# Heart murmur



## Elmstar (Apr 7, 2008)

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone had any experience of a kitten with a heart murmur?

We've just been told that a kitten who was supposed to be going to his new owner on Monday has a heart murmur.

He has no other symptoms and seems perfectly healthy but we're not sure what to do next?

Fiona


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## Siamese Kelly (Jan 6, 2008)

Sorry Fiona-i don't but at least your aware and can inform potential familyWhat did your vet say reguarding future?


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## Lynsey (Apr 13, 2008)

I think it depends on how bad the heart murmur is, doesn't necessarily stop them from living full and happy lives.


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## Schimmel (May 17, 2008)

Depends on the grade of the murmur. Does your vet feel the kitten can be homed?

We had our first experience of a heart murmur last year. Took a litter to the vets only for our vet to examine Amaro and tell me she had a bad heart murmur and would not live past 2 years. Once she told me that, I brought the litter home, burst into tears and we knew that she'd be here in our family for life. She went through a very bad patch where we thought she would die a few months back. Close friends were visiting and saw her and also felt she wouldn't last the week, but now, she is as active as the rest of our cats, tears around like a loon, runs up and down the stairs, and I reckon she'll be herelonger than our vet thinks.

You obviously have to tell her chosen kitten family but it does depend on how bad it is really. Plenty of low grade mumur kittens are homed at a reduced price to special families who are aware of what they are taking on.

This is our heart murmur child: Amaro


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## Elmstar (Apr 7, 2008)

Siamese Kelly said:


> What did your vet say reguarding future?


Not much really other than recommending we get an ECG test, which of course they don't do there and we'd have to go to Potters Bar.

The thing is the kitten seems a picture of health.

Fiona


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## Siamese Kelly (Jan 6, 2008)

Fiona-Amaro is inspiringGorgeous too


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## Elmstar (Apr 7, 2008)

Amaro is gorgeous, here's Benji.


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## Lynsey (Apr 13, 2008)

What a gorgeous little toot, good luck and I hope things work out for him.


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## Saikou (Apr 2, 2008)

The first siamese breeding queen I bought, I found that she had a heart murmur graded as a 3, that would have been there since birth. I didn't find out until she was 5mths old during a routine visit to the vet. Needless to say she was spayed and never bred from.

She was the largest in the litter, and perfectly healthy and VERY active all her life without showing any signs of having a heart problem. Until she was 6 1/2 and she started having fits which turned out to be cardiac fits and one morning she had a massive heart attack and was gone. 10 mins before that she had been tucking into a plate of chicken and playing like she always did. That said I have read about cats that have lived ripe old ages with heart murmurs. 

I think all you can say is there is no guarantee with him see what his prospective new owners think.


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## Selk67U2 (May 5, 2008)

*2 of my kittens from last years litter were found to have Grade 2 heart murmers, when I took them for their last check. They were both sold and I got myself in a right state as what to do. I spoke to the breeder of the Mam of the kittens and she calmed me down and explained all about murmers to me. She said Grade 2 was'nt anything to worry about and usually by 6 months has gone. I told the new owners and gave them the choice of wether they still wanted the kittens....they did By 6 months after getting them checked by their own vets, the murmers had gone*


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## Siamese Kelly (Jan 6, 2008)

Hi Fiona is Benji the kitt in question? If it were me i'd still want to be his slave, soo cute and handsome


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## Elmstar (Apr 7, 2008)

Siamese Kelly said:


> Hi Fiona is Benji the kitt in question? If it were me i'd still want to be his slave, soo cute and handsome


Hi Kelly,

Yes I'm afraid Benji is the one. I'm waiting to speak to his new slave to see what she wants to do.

Fiona


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## xxSaffronxx (Apr 2, 2008)

Fingers crosed for Benji - hope it works out. He is a real cutie and i would still want to be his slave too 

As for Alamo - Kat he is beautiful! It just goes to show that they do still have a good life like any other normal cat  But im sure its still worrying


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## Elmstar (Apr 7, 2008)

Does anyone know of a vet in the Essex area that does Cardiac Ultrasound on cats?

Fiona


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## Siamese Kelly (Jan 6, 2008)

Is your current vet able to recommend any Fiona?


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## Elmstar (Apr 7, 2008)

Siamese Kelly said:


> Is your current vet able to recommend any Fiona?


Unfortunately not, we're seeing him again this evening but he wants to send me to Potters Bar and I can't do that as I'm going away for a month on Saturday and there's no way I could get there tomorrow.

Fiona


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## Saikou (Apr 2, 2008)

Try Yell.com there are loads of vets in Essex and they give a brief overview of the services they provide beside them. The first one I came across that looked useful was Petkind Veterinary Centre in Tilbury - they have ECG and ultra sound facilities, but it depends on where in Essex you live, you would have to go down the list.


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## Elmstar (Apr 7, 2008)

Thanks, Yell was quite useful.

