We took Tom to the Vets this morning for his annual check up and booster jab. The lovely lady vet gave him a thorough rummage and check over, listened to his heart then said
"Do you know he's got a heart murmur..."
We had absolutely no idea. Apparently cats are supposed to lose weight with this condition. Tom is 3.7 kilos - as normal. He has an excellent (if slightly gourmet) appetite. He hustles for treats whenever he can get away with it and is ferociously irritable if his regular food fails to appear at an acceptable time. He's drinking normally.
He's quite an old cat (11 years) and he prefers to stay indoors. I thought that he'd slowed up a little over the winter, but I attributed it to the fact that he wasn't going out at all. I thought that he'd just got a little bit 'cranky'.
Now we know what's going on. The vet has told me just to keep an eye on how he's sleeping. If he sleeps in a normal curled up ball then he's feeling OK. If he sleeps in the 'tea cosy' position then he's probably struggling to breathe and we should have him checked out again. We also need to keep an eye on his appetite and drinking habits.
At the moment he's sprawled out across the duvet in our bedroom. He's had some cooked ham treats AND a little bit of cheesy baked bean sauce at lunchtime. He demanded his tinned food about 30 minutes ago and I told him to wait until I'd finished blogging.
He's got a very good life for a cat - I just hope that he's going to be with us for a fair bit longer..
Stand and Stare... My blog about crochet and crafting; concerts and countryside; cooking, cars and cats.
He's a beautiful cat! And what a fantastic life he has! I'm sure he has a lot more years ahead of him yet :) (I didn't know that cat's could have a heart murmour either)
ReplyDeleteMarina x
Well obviously you've been looking after him alright. He looks as happy as Larry. Sue
ReplyDeleteJan, He is a beautiful cat. Our little friends really know how to scare us don't they. I am happy you vet told you what to look for. Sending you hugs and warm thoughts. Bonnie
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Thomas, he sounds like he is being thoroughly spoilt... as he should be :) xx
ReplyDeleteEleven isn't really that old for a cat. It sounds like he's doing pretty good. He is a beautiful boy!
ReplyDeleteI trust that Tom will have many happy years ahead of him yet. All my cats have lived until at least 15 and one made it to 19!
ReplyDeleteHe's gorgeous Jan. Same age as Marmalade too. We were told a year or so back she had a heart murmur but each time we have been back since they havent mentionned it. The vet is obviously not too concerned.I sometimes think they have ulterior motives for such things, mainly to get you to spend money.
ReplyDeleteThat was something I wondered... Glad to hear that Marmalade is in good health. Jx
DeleteI am sorry to hear that he has a heart murmur! He is such a lovely Cat.
ReplyDeleteGood to know what to look for in sleeping positions - that is good information to know. We have an older Cat, too. He is rather large as well (he was 20 lbs when we got him at the pound), but today is down to 16 lbs (which made our Vet happy).
Sounds like you are a good Cat Mama. Hope he continues to be happy and healthy.
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Bless him. It doesn't sound as though he's doing too badly though, he's obviously loved very much and treated like royalty (as all animals should be).
ReplyDeleteIs there anything that can be done for a heart murmur in a cat that age? He does seem to have the ideal life, kind of like my cat - except for being able to sleep on my bed. lol
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful life your cat is enjoying! I've never heard of baked bean cheese sauce, but it sounds like your kitty eats well!
ReplyDeleteThomas is such a beautiful cat and I'm sure with all the love and care he gets he will be with you for a few more years yet. At least now you know he has a problem and how to deal with it. Our two are 17 and are slowing down and not going out as much as they used to, one of them is deaf and they have both started to yowl rather loudly at times as if slightly confused but apart from that seem to be quite healthy for their age:)
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