Advice for owners of cats diagnosed with heart murmurs

August 21, 2024

Dear Dr. Fox:

We have a cat that might have a heart murmur. Rocky is a 3-year-old domestic shorthair orange tabby. He has always gotten a good bill of health during his annual checkups.

We adopted Rocky from a shelter foster family when he was 6 months old. He eats a grain-free diet of canned and dry food. He loves to chase (and be chased) and play with his toys. He can be very jumpy and will hide when friends visit or the doorbell rings.

During his last checkup, our vet detected what might be a quiet heart murmur. She told me that it might not be anything to worry about, but she advised us to come back in six months so that she could check again.

From my basic research, it seems that heart murmurs are very common in cats and that many are not serious and do not require much treatment. I read that sometimes stress can be a contributing or complicating factor.

Do you have any general advice or recommendations for owners of cats diagnosed with heart murmurs?

D.B., Hyattsville

DF: Your veterinarian is following the protocol that I endorse: When there is the possibility of a congenital heart disorder, and the cat appears quite healthy, evaluate the cat's overall condition and heart function after a few months to see whether there have been any changes.

Most probably, all is well. Your cat probably has a “noisy valve” that, in most instances, is a congenital developmental defect. If the defect is minor, the heart muscle and size should remain normal. This should be reevaluated during your cat’s annual wellness examination.

As a precaution, I would give your cat a daily supplement of heart-protective taurine, Coenzyme Q10 and a few drops of fish oil. Ask your veterinarian to help you determine the dosage.

WORRIED ABOUT WATER

Dear Dr. Fox:

I am sitting here, looking at the rain pouring down, after reading your column about poisonous water worries.

You mentioned “agricultural runoff,” which brought up a memory of a discussion I had with some friends about squirrels dying at people’s doorsteps after a golf course is sprayed with chemicals. And I had a visual of all the runoff seeping into the oceans. We are the only mammals who kill that which sustains us. We are our own doom. And, believe it or not, I am an optimist.

Thank you for writing such good advice on natural remedies. Hopefully, more people will follow your direction. I’ve been a natural health advocate for more than 30 years. It’s taken a long time for people to realize that there is a natural cure for everything, if it’s caught in time. If you lead a healthy life, this will help keep the pollutants around you at bay longer.

N.H., Royal Palm Beach, Fla.

DF: Your account of the golf course chemicals killing squirrels reminds me of some sudden-death reports of golfers playing on recently sprayed greens.

We are the only animal that fouls its own nest, yet we call ourselves Homo sapiens — man, the wise. Because of our numbers, we have become a planetary infestation, and because of our position in the chemically contaminated food chain, the milk of far too many mothers puts their babies at risk.

It is time for us to wise up and realize that when we take care of nature, nature will take care of us. I applaud Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton’s advocacy of all rivers having buffer zones of natural vegetation to reduce agricultural chemical runoff (his supporting wolf hunting and trapping in the state notwithstanding).

SHUNNED BY DOG

Dear Dr. Fox:

I am very concerned about my daughter’s female Shih Tzu, who will soon be 2 years old. For the past few months, when we go to visit, she will greet us and then go to her bed in the kitchen or on the landing of the steps. When we get ready to leave, she will come and allow us to pet her and say goodbye.

Yesterday, she came to our home and was obviously under stress the whole time she was here. She was panting and insisted that our daughter take her outside or home. As soon as she arrived home, she was back to her normal self.

She has always been a licker, especially of hands, feet or the kitchen floor. She is being fed dry dog food (a half-cup a day) and water, but she acts as though she is hungry all the time.

Before she was born, I had a failed surgery, and I have two stomata. The upper one has an ostomy bag that allows me to eat small amounts of food and then empty it. The other stoma has two tubes for formula feeding and meds. We are very careful to keep everything clean and sanitary to avoid any odor. There was a time when the dog was more playful, and my daughter would warn me to make sure the dog didn’t accidentally puncture the bag.

We cannot figure out why she doesn’t want to be around me in particular, other than to greet me and let me tell her goodbye. I am the only person she acts this way with.

J.H., Woodbridge

DF: Your daughter's dog might be reading your body language, which could include protective and guarding movements, or posturing to stop the dog from damaging your ostomy bag. As for odor, you don't have the nose of a dog. Most likely, from the dog's perspective, you smell and behave differently from other people.

My real concern is that the poor dog might be starving — not for affection, but for food. A half-cup of dry dog food once a day is ridiculous. Small, active dogs need three meals a day of a half-cup of good-quality dry and canned dog food. Check my Web site for some good brands and varieties.

SPECIAL DIETS FOR CATS

Dear Dr. Fox:

I have a 14-year-old male tuxedo cat who has had the perineal urethrostomy surgery. He is prone to struvite crystals.

I feed him canned Royal Canin Urinary SO and switch off with Iam’s Urinary-S canned. With the dry food, I switch between Urinary SO and Purina One SMARTBlend Urinary.

When I used to leave dry food down for him, he developed a urinary tract infection, so I am cautious about too much dry. I used to cook chicken for him, but then he wouldn’t eat anything else.

I have another female cat who is 2 years old. I feed her canned Fancy Feast (she loves it) and either Purina or Taste the Wild dry. She doesn’t like Blue Buffalo.

All this food is expensive. I try to feed them separately, but they, of course, wind up eating each other’s food when they get the chance.

Is there a food I can feed them both? If not, what is your recommendation for the individual food? I want to feed and keep them healthy, but there are so many choices nowadays.

N.C., Salt Point, N.Y.

DF: I see no reason why you shouldn't feed both cats the canned special diets to control the struvite crystals in the one cat if it is difficult to separate them for feeding, expense notwithstanding.

Alternatively, feed both cats a grain- and soy-free recipe posted on my Web site, www.drfoxvet.com, or try some of the alternative cat foods also posted there.

Cats fed mainly dry foods that are high in cereals and who don’t drink much water are especially prone to develop cystitis and struvite crystals that can lead to urinary tract blockage, especially in male cats. This is a most painful emergency situation easily diagnosed when the poor cat repeatedly squats and tries to urinate, often crying and even passing some blood.

Michael W. Fox, author of a newsletter and books on animal care, welfare and rights, is a veterinarian with doctoral degrees in medicine and animal behavior. Send letters to animaldocfox@gmail.com or write to him at United Feature Syndicate, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, Mo. 64106.

2015 United Feature Syndicate

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZLmwr8ClZpqcpp6wpnnFqKlmp6ejsrO%2FjKidZpuRqcBusMianqeno5qxbsPIrZ9moJWWv7V5zK6ppq2iqHxzfJBuZmlpX2eGcIOQap1wnmBpeqKCl2tkammVaXqifsFrZHBvZmWGdrKScmqbao%2BowbC%2B2GefraWc