We've just been to the vets again to see the senior consultant and he rates the murmur as somewhere between 2 and 5 but couldn't be more accurate.

We've now got to discuss with the person who has bought him what she wants to do but the vet said that if we kept him as a pet he didn't think that there would be any serious issues.

Fiona


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## SavannahKitten (Mar 9, 2008)

Just rated this as a good thread.
We've just had our first heart murmur confirmed at the nine week point so I wanted to seek advice, and found this thread useful.

We were going to wait until the 12 week point to see if there's any change - is it likely to change much in three weeks? I have noticed that this kitty has recovered much more slowly from her nine week injections than the others, which is worrying. She was reserved at two weeks, so I don't know whether to tell the owners at this point, or further on.

Any advice?


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## Selk67U2 (May 5, 2008)

*Savannah, did the vet say what grade ? I had some in last years litter that had grade 2 murmurs. They were still there but not as bad at 12 weeks, I told the new owners who were fine about it. They did go a few months after. *


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## rottiesloveragdolls (Nov 2, 2007)

I too have found this thread a great deal of help. as one of my furbabies was told that he had a grade 2 heart murmur @ 12wks, it was not picked up on his 1st check 9wks, and i have now to take him back when he is 15wks just to make sure, as it may have gone as quickley as it arrived? I have informed the new owner and have reduced the price, she said she would still like to have him after his next checkup, But i also said that if it is found that he doesnt have it any more or there was a mistake on the vets part, the price will still be reduced, as we are aware of it now.


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## SavannahKitten (Mar 9, 2008)

I wasn't at the vets at the time, so my husband didn't ask about the grading of the heart murmur. I was under the impression that only cardiologists could give an approximate murmur grading. Is that not the case?

Any advice on whether to tell owners now, or wait?


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## rottiesloveragdolls (Nov 2, 2007)

SavannahKitten said:


> I wasn't at the vets at the time, so my husband didn't ask about the grading of the heart murmur. I was under the impression that only cardiologists could give an approximate murmur grading. Is that not the case?
> 
> Any advice on whether to tell owners now, or wait?


I think you should inform new slaves as soon as possible. x


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## Selk67U2 (May 5, 2008)

*The vets can usually tell by the murmur what grade it is. If there's a problem and it was a 4 or 5 then I was told more tests would need doing. 
I would tell the owners yes, I did and also put it on the Pet Plan Insurance, who are quite happy to take the problem off once the murmur has been confirmed gone by a vet I find honesty is the best policy*


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## SavannahKitten (Mar 9, 2008)

With no grading at the moment that seems cruel. 
If it's a grade two it could have gone by six months time.. presumably the larger the grade number the more dangerous it is?
I'll give the vets a call and see what he can advise.


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## SavannahKitten (Mar 9, 2008)

Sorry.. one of the kittens pressed submit before I could edit.
What I mean is, I need to be able to give the new owners a prognosis. A heart murmur sounds really bad, but it can be lived with in some cases. I need to be able to tell them the likely outcome.

That is if I can get the phone to work! *Presses buttons on new touch type keypad REALLY hard*


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## Selk67U2 (May 5, 2008)

*Yea, the larger the worse. best talk to your vet, he can give you all the details. *


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## SavannahKitten (Mar 9, 2008)

Oh dear. I know he recommended more tests. They're on lunch at the moment.

*worry worry*


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## Selk67U2 (May 5, 2008)

*Ahhh, don't worry too much. Get them to tell you what grade they think it is first. I was exactly the same last year. I rang the breeder of the Queen whose kittens it was, she went through everything with me(they've been breeding over 10 yrs) She put my mind at rest, told me to be upfront with the new owners and the insurance. Everything turned out just fine
Fingers crossed for you*


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## rottiesloveragdolls (Nov 2, 2007)

try not to worry, althou i know this is difficult with something like this, but until you know what grade the lower? the better!, there are some sites about it have a look on the net.
mines a grade 2, and he is as fit as a fiddle other than that. running me raggied, pardon the pun, lol


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## SavannahKitten (Mar 9, 2008)

Got hold of the vet at last.
He says it is around a grade 3. I've emailed the new owner to tell her as much as I know and ask her to think about her options. If she doesn't want the kitten, we'll keep her here. Thanks for the advice.


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## Selk67U2 (May 5, 2008)

*Ahhh, fingers crossed for you & the kitten. Glad you got some answers. Thanks for letting us know Savannah*


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## rottiesloveragdolls (Nov 2, 2007)

Now you know the grade, and it is low to mid, hopefully he will grow out of it, and have no ill effects! fingers crossed all goes well xx


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## SavannahKitten (Mar 9, 2008)

Heard back from the new owner a few hours ago. She was still in two minds whether to take her and after discussing the various scenarios she asked me what I would do and I told her not to have her. We educate owners to only buy fit kittens, so I'm not going to exempt myself from that rule.

Here's our little murmur furball. Dollycats Ginger Pudding. Picture was taken a few weeks ago, but I think it's cute!


