stethoscope in cats can just be a reaction to stress in the vet office.

It would take further investigation to check whether that murmur even actually exists as a long-term issue.
Even if it is, many cats have low grade heart murmurs and are otherwise completely healthy for many years.

 

[Alldara]

That does help me feel better. After this weekend my brain is in worse case scenario mode and it’s driving me bonkers. I’m hoping for best case and it’s nothing or 2nd best case where maybe it’s a murmur but with meds it can be contained. Your magnus and Nobel give me hope. Thank you!

Hopefully you hear back soon!

The biggest thing to watch for if it turns out to be a something, is that they'll have heart monitoring for any surgery. You'll want to discuss keeping the teeth clean to limit dentals over his life.

I use a tooth gel and clean his teeth daily. Unfortunately, in old age, Nobel's teeth went downhill in the matter of 8 months. He's only needed one dental in his life before this.

My vet explained that if the cat's heart will slow a big while listening, they can have a good estimate if it's a heart murmur or stress. Really, you're relying on your vet's experience as well. However, other conditions such as hyperthyroid can cause a murmur that goes away or lessens with treatment of the heart hasn't had too much damage yet.

 

[tyleete]

I've had 3 (1 still currently) with a heart murmur. My girl now with one is a 2 on the scale, and all it means for her is we don't do needless surgeries (anesthesia meds) and if she needs subq's, she can only do 100ml at a time, twice a week.
She used to have constant diarrhea till I finally got her IBD under control & needed fluids.
She's been stage 2 for years and is 17 now. I know you hadn't to research and it's easy to get anxiety from all that's out there. But just take a deep breath. Your baby can still live fine for years.
Oh, and my gal had never taken meds for it.

 

[fionasmom]

I am very sorry for your loss and understand your distress over the littermate.

I have an almost 7 year old boy who was dxed with HCM at the age of 2. He is doing well; it is an early case and the cardiologist actually took him off of the medications that his original vet, who ordered the first echo, had prescribed because she thought it was too early for their use. He does not have heart failure. She also believed that atenolol was only anecdotally successful in HCM cats. You might do your own research on that, but it would correlate to your vet's decision to only use a low dose.

There is a difference between HCM and heart failure technically, depending on what you are reading or what your vet feels. HCM affects the left ventricle and affects the flow of blood. It is sometimes/often considered a form of heart failure for that reason. However, in heart failure there will be other symptoms like fluid accumulation. The uneven pumping of blood in HCM can lead to a backup which becomes congestive heart failure.

For heart conditions, I firmly believe that you need to consult a cardiologist, which it seems as if you are trying to do.

Jamie has never progressed to heart failure, and he also has a kidney condition diagnosed when he was young...so two condition, but he has been here happily for the last 5 years.

 

[di and bob]

I've had several cats that had murmurs, and being a nurse know that murmurs are VERY common in human adults too, and they all live normal life spans. My oldest cat lived ten years until 16 with a murmur, he was on lasix. With the congenital factor in there, it would be smart to have him checked out by a cardiologist, and follow their advise. Almost ALL murmurs are benign and just need to be monitored.

 

[Caspers Human]

Heart murmur detected by stethoscope in cats can just be a reaction to stress in the vet office.

being a nurse know that murmurs are VERY common in human adults too

Our vet has detected heart murmurs in Casper, too but it comes and goes. Consequently, we have agreed between us that it's likely due to stress at the vet's office.

Yes, murmurs are pretty common. I get them, too.
Generally, speaking, minor murmurs are not harmful if they don't last for a long time. Doctors have advised me to get plenty of rest, be careful of my diet and minimize consumption of caffeine, tobacco and other stimulants. If I follow doctor's advice, my murmurs go away.

So, I'd say that the best advice is to do the same for your cat. Make sure he gets plenty of rest, eats enough good food and drinks enough water. I can't see how a cat would drink coffee or smoke cigarettes but, still, avoid stimulants or stress-producing activities.

Since your cat recently lost his brother, I'd suspect that the sudden loss might be a stress factor, too.

Bottom line: As long as it's minor, doesn't cause any other symptoms and only lasts for a short time, I don't think there's much to worry about. Just keep an eye on him and, if you think there's a problem, call your vet.