Hello, im new to this site! i had to take my kitten to vets friday night cause he was draging his back legs, i thought he had broken them! (ended up not being anything to do with legs) he had a temp of 40! (but what is normal?) and was given antibiotics, the vet listened to him and said he had a very serius heart murmur (sorry about spellings). i got very upset and was basically told he wouldnt make adulthood! the vet told me that she was very surprised at how thriving he was considering the seriousness of his heart problem, he doesnt get tired easily he is just like any other kitten running around and causing trouble! was just wondering if anyone had any advise as really worried everything i do now is going to cause a heart attack!

How heartbreaking for you I can't give any advice other than keep things relaxed and gentle with the poor little thing and give them a good life. Hoping for the best for you.

Hiya
Your poor kitten.....Normal temp should be between 38-39c.Were you given the option of seeing a heart specialist?If you can afford to or your kitty is insured this would be my advice- if it hasnt been offered please ask!They would be able to determine cause of the heart murmur,taylor specific medication for his condition and determine whether surgery would be an option for his particular condition.Did your vet take blood at all?

Is he insured? TBH not much can be told from just listening to his heart, he'll need a heart scan to determine what is actually wrong with his heart. Without wishing to give you false hope (or the opposite), you can sometimes get bad murmurs and not too bad heart function, or conversely no/mild murmurs and shocking heart disease.
With a scan to determine what is actually wrong, he could possibly have drugs to prevent it getting worse and help him out.
Some vets have ultrasound machines, but you need someone who knows how to interpret heart scans, so if you don't have a vet with an interest in cardiology, if you can afford it/if he's insured you should ask for a referral to a specialist

hi, no they didnt take blood, the vet said that its highly unluckly that medication would help, its so heart breaking because he is my 1st kitten, he has become my 3rd child (could never understand how people got sooo attached to their pets.. but totally get it now lol) my children adore him, i have been advised by friends to maybe let him go somewhere else to live but i couldnt do it! i want to look after him! the vet said Presley is likely to get poorly and lethargic when his heart starts to fail, im trying to keep it normal for him and will put him out the way when i hoover! he is eating fine just normal kitten food and kitten biscuits. Thanks for advice have booked in for vets on wednesday and will mention heart specialists but not feeling confident x

Medication won't make him better, unfortunately nothing will BUT depending on what he has, medication will ease the strain on his heart, help it work more efficiently, help slow down progression of the disease and in general make him a lot more comfy...but as said he'll need a heart scan to determine what is actually wrong with him.
I'm sad that your vet has given up on him without giving him a chance.

Thats what my friend got really annoyed about when we went, it was my 1st experiance with any vet, and tbh it really put me off, i understand that they are not all like that! she was very negative about everything, im hoping the one i see wednesday will be nicer!

Same here. I had to ask my vets to take a blood sample and test everything asi was sure my cat was very ill. They thought he had a tummy bug!!

Good job I did as he wouldn't be here now.

He had stopped producing red blood cells.

We are at a dif vet now!

Jen

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That's sad, someone obviously went into the job for the wrong reasons!!But you're right they're not all like that. Good luck for wednesday. Don't be afraid to ask lot's of questions so you can completely understand what step to take next

Hi, didn't want to read and run especially considering that we have a cat with a heart condition although we knew he had it when we took him on. Our Finbar was found collapsed in the litter tray without the use of his back legs and he was very poorly indeed for a long time.

The only advice I can give you is to make sure you trust the vet that is working with you and your cat. Make sure that you feel comfortable that they are doing all they can for both of you and take each day as it comes.

Finbar is 8 this year (we got him when he was 5) and he's still going strong. He takes his tablets every day with very bad grace but other than that we just appreciate him each day and give him the love and attention he deserves. We do try to keep play to a minimum although that's gotta be difficult with a kitten and we make sure that he gets seen by the vet regulary.

Wait and see what the vet says on Weds but if need to vent at someone who has a good idea about the uncertainties of cats with heart conditions then please feel free! I'm no medical expert but I'm good at listening.