Grade 4 heart murmur.

Dr. Marie replied:

Thanks for an interesting question.

I usually do get concerned when I hear a murmur in an older cat. While some animals can have murmurs that are present their whole life, this is probably not the case with a Grade 4 murmur. We grade murmurs on a scale of 0 to 6, so a 4 is significant.

There are a few possible reasons for a cat to have a murmur. Sometimes it can actually be present because of dental disease. When a cat has dental disease there can be a buildup of bacteria in the mouth. We believe that this bacteria can get into the blood stream and affect one of the heart valves. If this is the case the murmur may go away after the dental cleaning.

The other more serious concern with cats is a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This happens when the heart walls are thickened. Cats with HCM can have normal lives and then as they get older the heart can start to fail. While there are some medicines that can help, they usually don't cure HCM.

The ultrasound will tell us a lot. The ultrasonographer will tell us if this murmur is serious or not. He or she will also be able to tell you how safe the anesthetic is which will help you with decision making.

I hope everything turns out ok!

Dr. Marie.

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