My 2 Year Old Kitty Has Recently Been Diagnosed With Hcm

[summer9658]

Hi everyone. It is my first time posting here. I am glad to have found a website where I could find people who have gone through the same thing as I have, as this recent ordeal has been the most terrifying experience.

Last Thursday, my kitty Pepper stopped eating. I took her to the vet the next morning and she observed her and gave her an appetite stimulant and some sub q fluids. I bought her so many different types of food and treats thinking I could try to convince her to eat, to no avail. Friday night, I noticed pepper began to breath really rapidly. I took her to the ER. They told me Pepper was in heart failure, and I nearly fainted. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. They said that cats usually have a prognosis of 6-12 months with the disease, HCM. I was panicking. The next day, Pepper was still in the Oxygen tank. Finally, on Sunday they said that Pepper was stable but that her kidney values were high, so they were balancing that. Finally, on Monday we saw the cardiologist who made me feel some hope. He said Pepper's case was mild and started her on Lasix, (.35 ml 3x a day). Pepper is home now. She still looks kind of tired, but she is eating.

While this is already all concerning and worrying to me, what is scaring me is that I notice her hair is sticking up, kind of like how it was for 2 weeks or so leading up to the episode. I don't know if this is from residual stress or if its normal, or if theres still a problem. We are seeing the vet tomorrow for follow up blood work.

I've attached some pictures of her fur. I know this may not be a telling sign, but I am on the look out for all signs and I don't know.. This kind of seems like something might be up?

Thanks for all of your help.

 

[Genesis123]

I may come back and write more later, but, for right now, I'll tell you I have noticed hair "sticking up" on a couple kittens I have, that have HCM, and it has not developed in to anything that I'm aware of. I noticed it about a month ago. The hair went down and, maybe, returned -- but, again, went down. I have, at least, 10 years experience with HCM cats and this is the first time I've noticed the "fluffy hair"... but, these kittens have longer hair than my other cats (past or present).

May I ask how old Pepper is?

I'll try to write more later. (I've been up all night and wouldn't make sense if I tried now.)

Pepper's beautiful, BTW.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I hope G Genesis123 provides more information since it would appear they have a lot of experience with HCM. I know I've seen other posters talk about HCM as well; so, I am counting on them seeing your post and offering some knowledgeable advice and support. I wish I could...

 

[summer9658]

I may come back and write more later, but, for right now, I'll tell you I have noticed hair "sticking up" on a couple kittens I have, that have HCM, and it has not developed in to anything that I'm aware of. I noticed it about a month ago. The hair went down and, maybe, returned -- but, again, went down. I have, at least, 10 years experience with HCM cats and this is the first time I've noticed the "fluffy hair"... but, these kittens have longer hair than my other cats (past or present).

May I ask how old Pepper is?

I'll try to write more later. (I've been up all night and wouldn't make sense if I tried now.)

Pepper's beautiful, BTW.

She is 2. Thanks so much for your response. I googled and couldn't find a single thing about this, so I am glad you know what I'm talking about! Im glad to hear that it isn't probably symptomatic of anything.

Have you ever used any supplements for your cats? I have seen a bit about coq10 and "cardio-strength". I was also looking into maybe some CBD oil to prevent her from getting anxious if i ever have to travel with her anywhere.. I know thats a bad idea to stress her out, but the holidays are coming and I am kind of stumped as to what to do.

 

[Genesis123]

I googled and couldn't find a single thing about this...

Bing searches have pulled up a lot of results for me. Try "cat cardiomyopathy" as search terms. You should find results for articles on the types of CM, including HCM.

Have you ever used any supplements for your cats?

No, no supplements. I feed my cats well and the take extra care to keep the HCM cats calm. (That is, I don't try to get them to chase balls and catch feathers on a stick, etc.) Personally, I wouldn't try CBD oil or CoQ10. CBD is a derivative of Cannabis and Cannabis doesn't have the same effect on cats that it does humans, in my opinion.... not that I would know from personal experience... ahem. And CoQ10 -- is there one for animals? To my limited knowledge, it is a human supplement and I wouldn't give supplements & medications, made for humans, to my cats.

I think milk (whole) is a better calmative for cats. (Organic best.) I use "Mini Moos Half & Half" often -- one to four, depending on the situation and cat. My cats grew up on milk and have no adverse effects. It's also a good source of taurine. [Fish is another good source of taurine.]

