Cat owners - anyone with any experience with "heart murmurs"?

[Lynn B]

Thank you, all of you, for your stories and experiences. I appreciate it so much. I can see that it could go either way with little Boo. Meanwhile, I am still waiting to hear back from the breeder about a partial refund... and I'm starting to feel a little frustrated.

Thought I'd share a picture taken yesterday.
Little Boo peeking around the corner. (I guess that would make this a Peek-a-Boo Photo!

)

ETA: EEEK, awfully large and grainy... sorry!

 

[Lynn B]

And here''s another picture of the little fur-baby... he is SO adorable.

 

[FireGoddess]

So. Fuzzy. Must. Squeeze. Kitty.

 

[AmberGretchen]

SO CUTE

I would just never be able to put him down - he looks so completely snuggly!!

 

[Miranda]

I''m gonna die Lynn!!! What a cutie!!!! DD and I stared at the pic for a long, long time talking in a crazy voice to the computer. DH is sure Pricescope is driving me mad!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 5/17/2007 11:00:07 PM
Author: Miranda
I''m gonna die Lynn!!! What a cutie!!!! DD and I stared at the pic for a long, long time talking in a crazy voice to the computer. DH is sure Pricescope is driving me mad!

Glad I''m not the only one! Lynn he is completely precious!!!

 

[moremoremore]

Golden- Are you going to the AMC? My Scotty saw a cardiologist there too....I forget his name...he was very good...

Lynn- Hmmm. This for me is a very tough call....You know that I adore animals of all kinds and am always willing to help and love the sickies (btw, it's always a good idea to do the FIV and FELV etc tests...animals can be newly infected and come up negative...like my Scotty was...I'm glad your baby doesn't have that).....

BUT, I've just been down that road twice...Dealing with two sick cats in a row was heartbreaking for me....I don't know if I could do it again...NOTHING may come of this murmur....but it may complicate routine things later (if kitty ever needs sedation later, etc)...This is a HARD choice for you... All I can say is follow your heart...no pun intended. You need to be realistic here....Maybe you can give this kitten the care it needs where others won't or cant'...not saying this at ALL to guilt you bc again, I don't know if I could do it....Or can you just say to yourself, I just can't go through any potential problems....Again, no shame in that decision... My heart goes out to you (geez, again with the pun).... I will say that my Scotty was HIV and had BAD heart disease and kidney disease, but he was still with us for years, and he was like an angel to me, bringing me so much love that in retrospect, I wouldn't have had it any other way....He was worth all of the effort...

IMO, the breeder should TOTALLY give you a partial refund....I know this doesn't all boil down to $ for you, but it's only right...

And let me just say MEOWZER. That is just about one of the cutest kitties I've ever seen!!!!!!! I'm sure that doesn't make it any easier....THAT PINK NOSE IS KILLING ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If it makes you feel better, I have a murmur too LOL..and I"m ok!

 

[Lorelei]

Also Lynn, another way of looking at it, even with a supposedly healthy cat that you can never know how long they will live. We lost our Teddy last year, our Himalayan, he had only just had his 7th birthday a week previously. He died of acute kidney failure and weighed about 13 pounds at his autopsy. Our vet who had known and helped us care for Teddy since he was 9 weeks old was shocked and amazed at the condition he was in as he performed the autopsy. His findings were, one kidney was greatly enlarged and doing the work of the other, which was actually tiny and deformed, probably a birth defect. There was no way of anyone knowing that Teddy had this time bomb inside him, especially as he was such a huge and beautiful cat who enjoyed great health.

I just wanted to post this as another way of looking at things, sometimes life doesn't go according to plan, and with the best will in the world, we can do our best to pick out a healthy fur baby, but there are no guarantees. All we can ever do is our best and hope for the best, your Boo boy may live for many years with no problems, so enjoy him, and monitor him closely with your vet.

