Change to for all cat owners?

Question

I have a cat with an enlarged heart. I'm curious to see how long they can survive with this condition, based on other owners. We do not give him medication because it made his coughing spells worse. He acts normal and is happy. I'm just wondering if anyone else has a cat with this condition and a rough life span on the little fellows.

Answer 1

Enlargement of the heart means that there is some damage to the heart, perhaps as an inherited condition (such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy), or perhaps because there is congenital valve damage or malformation to other parts of the heart. Obviously it won't work as effectively. Cats usually are good to determine the level of activity and exercise tolerance that produces the least stress. But, there is no way to really say how long your cat might live with this condition. Depending on the amount of damage to the heart, he could live several years or only a few months. The heart provides oxygen to all the organs, and a cat with a damaged heart may not provide adequate oxygen to his other organs. So instead of heart failure being the actual cause of death, he may become affected by liver or kidney failure. Sometimes cats with these conditions develop clots that clog the arteries to the hindquarters (saddle thrombosis) too. It's unfortunately a grim diagnosis.

Answer 2

We had this in our dog, black lab. Same thing I would assume.
Medication made her cough more and lethargic. We took her off of it and she made it for another year. He cough was much better after taking her off the meds.
She was 16yrs old and the usual life span for a lab is about 12yrs old. She also developed cancer within that year.
I guess it all really depends on how enlarged it is and it's growth rate.
:-)