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## Selk67U2 (May 5, 2008)

*Awww, bless her, she's so cute. You've done the best thing Savannah, you've been open & honest You never know, her heart murmur will hopefully go in a few months and you can decide wether to keep her or not then. I love the name by the way it's fab, lol. Suits her too*


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## Acrophylla (Apr 16, 2008)

One of my cats had a pronounced heart murmur which meant that he couldn't run very far and when out walking along the pavement he had to keep sitting down for a rest. But apart from that he led a happy life and enjoyed lying in the long grass in the garden watching the insects and birds. He was a very friendly and vocal cat and he enjoyed visiting the neighbours. So it was very sad when he had a heart attack and died aged twelve but up until then he was in good health and content.


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## sorolyapersians (Nov 1, 2008)

Hi, i'm in the same sort of position, only i am the one buying a female kitten for breeding, i have been told buy the breeder that my girl has a very slight heart murmur, the vet seems hopeful that she will grow out of it by 12wks, as she is 9wks now, the breeder is hopeful, but still devistated that she missed it as she checks her kittens all the time, but missed this one as very slight. I am devistated as i have been waiting and looking for the right kitten for 4 years. does anyone know if it is a grade 1 murmur, would she still be ok to breed from?


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## Janee (May 4, 2008)

Schimmel said:


> Depends on the grade of the murmur. Does your vet feel the kitten can be homed?
> 
> We had our first experience of a heart murmur last year. Took a litter to the vets only for our vet to examine Amaro and tell me she had a bad heart murmur and would not live past 2 years. Once she told me that, I brought the litter home, burst into tears and we knew that she'd be here in our family for life. She went through a very bad patch where we thought she would die a few months back. Close friends were visiting and saw her and also felt she wouldn't last the week, but now, she is as active as the rest of our cats, tears around like a loon, runs up and down the stairs, and I reckon she'll be herelonger than our vet thinks.
> 
> ...


As a pedigree pet owner can I congratulate you for putting this on your website - it rally informs potenial kitten buyers and also shows that you are aware and honest about illnesses whether hereditary or chance.


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## lynfs (Nov 3, 2007)

Hi 
We have had quite a few kittens that have had heart murmers diagnosed by the vet, Not all vets can hear it, but it seems it can be very common in pedigree cats. But they can grow out of it by the time they are aprox 6 months according to our vets. So don't worry too much.


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## Khouri (Oct 20, 2008)

Hey,

I thought I would post here as I took our two new moggies to the vet today for a check up and jabs and the vet said she thinks Kubrick may have a heart murmur. She didn't say what grade it was but said not to worry as most kittens will grow out of it... she said she had some difficultly detecting it and will check again in two weeks.

Is there anything that I can do to help him at all (food?Less/more exercise? etc?)? My OH is quite worried as he's now conviced poor little Kubrick's not going to last to a ripe old age


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## Sean Bagel (Nov 12, 2008)

Acrophylla said:


> One of my cats had a pronounced heart murmur which meant that he couldn't run very far and when out walking along the pavement he had to keep sitting down for a rest. But apart from that he led a happy life and enjoyed lying in the long grass in the garden watching the insects and birds. He was a very friendly and vocal cat and he enjoyed visiting the neighbours. So it was very sad when he had a heart attack and died aged twelve but up until then he was in good health and content.


The same can be said of our 12 year old cat, he had no ill health until last Oct when he came in one morning and couldn't move one of his back legs. At the time he was diagnosed with a heart murmur and CRF and the murmur had caused a clot in his leg. Bless him, he fully got over it but since that day has been on Fortekor and was given 1 to 2 years to live. Very sadly now and in the last month he has got fluid retention and is now on diuretics. CRF has taken it's hold on him now and we are in the un-enviable position of having to hep him on his way as he's been given two weeks (when we took him to the vets this Saturday as he's not eating). My wife and I will be heartbroken when he does go but it was going to happen one day. Interestingly enough, the vet gave him an anti-biotic to stimulate his appetite and he can't stay off the food now (this drug is a physcological one that is given to humans). Regrettably the fluid isn't going and the pills aren't working, plus he's not eating the pills. He also ran arounfd the lounge yesterday and almost looked like he was having a fit, but my wife was able to calm him down - afterwards he was sitting up bold as brass like nothing ha dever happened...!

That's our experience - sorry we can't help re. any kittens.

Sean


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## blueadept (Aug 27, 2009)

I have 2 bengal kittens from different litters but both around 3-4 months old. one has a small heart murmur which I imagine will probably go, or be insignificant.... but the other is a real worry, after the vet told me I went home and had a listen for myself. it's so clear even without a stethoscope.. I just held the kitten up to my ear!

I've even made a recording with a small MP3 player which is clear as day... if anyone knows more about it, perhaps you could have a listen, or if you don't... listen, then pick up a kitten and compare, you'll be able to hear the difference instantly.

http://www.fsck.co.uk/Heart_20090827.wma


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