18
May
Some severe heart conditions may not be associated with any heart murmur at all and some quite loud murmurs may occur with relatively small defects. Veterinarians use a scale of one to six to evaluate the intensity or loudness of a heart murmur.
This type of murmur is benign not harmful.
How long can cats live with a heart murmur. My cat Arthur has a bad heart murmur he is about 7 years old and very healthy my vet said as long as he doesnt get out of breath and is generally fairly active then he suspects that he was born with it and has had to cope with it. I was told that his life expectancy would be no different to a cat without a heart murmur. One type of innocent heart murmur is often found in young growing kittens particularly kittens that are growing rapidly.
The murmur may first appear at 6-8 weeks of age and a kitten with an innocent heart murmur will usually outgrow it by about 4-5 months of age. This type of murmur is benign not harmful. In the case of a physiologic heart murmur yes it will go away on its own.
For young kittens once they turn about 45 months of age this condition will disappear. Innocent heart murmurs in stressed cats will stop when they have calmed down and their heart rate turns back to normal. On its own a heart murmur is not a reliable indicator of heart function and is commonly found in healthy cats.
Many healthy cats with a heart murmur never develop any problems with their heart and go on to lead long happy and healthy lives. The prognosis depends on the cause of the heart murmur. Heart murmurs are graded 1-6 with 1 being of the least concern and 6 being of the most concern.
Cats Protection will only refer a cat. These benign murmurs are generally low in intensity and dont occur with other signs or symptoms that indicate a disease or illness. Innocent murmurs are common in young kittensespecially when theyre going through a growth spurtand generally stop at around 4 or 5 months of age.
Many cats can live for many years with stabilized heart disease. Our goal at Cat Care Clinic is always to provide the best and most comprehensive medical care possible for your cat and the best education for you all in our clinic built to reduce stress and fear for your beloved feline friend. To further complicate matters heart murmurs in cats can come and go being heard on one day but not the next.
Murmurs may be noticed when a cat is stressed and the heart rate has increased but be gone a few minutes later when a cat has calmed down. They are graded according to their intensity usually grade one to six but the grade can also change on a daily basis. Congestive heart failure life expectancy varies considerably depending on the severity of the disease.
Moreover the more advanced the poorer the prognosis. Also how long can a cat live with congestive heart failure. Certainly most cats have a life expectancy of between six and 18 months.
And up to to 3 years with proper medication. Usually these murmurs are found during puppy and kitten exams. Sometimes these murmurs can only be detected later in life.
The severity and causes of congenital murmurs vary widely. We recommend baseline testing for puppies or kittens with a heart murmur that is greater than a grade 2 and still present after 5 to 6 months of age. Hello Intestinal parasites do not cause heart murmurs.
Your kitten most likely has a congenital heart issue that may or may not go away. Recheck with your family veterinarian in 3 months as advised so that they can listen and see if the heart murmur has gotten worse. Generally cats with higher grades of heart murmurs have other physical symptoms if your vet suspects a cardiac issue.
These might include weight loss lack of appetite trouble breathing pale mucous membranes and lethargy. Heart murmurs in kittens often disappear by the time of. Heart murmurs can occur in both dogs and cats.
The location and radiation of the murmur as well as the timing during cardiac cycle is another way to determine the underlying cause. This can be accomplished by conducting a variety of tests including chest X-rays. Many cats live their entire lives with murmurs that cause no problems and in fact a murmur may only be detected through routine vet checkups.
Murmurs can be congenital meaning the cat is born with it or a cat can develop one over time. Some more serious heart murmurs can indicate underlying problems most commonly heart disease. Veterinarians use a scale of one to six to evaluate the intensity or loudness of a heart murmur.
A grade one is a very faint heart murmur that usually requires a quiet atmosphere to detect it. On the other side of the spectrum a grade six heart murmur is so loud that it can be heard without a stethoscope explains Gibbons. Some severe heart conditions may not be associated with any heart murmur at all and some quite loud murmurs may occur with relatively small defects.
Causes of heart murmurs. Although the presence of a murmur usually implies an underlying heart condition murmurs can sometimes have other causes. In young kittens so-called innocent heart murmurs may be heard as an incidental finding.
These are usually no longer. Even cats with a more severe murmur accompanied by Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can live for many years if they respond well to medical treatment. However if a cat with a heart murmur develops congestive heart failure their life expectancy will be about 6 to 18 months.