I’ll get right to it: Andy has a heart murmur. It’s a new development, one we need to examine a bit more to determine what happens next.
Monday the 24th at 8:30 AM, Andy and I will return to his veterinarian for measurement of his blood pressure, some X-rays, an ECG, and possibly an ultrasound. I’ll stay with him for the first part, maybe stick around till it’s all done. What the first part of the tests reveals will determine all that. He may have to take medicine for it or not, another thing to be determined
That noted, I easily caught Andy for today’s appointment. He was asleep in the dryer, his favorite hidey hole for heavy sleeping. He hasn’t made a peep before when put in the carrier, but today he made upset sounds more like Dougy usually makes: He was not happy!
Andy weighed in at 10.4 pounds (4.7 kilos), which is a bit heavier than last time, but still a good weight for him.
His teeth are great! A long time ago, he had to have one of those tiny incisors on the bottom removed because it was rubbing against the canine above it. You can’t tell he had one removed. Crowded and crooked teeth aren’t all that unusual in Persians. Had we left the incisor in, it eventually would’ve worn a spot on the inside of the canine, a more critical tooth.
Poor Andy! Today he wanted back in the carrier! I think he was a bit frightened, something not typical for him.
Ms. Veterinarian Technician calmed and reassured poor Andy. He needed all the calming we could give him. After she put him back down on the examination table, I stroked his back and scratched his ears just the way he likes it. He calmed down between our “treatments”.
I kid you not, I am concerned. Though Andy and Dougy both went through some horrific health issues as kittens, things’ve been relatively routine since. Teeth issues for Andy; eye issues for Dougy. Both required a little extra care, but nothing too extreme to assure the boys are comfortable, happy, and healthy.
I remind myself that my mother, who died just weeks short of her 99th birthday, also had a heart murmur. She was very athletic most of her life, and the murmur caused her no problems other than it was just there, something to track “just in case….”
Monday the 24th, the day I take Andy back in for the tests, would’ve been Mom’s 100th birthday. No connection, but sometimes there are odd coincidences that cause you to pause.
Ali was born with a heart murmur and has always been on a special diet but no medications and gets checked every 6 months by our vet, and she is doing great.
Ali is sending kitty prayers Andys way.
I hope Andy can be cared for that way. He and Dougy are on an indoor adult cat diet that’s lower in fat and higher in fiber (I think it is), among other things. Regardless, I’ll do what needs to be done for the little guy!
The coincidence between your Mom and Andy gave me the shivers. I am sending good thoughts your way for the best outcome. Paws crossed for you both. Love, Maggie
Thanks! I think Andy will do fine no matter what his veterinarian finds. I attached a video of Andy bugging his brother to my post for today. (Nr. 319, I think it is….) Andy certainly doesn’t act like an invalide, so I take some comfort from that!
Bummer about the news. The good things are: the heart murmur has been detected and can be monitored, Andy probably doesn’t know or care, and it sounds as if lots of pets and people survive with one (one of my cousins has a heart murmur and holds the national record for running a mile in a southern USA state). The bad thing is: you have to worry!
Hope it’s good news on the 24th. Will be thinking of you all.
Thank you! As I’ve noted, my Mom lived to be nearly 99 years old with a heart murmur, and she was very athletic, too. Andy and Dougy rip around the apartment at speeds that clearly suggest healthy (or at least not impaired) hearts. I take that as my starting point for hoping for the best
That’s a perfect starting point. Hope all is well.
Poor Andy. 🙁
I hope and pray they will be able to help him.
I’ve know/have known humans and animals with heart murmurs and they do/did just fine.
Yes, those odd happenings do give us pause.
(((HUGS)))
Thank you, too. Andy likes to sleep in the dryer. Louie the ginger cat liked to sleep there as well, and I’ll never forget the terrible morning I went to see if he was feeling better than the night before, but found him dead in the dryer. He barely could walk the night before, but somehow managed to climb into his sanctuary. I still cry when I think about it….
Well, so much for morbid thoughts. I’ll be glad when all the tests are done on Andy, and I know what has to be done to assure he has a long and good life.
If it helps, Gus has had a murmur his whole life and it never has done him any harm these 16+ years.
Actually, that is very comforting to know! As noted in the text above, my mother also had a heart murmur her whole life, and wasn’t held back by it. Of course, there are different types of heart murmurs from different causes. I looked it up on the Internet so I’ll have some sense of what Andy’s veterinarian has to tell me Monday. (I’ll take it, the print out, with me, and have him mark by the parts that pertain to Andy’s condition.)
p.s. Thank you! I’ve tried not to worry about this, but I find myself petting Andy more since I learned about the heart murmur, scratching his head and ears the way he likes more, just to have contact with this sweet little cat and to reassure myself that he’s basically OK, just a little broken.
It is good that they are checking the heart murmur. Will keep my fingers crossed for Andy. Hopefully it only requires monitoring.
I hope so, too, but I will do whatever has to be done to help hiim have good quality of life.
Vets can do a lot now. One of my dogs (Ms. Sierra) has had chronic kidney disease from when I got her about 9 years ago. With a special diet and some meds she has had a good life. Sierra may not be with us much longer but she certainly had a happy life.
I definitely hope for the best for wee Andy. Dougy and I would be lost without him.