id taken my kittens to the vets for a check over. it came out that 1 of them has a heart murmur. i was told that if shes not playful or not eating i should take her back.will it clear up? or will it be with her for life? can anyone help me understand about this please as my cats have never had this b4. thanks for your time .
2006-11-21 03:03:11 · 8 answers · asked by eat_youup 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
theses are my kittens and their staying with me wouldnt give them up for the world. lol
2006-11-21 03:13:56 · update #1
Just to hearten you. I have a Shiba Inu (dog) who has a servere hole in the heart. I adoped him from the breeder because she was told (and all the books on the subject stated) that he would be unlikly to live to a year. He is nearly two years old now and he plays ball all day long if you let him. He's had a couple of turns when he was exhausted and gave me cause for concern, but he's fine and at least even if he doesn't live as long as he should, he is having a great life with lots of love. BTW my inlaws have a Cavilier Spaniel who has always had a heart murmer and he is 9 years old. So any heartless cretin that tells you "just have it put down" wants to be careful when they go for a checkup with their GP. LOL
2006-11-21 03:46:12 · answer #1 · answered by Ann 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A heart murmur means that the heart is making an abnormal sound when the vet listens to it. In a young animal this is caused by a deformity of the heart. It is not possible for the vet to tell what is wrong without using an anaesthetic and ultrasound or x-rays.
In many cases, the heart murmur is mild and does not cause any long-term problems. The cat may have a slightly shorter life-expectancy but have no obvious symptoms. In more serious cases the heart will not be able to pump enough blood, which will make the cat feel very woozy.
The only real treatment for a serious heart murmur is open-heart surgery - a bit drastic. The kitten may well get along just fine as it is, in which case there is no point doing loads of investigations. Just keep an eye on the kitty as the vet suggested, and good luck with your kittens. If you are re-homing these kittens then I suggest that you tell the new owners about the murmur so that they are fully aware of what they are taking on.
2006-11-21 03:11:29 · answer #2 · answered by stienbabe 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The big question here is what will an ultrasound do? Its may tell you how bad the murmur is but that is irrelevant. If its not bad, you have him castrated and he lives a healthy life. If its bad you don't have him neutered and he starts spraying and gets kicked outside or euthanized. Why not just have him neutered, knowing their may be risk involved. He will probably be fine and you don't waste time and stress on a test that doesn't fix the problem. And no, being spooked would not have any impact on the murmur. Sounds like your vet is competent and you are going down the right path in giving your kitty a good life. Good luck!
2016-05-22 07:09:56 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi - my dog has a heart murmer - he's fit and healthy and 9 times out of 10 they will be fine. Like the vet said just keep an eye on your kitten and if it starts to seem different take her for a check up. But my dog has lived 7 years with one and is absolutely fine. Try not to worry I'm sure kitty will be fine. :-)
2006-11-21 03:08:22 · answer #4 · answered by andrewslindsey 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
the heart murmur will stay with the cat for the rest of it's life just follow the instructions the vet gives you and make regular appointments with vet so he can monitor the cat
thank you
2006-11-21 04:19:07 · answer #5 · answered by cooks delight 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just look after your little kitten I think she'll be fine,try not to worry to much,best of luck.
2006-11-21 05:18:24 · answer #6 · answered by shirley m 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
one of my kittens had a heart murmur and he grew out of it. so don't be too worried.
2006-11-21 04:18:00 · answer #7 · answered by macleod709 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you should have it put-down. those things are hard enough to cure in humans and would cost you thousands to even try to cure it in a cat.
Save the poor mite from the suffering and end it now.
2006-11-21 03:06:45 · answer #8 · answered by le_coupe 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