 

[Lynn B]

Well, I finally heard back from the breeder. She has offered to reimburse me $100 and would like me to get another opinion (at my expense). I don''t know what I was expecting exactly, but I guess it was more. *oh well* Anyway, I made an appointment with another vet for next Friday, hopefully Baby Boo will get a good report. But if this vet verifies what my vet said... I will be bummed, on many different levels.

The breeder said her vet said it was a "very, very slight" murmur, barely perceptible, and would likely go away on its own. "Absolutely nothing to worry about." (That''s why she didn''t mention it, she says.) My vet said just the opposite. But my vet does seem to have a prejudice against animal breeders in general, doesn''t have too much good to say about most of them. Maybe that colored his diagnosis somewhat? I hate to think so, but we are all only human, with our own biases, quirks and foibles.

In the meantime, he becomes dearer and dearer to us with each passing day. Here he was asleep in my arms, just as floppy as a... well... as a ragdoll!

 

[FireGoddess]

OMG that picture of sleepies with those feets in the air - I can hardly stand it. Having never bought a pedigreed animal I have no idea what one could cost - what %age of the cost does her reimbursement work out to? I have no idea whether it''s a good offer or an insulting one. The suggestion that you go to yet another vet [on your dime] seems a little unfair - you already did go to a vet that has disagreed with what her vet has said. Seems like the responsibility would fall on her shoulders...

 

[Lynn B]

FG,
When I first inquired, I was told kittens were "$600", which seems to be the "going rate" and not unreasonable for this part of the country (and this cost usually includes neutering). After we had met with her several times AND chose the kitten we wanted, we were then casually informed that his neutering charge would be $90 more (he had to be neutered before we could take him.) Well, alrighty then... *whatever*... and then there's "TAX, of course." Well, when we picked him up, she said the final neutering cost ended up being $105, not $90... so all-in-all-done, he cost $741, not counting vet visit #1 and soon-to-be vet visit #2.

All I can say is it's just a darn good thing he's such a 4-star sweetheart!!!

Lookit them big ol' sweetie tufty feeties!!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Lynn, he is SOOOOOO precious! I can see how easy it is to fall in love with him. My grayson had a murmur that he grew out of (like I said before). So just remember it is more than possible. I remember the vet saying they were common for young kittens.

 

[Miranda]

OMG. I am laughing at Boo''s sleeping pic because I have the very same pic of Leo sleeping with his arms stretched out like that. He doesn''t sleep like that now that he''s a big boy and I sure miss it!

 

[scarleta]

", but there are no guarantees."as Lorelei said.I agree there is no guarantee and no perfection either.Down the road something else can get discovered one never knows.We hope it will work out just fine.Good luck

 

[Lynn B]

Update... and VERY good news!

We had our vet appointment (with the vet in a neighboring town) and he said he couldn't hear ANY significant murmur! He gave Boo a thorough exam and when we told him what OUR vet had said, he said, "Hmmm... well, Dr. XXX is a great vet, so if he said he heard it, he heard it. But I don't hear ANYTHING now. Let me ask my partner to listen." So he took Boo to his partner, also in the building at the time, and he couldn't hear anything significant either. Said since he was LOOKING for it, MAAAAYBE a very, VERY slight murmur (less than 1 on a 1-6 scale), but even that was reaching, and if we hadn't mentioned it, he would never have noted anything! He said he does have a somewhat unusual "breathing pattern", nothing even remotely serious, just quirky... and maybe that threw our vet off... OR the murmur could have gone away in these last few weeks. But, which or whatever, he gave Boo a totally clean bill of health and said it was his opinion that he saw no reason why Boo wouldn't have a long, healthy life!

So thank you all for your support, encouragement and sage words of advice. I appreciate all of it so much! xoxoxo

 

[Lynn B]

*BIG yawn!*
It''s EXHAUSTING being a busy little (healthy!) kitten!!!

 

[Lynn B]

Here''s both of them... Buster (mine) with Boo (my daughter''s)... watching the bird feeder outside the window.

It''s their cable TV, they LOVE it! (We call it the Bird Channel!)