Catnip might, also, be a calmative for cats. (Perhaps you could ask your vet.) Most of my HCM cats have loved it and I've seen no adverse or ill effects from their eating it. (I used to give them store-bought, dried catnip; now, I grow my own and it's almost always available to them.)

If I were traveling with my cats, I would, maybe, give them a little whole milk, or Half & Half, about a half hour before the trip. Aside from that, I would take my chances. (I don't mean to sound harsh by that, it's just that supplements, medicines, and travel aids for HCM cats are, largely, unproven or untested.)

More later... I think.

 

[kmoulus]

Sub q fluids can be tough for a cardiac patients. I am not a vet but I have an elderly cat with HCM/CHF and my vet recently told me that Speedy could not take extra fluids (in this case for constipation) because her heart can't take it.

I am sorry you have gotten this bad news, I know it is scary. You should be concerned and you should learn all you can, but do not despair too much. Your cat can live a great life for the 6-12 months the vet predicts. And with good attention to meds and diet you can maybe extend that. I have told my story in several threads, click my profile to find those posts. When Speedy was diagnosed with CHF the cardiologist gave her 9-12 months. That came and went a long time ago and she is still stable.

You will find lots of good advice and moral support in this forum. I agree with Genesis123, no supplements. I haven't had problems keeping Speedy calm, except when we go to the vet. Maybe someone on this board can advise you about feliway or another pheromone spray.

 

[JennKitty]

Some cats have their hair all fluffed up because they are sometimes scared and traumatized, like when a human's hair is also all fluffed up after an unpleasant experience. Is Pepper licking herself a lot? Is she hiding in dark and small spaces? If so, she just might be scared after her experience from the vet, and she might is distressed. Hope this helps, and I hope you Pepper can recover!
Best of wishes, Jenn

 

[fromthevalley]

My Kaylee was diagnosed at one, and I keep her test results from every cardiology visit, if you would like to look at them. She's currently on clopidogrel, atenolol, enalapril, and aspirin. Besides the aspirin, I can't recall the dosage for her, but I can get out of bed it you need it. Take a deep breath. Getting stressed out can be read by cats, so in turn they will stress out.

 

[lilmopeep]

My soul-mate kitty Creamsicle was diagnosed with HCM when he was 7 years old. It broke my heart to think of losing him sooner rather than later, and his cardiologist at first was giving me the "You understand this could go bad at any time, right?".
Well, Creamsicle is now 12 years old. His cardiologist calls him his "miracle kitty". He still has the HCM and a very badly damaged heart, but we live each day in the best way possible, and I never ever EVER let him see me worried or stressed about him.
I am convinced he loves me and his life too much to let a "little thing" like HCM get him down. He is so special to me.
Right now, he is taking Enalapril twice a day, Amiodarone once a day, 1/4 low dose aspirin every other day, and a Standard Process Cardio-Plus supplement tablet once a day. Thank God for Pill Pockets and fish flavoring that is in the specially compounded dose of Amiodarone he takes. I was afraid about him not taking it in liquid form, but when I heard the price for the pills was going to be twice that of liquid that made my decision easy! He LOVES it!
I feed both my cats a diet of good food - Spots Stew Salmon flavor by Halo, half can, topped with either half a can of the small cans of Fancy Feast or a palmful of crunchy food.
He has to go back to the cardiologist within the next couple of weeks to see how the new dose of Amiodarone has affected his arrythmias. Hopefully they are gone, but I would be happy with a reduction, too.
Give your kitty lots and lots and LOTS of love, every single day. Make sure to keep up with cardiologist appointments, and give medications as directed.
With any luck you too could be the owner of a "miracle kitty" with HCM and still have her around for a few years rather than months!

 

[lilmopeep]

Correction - he was FIVE years old at diagnosis, still kicking it at 12, SEVEN years later!
Nothing is impossible or cast in stone with HCM.

 

[summer9658]

Oh gosh.... Thank you so much everyone for your responses on this website, it makes me feel so much better. I have been trying not to think negatively, which is easy because Pepper seems back to her old self. She does lick herself a lot, but I think this has always been the norm for her. It does suck when I read online about a "6 to 12 months prognosis" but it makes me so happy to hear that cats like Creamsicle live quality lives for many years. That is spectacular and a miracle indeed. I was reading lots about ACE inhibitors, but when I asked the cardiologist about any preventative medicine he said that fewer pills are better than more... so we will see what happens. Also, I read about CoQ10 on the yahoo feline hearts page. The tip about the milk sounds like a good idea, and natural which is great. I am so happy to have found this forum, this ordeal made me feel really confused and alone but to know there are others out there whose kitties are doing good makes me feel okay

 

[summer9658]

I am convinced he loves me and his life too much to let a "little thing" like HCM get him down. He is so special to me.

