Hi, Andy,

It depends upon the severity of the problem which is causing the murmur - a leaky heart valve, for example, and the gradaing of the murmure from l to V.
Your vet should be able to assess it and advise you, rather than just to say it has a 'squeak' or a murmur.

W

Hi all (sorry if this message gets posted twice, my internet failed when I pressed post!)

I have a 14 year old cat that we took to the vets yesterday for his routine booster jabs and the vet discovered a heart murmur in him. She also said that he needs to have his teeth cleaned as it pretty bad.

He is due to go in next Friday to have a blood test and a scan but then if all is OK he will go straight into having his teeth done.

I was worried about him having an anaesthetic in the first place but now with a heart murmur I really don’t want him to have the anaesthetic if there is a greater risk of him not making it.

He has had his teeth cleaned before and came out of it OK but now with his age combined with his heart is feel really anxious about it.... am I worrying unnecessarily and should I just trust the advice of the vet??

Hi,

Why does he need a scan before having his teeth cleaned, apart from pushing up the bill?
You do not say how severe the murmur is on a scale of l to V. Has he ever had his heart checked before ? Many cats have life-long heart murmurs which cause no problems.
There is no reason at all why you should not ask that a different vet see him and give an opinion.

W

Walter Beswick Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi,
>
> Why does he need a scan before having his teeth
> cleaned, apart from pushing up the bill?
> You do not say how severe the murmur is on a scale
> of l to V. Has he ever had his heart checked
> before ? Many cats have life-long heart murmurs
> which cause no problems.
> There is no reason at all why you should not ask
> that a different vet see him and give an opinion.
>
> W

I don't currently know how severe the murmur is, that is what I was told the scan is for - to see if it has enlarged or something. She said he had a heart murmur when she held the stethoscope to his heart... Don't know if it makes a difference but he is a persian cat.

Hi,

Not much help just to say he has a cardiac mumur. Many cats have a grade l, ll or lll mumur and are sypmtom free..
In these circumstances I cannot see what extra benefit a scan would bring over a good clinical examination and proper use of a stethoscope.

W

Thanks for your help, I will speak to them about why they need to do a scan (what it will hope to tell us) and what the severity of his condition is - using the scale.

Just one last question if I may... am I confusing a heart murmur with an enlarged heart... are these the same thing or two different things? The terms were interchanged while she was telling me about it. She also described it as a 'leaky valve'. I was told (and hope I haven't paraphrased too much)...

'He has a bit or a heart murmur, he is most likely to be losing a bit of blood from a leaky valve. He will need to have a ultrasound in order to see if he has an enlarged heart. Then, depending on the condition of the heart we would recommended he has another scan in 6 to 12 months to monitor any changes'.

Does this sound correct or are there lots of different issues being pushed into one?

Thanks again.

Hi,

Heart murmurs do arise in the valves of the heart, There are valves between the upper and lower chambers of the heart, and stop the blood flowing backwards into the upper chambers - the Auricles - when the heart contracts. If the heart is enlarged these valves leak, and as the blood flows backwards the sound of it doing so can be detected as a 'murmur'.
There is a different sort of valve in the main blood vessels leaving the heart - the aorta and the pulmonary artery to the lungs, which stop blood from flowing back into the heart when it relaxes before the next contraction. These also can leak, producing a different murmur. The vet should be able to distinguish between them using a stethoscope.
So, there can be heart murmurs connected with an enlarged heart, and those where the heart is not enlarged, and, to make things more dificult, a combination of the two.
There is no question, in either case of 'losing a bit of blood from a leaky valve'. Ask for that comment to be explained to you.

W

I took my 10 year old cat to the vet today for his yearly vaccination to be told he has a heart murmur she never said what grade this was , i was really worried but after reading some of the comments i feel a bit better , i was thinking about phoning the vet and ask what grade it is , she did say to take him back in 3 months and that he might need a scan .

Hi,

Yes, you should ask about the severity of the murmur, and then stop worrying about it until it is reviewd in 3 months. I do not see what useful information a 'scan' would rerveal that a competent examintaion with a stethoscope should.