 

[Lynn B]

And one more, just because I''m so happy and relieved I could *POP*!

Boo and Buster asleep on the sofa, amid the quilts...

 

[Miranda]

Yay!!! I just replied in your pet food thread. I am so glad to hear that Boo is doing well! He is soooo precious. I LOVE his mask! It makes me think, Zorro!

 

[Gypsy]

My cats did that a while when they were first friends... but eventually their solitary natures took over and thier love of rubs and humna affections rebounded 2 fold. Just call for them when the are near, reward them with treats occasionally when they come and give them lots of rubs when they are near. It''ll get better.

 

[AmberGretchen]

OMG Lynn I''m so glad you updated this thread with the wonderful news and the adorable new pictures of Boo (especially love the ones with Buster!!)

He looks like such a healthy, happy, growing boy, he''s just beautiful, and I''m so glad to hear his odds of a long, healthy life are so good!

 

[rainbowtrout]

must....snuggle...the adorableness!

 

[Lynn B]

Awwwwwwwww, thanks, everyone! He is a 4-star sweetheart, for sure. I don't think he knows *how* to hiss or growl. Really! We all just love him SO much. He's growing like a weed, too. Not even 5 months old and almost 6.5 pounds already!

Here he is napping with big "brother", Buster. SOOOOOOOO cute!!!

 

[AmberGretchen]

Oh Lynn I think that may be the cutest kitty picture I have EVER SEEN!! You better be careful or me, FG, Gypsy, Rainbowtrout and all the many other kitty-loving PSers are going to be showing up at your house to see this ADORABLE pair haha!!

Seriously though, thank you SO MUCH for sharing that picture - it is seriously one of the cutest things EVER! I''m glad to hear that Boo is such a sweetie pie - he sounds like such a love. Be sure to enjoy this small stage - before you know it it will hurt to pick him up...Oliver is already up to 13+ lbs at almost 12 months!!

 

[Lynn B]

Aw, AG, you got me smiling from ear-to-ear!!! Thanks so much!
xoxoxo

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Buster looks just like our Madison! Boo is SOOOOOOOOOOO freaking cute! I want him! I love their photos together. How sweet are they?

 

[Lynn B]

Date: 6/25/2007 9:16:10 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Buster looks just like our Madison! Boo is SOOOOOOOOOOO freaking cute! I want him! I love their photos together. How sweet are they?

Thanks, Tacori!

I know, aren''t they adorable?!

That photo was NOT "staged" in any way, either... I just walked into the family room and... *there they were*!

How old is your Madison? Have you had her since she was a baby? (And does she SHED like CRAZY???! Egads, he sure does.)

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 6/25/2007 9:32:53 PM
Author: Lynn B

Date: 6/25/2007 9:16:10 PM

Author: Tacori E-ring

Buster looks just like our Madison! Boo is SOOOOOOOOOOO freaking cute! I want him! I love their photos together. How sweet are they?

Thanks, Tacori!


I know, aren''t they adorable?!

That photo was NOT ''staged'' in any way, either... I just walked into the family room and... *there they were*!



How old is your Madison? Have you had her since she was a baby? (And does she SHED like CRAZY???! Egads, he sure does.)

She is 6 years old. I got her from a shelter at 5 weeks. She was so cute (well she still is!) She is a dog cat, VERY friendly to people (not really to other animals) She is very loving. She follows us around (always has to know what is going on!) Both our cats shed quite a bit (summer is worse). They seriously could be twins! Our other is a white/gray male that we also got at 5 weeks. He was the one with the heart murmur. He is clumsy and makes the funniest noises (like a bird). We call him tubby (his real name is Grayson) b/c his belly is rather larger. It swings back and forth! He walks like a drunken cowboy (bow legged) He is more independent than Madison. More of a loner. Sometimes they cuddle but it is rare.

 

[Miranda]

Boo and Buster are so cute! Thanks for the new pics. I love seeing them.