I feel this exact way! I love her so much and I know she knows it.

 

[kmoulus]

Creamsicle is just like Speedy. When she was diagnosed with HCM, the cardiologist said her lifespan would be 10-11 years. She was 14 when they diagnosed CHF and gave her 9-12 months. That was three years ago, now she's 17.5.

Are any of your cats on a reduced sodium diet? Speedy has been for three years now and I am convinced it is a big part of her success. It is perhaps not necessary for all HCM cats but for those lasix (which affects how the kidneys process salt) it might be worth discussing with your vet/cardio.

 

[lilmopeep]

Good for Speedy! Beating the odds is a really good thing for these kitties!
No, neither of my cats are on low-sodium diets. There are never any issues with his blood when various things are tested for - including kidney and liver function. The numbers are always in a "normal" range - for now...so I am not going to worry about any changes in diet just yet!

 

[twotabbies]

So sorry to hear about Pepper. Our kitty Princess had HCM diagnosed in Feb/Mar and we just lost her on 11/11. She also had hyperthyroid and liver/pancreas issues--just a whole mess. We treated her since Mar with Enalapril and Enoxaparin sodium injections. She had to have a lot of vet care (esp. at the end). I'm so grateful to those medications that gave us the 10 months we had with her post-heart disease diagnosis. It's so scary but your cat is much younger than P (15 yo). If treated she can have a great quality of life.

Knowing that it could go bad at any moment is so scary. My husband and I dealt with a lot of anticipatory grief this year, but in the end, we cherished the time we had with her all the more. <3

 

[tarasgirl06]

Hi everyone. It is my first time posting here. I am glad to have found a website where I could find people who have gone through the same thing as I have, as this recent ordeal has been the most terrifying experience.

Last Thursday, my kitty Pepper stopped eating. I took her to the vet the next morning and she observed her and gave her an appetite stimulant and some sub q fluids. I bought her so many different types of food and treats thinking I could try to convince her to eat, to no avail. Friday night, I noticed pepper began to breath really rapidly. I took her to the ER. They told me Pepper was in heart failure, and I nearly fainted. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. They said that cats usually have a prognosis of 6-12 months with the disease, HCM. I was panicking. The next day, Pepper was still in the Oxygen tank. Finally, on Sunday they said that Pepper was stable but that her kidney values were high, so they were balancing that. Finally, on Monday we saw the cardiologist who made me feel some hope. He said Pepper's case was mild and started her on Lasix, (.35 ml 3x a day). Pepper is home now. She still looks kind of tired, but she is eating.

While this is already all concerning and worrying to me, what is scaring me is that I notice her hair is sticking up, kind of like how it was for 2 weeks or so leading up to the episode. I don't know if this is from residual stress or if its normal, or if theres still a problem. We are seeing the vet tomorrow for follow up blood work.

I've attached some pictures of her fur. I know this may not be a telling sign, but I am on the look out for all signs and I don't know.. This kind of seems like something might be up?

Thanks for all of your help.

Hello and welcome to TCS, summer9658 and Pepper. I am so sorry to hear that Pepper has been diagnosed with HCM, and at such a young age! She is SO beautiful. HCM seems to be more common in longhaired cats, for some reason. My beloved angel Kinoko-chan was diagnosed with it and she left us just before turning 13. I just looked up her charts and unfortunately could not find the meds prescribed for her, but I took her off of them and she was not taking anything at all for quite some time, living a normal life. She passed overnight, quite unexpectedly, with no prior symptoms. So one can never tell. I unfortunately do not have any suggestions except to keep up her vet checkups, as I do not know about her fur sticking up. Kinoko-chan was Himalayan or Balinese mix, with long, cottony fur, and I never noticed anything abnormal with her fur. I don't know what could be causing the fur appearance you describe, except to say that skin tenting, which could possibly cause this, is a sign of dehydration. She was not on any kind of special diet, but all of my cats do receive high-quality wet foods and they have high-quality dry free choice, as a snack. I always provide plenty of fresh, clean water in various locations.
Heartfelt *Prayers* for Pepper, and again, do keep her vet checkups and keep the vet informed as much as possible. All the very best for Pepper and you.