Cat with a heart murmur

Metranil_Vavin

Our cat does get very stressed when we take her to the vets, she absolutely hates going in the cat carrier so it is very possible that her heart murmur is more pronounced when she gets to the vets.

I can't say she is showing any symptoms/changes in her behaviour though. She is very much a house cat, and prefers to be inside for the majority of the day. I normally let her out for a bit when I get in from work, but she's always happy to come back in.

She's been very clingy since our other cat died, but apart from that all seems as normal.

I'll definitely check my insurance policy..I meant to do that today actually but had a hectic day so it completely slipped my mind. I do wonder sometimes how many things vets tell you should be done are really necessary.

Thanks for all your posts and thoughts though, much appreciated

Jessc_2

Hi all,

Sorry to bring this three up again but just need some advice about my cat with a heart murmur.

Our cat was diagnosed a year ago (age 6 months) with a mild heart murmur. The vet said he was fine and it was nothing to worry about but now the insurance is up for renewal and we want to get illness included just in case.

Anyone have any idea of what/who to go with? And how much cover to get? Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated

Cheers

penny_pincha

Don't dump your old policy in a hurry if your old insurance policy was started before your cat was diagnosed with a heart murmur. But also get quotes from new insurance companies so you can compare. Look carefully at any new policies, as some policies won't insure you for a condition if it was diagnosed before you took it out. That is, if your cat had illness, treatment or passed away due to the heart murmur the company wouldn't pay out.

Having said that mild heart murmurs don't affect the cat at all. Also I had a kitten who was diagnosed with a heart murmur at 9 weeks but wasn't present at 12 weeks. Apparently a vet pushing too firmly with the stethoscope on the chest can get a false diagnosis and a cat sniffing at unusual smells when the vet is listening can also sound like a heart murmur. So it may be worthwhile to have your cat checked again but by a different vet (a lady vet possibly won't push so firmly.)

Good luck and let us know how you get on. :j

Jessc_2

Interesting...
He's been to the vets twice now (once at 6 months, another time a year later) and she's mentioned it both times (the same vet) However, she stressed to us that it is mild and he will probably be fine. I'm just concerned that if, in the long run, he needs to have medication for it we won't be covered. Do you think it's already too late?

The policy is up for renewal anyway so we're not necessarily changing just because of this.