heart murmor

[iCloud]

i recently found a stray kitten in the street. he was very friendly and just let me pick him up so i brought him home. when i took him to the vet, she said he had a heart murmor "3 out of 6." She didn't really explain anything to me about it, i just have to bring him back in 3 weeks for follow up shots and to get fixed. He doesnt ever seem to get tired or winded easy. Does anyone know if this is something i should worry about with him, and what 3 out of 6 means?
thanks.

-matt

[artiesmom]

Hi! and the kitten must be so cute! Thank you for picking up a stray...
Artie has a murmur.
The 3 out of six refers to the degree (loudness) of the murmur, with 6 being the worst.
Artie has a 4 out of 6 heart murmur.
Before he had his dental, I was given an option of him either having an echocardiogram or an x-ray. It was advised because of the anesthesia..
The x-ray would only show if the heart was enlarged-meaning an abnormal heart.
The echocardiogram would show the what kind of murmur it is, where it is located, any congenital malformations of the heart, and see if the heart murmur was causing any problems.
Artie is a lot older than your kitten. He is almost 9 yrs old.
I decided on the echo. It was very expensive but worth it--for me to know answers.
He has a 'functional' murmur which is not causing any issues.
I was advised to watch to see if he got winded with play, tired easily, or slept a lot....these are bad signs.
Artie is fine!
I think, I would not worry much until I saw the Vet again--sorry italics by mistake...
and have them explain fully...it could be nothing or it could be something..
It is so hard to wait and wait for an answer...
It is really great that your kitty does not get winded! That is a great sign!!!
Good luck and keep us posted!!!

[catloverami]

Here's a link about heart murmur:
Heart Murmurs in Cats | petMD

A friend had a cat that had a Grade 5 heart murmur as a kitten, and vet didn't give it much hope beyond a year. This cat lived to be 15 y.o., so you never know. One of my cats has a slight heart murmur, and she's 7 y.o. now, but shows no sign of slowing down and has been a very healthy cat.

[scottd]

I recently discussed heart murmurs with my vet. Her general thoughts on the matter were... it's abnormal but if there's not any problems, there's really no reason to worry. Her suggestion was regular check ups. As long as his heart is functioning properly, anesthesia shouldn't be anymore complex than with a low risk cat.

You did not say how old he is. It is possible for some murmurs to resolve themselves with age. I think 4-5 months is usually when they would be resolved if they were going to.

[iCloud]

thanks guys, he is not even 5 months old yet i dont think. he is just barely old enough to get fixed. when i take him back i will talk to her more about it, thanks. Here is a pic of him.

[Arianwen]

What a sweetie!