W

Hi

I have just had a kitten returned to me (don't know how they could) as he had a grade 4 murmur. Took him to the vets today to be told it was a grade 3, which is serious and that I should be referred to a cardiologist to find out what the problem was as the vet could not tell just by listening with a stethoscope. This will cost £300-£400! I do love my animals but as there is no insurance as he has just been returned yesterday and I am not a breeder, I cannot afford it. I have found a new home for him, but do not want it to cost the new owner a fortune. Also I was told that he may only live for 2 years! I realise that these things are very much guess work alot of the time but could you tell me what the general prognosis is?

Thanks

Fiona

Hi,

I agree that a grade 3 or 4 murmur is significant but I would not be able to give you a prognosis as to his possible life span. It would be on a par with 'how long is a piece of string'.

Euthanasia is a perfectly acceptable alternative to further investigations and treatment.

W

Hi
My cat is in the vets surgery at the moment having some tests to find out what is causing his heart murmur - the impression my vet gave me was that it is impossible to give an accurate prognosis without finding out what is causing the murmur as there are lots of possible reasons.
He's such a gorgeous little thing - fingers crossed!!

Hi!
I have a 4 yr. old cat and I recently took her into the vet becuase she was showing signs of a upper respratory infection. It turned out to be mild but during the exam the
vet noticed a level 4 murmur. He wants to do a ultrasound but my boyfriend thinks
its rediculous. I love her and have done research but am still feeling conflicted.
My view point is I rather know what I'm dealing with than be surprised.
Please help!
Thanks,
Annie

Hi,

Frankly, I agree with your boyfriend. An ultrasound exam will tell you little more than an examination with a stethoscope by a competent vet.

W

Hi there:

I have a kitten (5mths) which will be going in for neutering on Oct-15-09. He was born with a stage 5/6 heart murmur and downgraded two months ago to stage 3/5. Was your kitten neutered and if so, how did that go??

DD

We took my 7 month old cat to the vets yesterday for his pre-op assesment as he is due to be neutered on Friday. The vet told me that he had a heart murmur and rated it 3 out of 6. Will this affect his life span and what complication could it lead to? Should I still go ahead with the op?

Hi,

Many cats with a Gr III cardiac murmur have long and happy lives. To get a definitive answer to your question would need a full work-up by a veterinary cardiologist, but I would suggest that you just go ahead and treat him as normal.

W

are cats born with heart murmur i took my cat to the vet 2 weeks ago and they said she had a heart murmur and she is 8 years old and i never know it so was she bron with it

Yes, Many cats are born with heart mumurs, few are detected and even fewer cause any problems.

I adopted a 3mo old female from the Humane Society. She has a grade 2 heart murmur. Socks is quite active and affectionate. I have tried to get pet insurance for her as I was told she may never have any problems, without success. Why can't I get insurance for her?

Hi,

Because all insurance companies want to avoid risk!

It is very unlikely that a Gr ll murmur will ever cause any problems, and it is a pity that it was even mentioned to you when you got her., but once you know about it, youknow aabout it.

Some companies may be prepared to insure a young cat with such a slight murmur - shop around.

w

I have a F3 Savannah who was born with a grade 4 heart murmur. She's now 7 months old and going for surgery in 4 days. I had a 20 year old cat that had a grade 2 and never had a problem with it. Never needed beta blockers or anything. When they are kittens, they generally grow out of them by the time they are 6 mo -1 year old. That's for a grade 1, 2 and some in some cases grade 3. If the vet tells you your kitten has a low grade heart murmur, I wouldn't worry about it too much. If it's 3 or higher, I'd definitely have them do an echo to find out what the problem is and if it can be fixed. They are going to go in and catheterize a valve in my savannah's heart because it's too narrow for blood to flow back through it once it's been pumped in the one chamber. That still won't make her heart murmur go away because she has an enlarged heart due to this valve. I've had the vet tell me that if it was only a Grade 3, beta blockers would do just fine for her without surgery. It just all depends on what is causing the heart murmur. So that's why you want to have the echo done.
Good luck to everyone with your treatments and love your kitties cuz you never know when that heart murmur might take them.

