How serious is a heart murmur in a cat? My cat (who adopted me!) has been diagnosed with…
It’s important to note that a heart murmur is not a disease itself but a symptom of something. It is heard when there is a disturbance of blood flow through the valves of the heart. This can be caused by many different things.
Many cats may have what is called an innocent murmur, where there are no changes in the heart. A murmur can sometimes be heard if too much pressure is placed on the chest while listening to the heart. In other cases, it can be due to actual heart disease. At this point, the best thing to do is an ultrasound of the heart to try to determine why the murmur is happening. If there are no heart changes, there is likely nothing to worry about. If there are changes in the heart and/or heart disease, then medications may be needed and prognosis depends on the severity of the disease. Hope this helps and that it turns out to be nothing to worry about.
Original post by Cat Advice (Emotional): Purina® Cat Chow® Mentor Amy Shojai and software by Elliott Back
