Hi Beth
Whilst it is certainly the case that a percentage of cats live a normal life for years with a heart murmur, there are also numbers of cats who, after developing a heart murmur, go on to develop heart disease in mid to later life. It sounds like your vet has checked him each year and this is the first time they have picked up the murmur. This means something is changing with his heart. You are absolutely right to think that if there's a problem the earlier its picked up the better for Alfie. My advice has to be get this checked out further if you can. Heart scans are non-invasive so there's little risk to your cat in having one. There is also now a blood test that measures how hard the heart muscle is having to work. This gives an indication of the level of heart disease, if present. Suggest you discuss this with your partner and then your vet.
Cathy Wickenden BVet Med MRCVS
Barton Lodge Veterinary Centre
1 Midland Road, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 5BH
Tel: 01442 216048 24 hours
[
www.bartonlodgevets.co.uk]