we are getting 2 kittens from a rescue centre and one of the 9 week old kittens has heart murmur. we are not sure how bad it is yet but we hope its not too serious. Andy, some cats are born with it and some do get it later on in life. if they are born with it then its less likley to be too serious

HI,
I'M HOPING YOU CAN GIVE ME SOME GOOD ADVISE.
I HAVE A MALE PERSIAN WHO IS ONLY 16 MONTHS OLD
HE'S BEEN TO HIS VET A COUPLE OF TIMES IN THE LAST FEW
MONTHS WITH AN URI. THE VET SAID BECAUSE OF HIS BREED AND
FLAT FACE THAT IS WHY HE GETS THESE INFECTIONS
TODAY I BROUGHT HIM IN AND THE VET SAID HE HAS A HEART MUMUR
AND WANTED TO KEEP HIM OVER NIGHT TO DO SOME XRAYS SO I DON'T
KNOW WHAT GRADE MUMUR HE HAS
CAN YOU GIVE ME ANY ADVISE?
THANKS
GLORIA

Hi,

Many cats have heart mumurs, and most are unimportant - do not be too wrorried about it unless signs of heart failure develop.
A chronic or recurring URI is often due to a calici-virus infection which can be difficult to eliminate and apart from snuffles from time to time, and ensuing dental problems most cats seem to survive, though they can infect other in contact.

Hi
I lost my sweet and loving himalayan cat of nine years suddenly, to a heart murmur grade VI on Apr 23rd 2010 . My vet prescribed fortekor and atenolol several years ago, and she was on it ever since. She passed suddenly without any warning - no coughing, no signs of difficulty breathing, no change in her behavior.
I wonder if there was anything more that I could have done.
The vet never suggested that I consult a verterinary cardiologist or that I have her examined more often than once a year.

I was sorry to read about the death of your pet at such an early age.
A grade VI cardiac mumur is very serious and is always indicative of heart failure.
I do not think that much more could have been done, even if she had been seen by a veterinary cardiologist.

Hi there
I adopted a 10 month old DHS felix like cat a week ago and booked him into the vets for 2day, they told me he has a heart murmur but has not told me any other details the animal rescue place did not tell me about it and the vet looked shocked to hear it, he wasn't in the animal rescue place for very long (10 days) the animal rescue told me they check all there animals when they come into the place and before they go.......... i need advice on this as I have been told that if the animal rescue place has kept this information from me so that i'd adopt him then they have to fork out the vet bills........ I am so confused and panicking about him, he is a typical cat that has energy and likes to play but also likes his rest, he does not wheeze or cough to the best of my knowledge......

any information, tips, advice good or bad will be appreciated

thankyou

Hello, HELP PLEASE, my ktten is now just a year old, I was tol she has a bad heart murmur when she was a bay by the vet they still insisted she would be fine to be spayed and this they did last week , they were carefull how they did it ,ans yes she was running round by tea time ,and was fine the next day, they said after the operation that they could not hear her heart because of the swooshing sound , and is going for a scan on Monday ,they say its serios, but she seems so healthy ,the only time I was worried was a few days ago she was asllep on the bed and seemed to be in a really deap sleap as she only woke up after i picked her up and was talking to her.Please tell my she might live a good life, shes so good. thanking you in advance Suzanne

If your cat is a year old and has a heart murmur then there is a good chance it is because the she was born with some heart problem. There are so many of these that it is impossible to say exactly what it is. Unfortunately until an expert cardiologist does the scan and determines exactly what is wrong it is difficult for me to advise you. Just because a murmur is loud when your vet listens does not necessarily mean that it is bad, but it could be. There are some procedures to correct some of these problems but you need to see a specialist really to see what can be done. Sometimes cats get heart disease very early in life that they are not born with which unfortunately is not very good. I am sorry that I cannot allay your worries but wait until the scan is done so you know what the problem is then the cardiologist will be able to tell you what the best treatment is.