Heart Murmur In Cats Symptoms

Fast shallow noisy or heavy breathing.

Heart murmur in cats symptoms. I adopted a beautiful solid black 4-year old female cat from a veterinary office a little over a year ago. The most common symptoms that are observed with a cat that has a clinically significant heart murmur are poor appetite weight loss or stunted growth in a kitten breathing problems pale gums lethargy or weakness. These noises are typically graded from 1 to 4 4 being the most severe.

Since the causes of heart murmurs in cats are varied their symptoms can be similarly diverse. Rapid or difficult breathing. Symptoms of a heart murmur can vary widely depending on several characteristics.

Stunted growth in kittens. However the clinical signs may be subtle and not noticeable until the disease becomes advanced. Symptoms of a heart murmur can vary widely depending on several characteristics.

Some other extracardiac heart murmurs are secondary or caused by changes in the heart that occur because of some other disease - in cats the most common cause of a secondary heart murmur is hyperthyroidism see handout Hyperthyroidism in Cats which causes a form of cardiomyopathy called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. If the heart murmur is severe enough to cause heart disease such as congestive heart failure then signs such as coughing difficulty breathing rapid breathing or even collapse may be seen. In more severe cases heart murmurs can even produce big vibrations that you may be able to feel through your cats.

It seems that a decent and sometimes a long life can be had by a cat with a heart murmur. Causes of Heart Murmurs in Cats. Loss of appetite anorexia Weight loss.

However it may be just one symptom of other symptoms that can also warn of a heart problem such as. Heart murmurs range from being practically inaudible even with a veterinary stethoscope to being very loud. Sudden loss of function of one or more legs due to blood clots obstructing blood flow to the affected legs.