Conference misery::feline_v1

    An untreated thyroid problem can lead to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy:
    enlargement of the left ventricular wall and interventricular septum.  
    Not all HCM cases are related to thyroid problems though.  Murdock's
    thyroid was tested and the results were actually low, not high.
    
    Also, Murdock's cardio was diagnosed from an Xray and confirmed at
    necropsy.  However, the Xray was taken by my vet and diagnosed by a
    leading cardiologist at Tufts.  My vet could not have interpreted the
    results without the help of a specialist.
    
    The cardiomyopathy cats are born with is called "Acute Congestive
    Cardiomyopathy" which claims kittens at a very early age (less than 1
    year, and often less than 6 months).  *IMHO*, the word acquired, as
    pertaining to other types of cardio, can mean acquired genetically and
    not necessarily from other sources.  I believe a virus or infectious
    agent can cause cardio to develop; however, the heart was probably
    already in a weakened state and suseptible to further damage, often
    with fatal results.
    
    The most frustrating aspect of cardiomypathy is that the symptoms often
    overlap that of other illness.  By the time the owner realizes there is
    something very wrong, the cat is critical and near death.  This leads
    to much guilty feelings on the owner's behalf for not recognizing the
    signs early on.  If anyone ever has the misfortune to lose a cat to
    cardio, PLEASE DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP WITH "I SHOULD HAVE'S"!  There
    is nothing you could have done differently that would have changed
    anything, and 9 times out of 10 if your cat does manage to stabilize
    and bide more time with you, you will be prolonging it's death, not
    it's life.  Again, my opinion, as I sincerely believe in quality over
    quantity for all living species.  And, I am relating my thoughts and
    feelings to my own experiences, and not those that have happened to
    other folks.
    
    I decided that the best way for me to cope with losing 3 cats to
    cardiomyopathy is to learn as much as I can about the disease and it's
    origin/progression.  By reading and asking questions, it is now clear
    that none of what happened is anything I caused or could have
    prevented, and the guilt I have been harboring over the years is
    finally gone.
    
    --Roberta
    

    > By reading and asking questions, it is now clear
    > that none of what happened is anything I caused or could have
    > prevented, and the guilt I have been harboring over the years is
    > finally gone.
    
    I'm very glad to hear that Roberta.  
    
    What you have learned is invaluable and you are doing alot of good
    by passing that knowledge on to others who have or may have to deal
    with the same thing.
      Nancy
    
    

    In the literature that I have read pertaining to Cardio, the word
    "acquired" was used to differentiate the type of cardio that did not
    appear to have any genetic link from the types of cardio that did
    appear to have a genetic link.   I mention this only to balance the
    opinions on the ways that cardio can be transmitted.  I know that
    Roberta holds the opinion that all types of cardio are genetically
    linked, and I respect her right to that opinion.  But, I disagree and
    have a right to express my opinion also.
    
    It is my opinion that there is not enough known about cardio yet, or
    how it is transmitted.  It is my opinion that any one vet is not the
    authority on the subject.  It is my opinion that cardio can be acquired
    in an otherwise completely healthy cat as the result of a virus or
    infection, and not have anything to do with genetics or inheritance. 
    It is my opinion that that is not outside the realm of possibility. 
    
    Cardio is being studied extensively by several different groups. 
    Hopefully in a few years we will have more information about it.  There
    is a small group of people in my breed that are attempting to get
    funding from the Winn Foundation to study the incidence of cardio in
    our breed.  Perhaps in a few years we will have some definitive answers 
    to the question of how this disease happens.
    
    Jo

    This is weird... Gonezo was diagnosed with this (or so the vet thought)
    quite some time ago.  He was listless, wasn't eating, didn't come for
    dinner, and was running a temp.  The vet ran an EKG on him and it
    showed an abnormality.  They suggested I bring him to Angell Memorial
    Hospital (MSPCA) in Boston which I did.  I saw one of the top feline
    heart specialists around and he did an ultrasound... and what do you
    know... nothing showed up!  The dr. at Angell along with my own vet
    were dumbfounded.  I, personally, was greatly relieved and didn't care
    that I spent a mint on my "first born".  By the way - Gonezo loved the
    ultrasound - he purred through it all !
    
    Mary
    

    Another important point to note about the diagnostic tests for
    cardiomyopathy is that they only tell what is happening with the heart
    *on the day of the test*.  There are no guarantees that cardio won't
    surface at a later time.
    
    I do agree with the previous reply that any unusual signs that could
    indicate cardio warrant an xray or ultrasound.  With Murdock, we first
    did an Felv test, then a blood panel, a thyroid test, and finally a
    chest xray when all of the previous didn't show anything concrete. 
    His cardio came on suddenly, but progressed slowly, and he displayed
    many other symptoms which overlapped those of other illnesses.  Shelby
    didn't last an hour after the onset of symptoms, and Kirby barely made
    it thru a weekend at Tufts.  All three had the hypertrophic variety,
    but each cat responded differently to it.  The one common symptom they
    did share is loss of appetite.  Murdock had to be force fed for 2
    weeks; Shelby I noticed wasn't eating the day before he was afflicted
    [I attributed it to other things], and Kirby was also force fed by the
    staff at Tufts for the duration of his stay.
    

    With Kalliste there were no symptoms up until the blood clot and
    subsequent paralysis of his hind legs.  He displayed no loss of
    appetite, no change in behavior.
    
    When I found him paralyzed, my first thought was either bladder
    obstruction or spinal damage.  That was before I knew anything about
    cardio.
    
    An EKG, x-ray, or ultrasound will only tell you what is happening with
    the heart at the moment of the test.  It will not tell you if the cat
    may become ill with cardio in the future.  
    
    Other signs that may be indicative of cardio are labored breathing. 
    This occurs when the chest cavity fills with fluid and the lungs don't
    have room to function normally.  The chest cavity will fill with fluid
    in some cases because since the heart isn't working properly and the
    blood circulation isn't normal, the body fluids aren't being carried to
    the kidneys to be excreted.
    
    Jo

    After losing Tamba to Cardio just recently...my mind is still
    playing the "what if I had done this, why didn't I notice this,
    what if I had brought him to Tufts, and if I knew he was dying...
    why didn't I let him die at home in my arms.   I'm sure someday
    I will be like Roberta and lose this guilty feeling that I should have
    done something different.  You guys have been great in helping
    me work through this!
    
    Tamba seemed to be fine Saturday night...he ate well, we played
    with tin-foil balls, he even had a bit of catnip and slept beside
    me.   When I woke Sunday morning...Tamba was his usual self with
    the exception that he did not eat his can food.  (which is not
    normal for Tamba...but I just figured he pigged out on dry during
    the night).  I left for the morning and returned around 1:00...and
    that is when I noticed Tamba was breathing very hard.  At that point
    I tried giving Tamba some Baby food (which he never turned down)..and
    he would not take it.  The only symptom was labored breathing...which
    got worse.   That is when we took him to the Animal Emergency Center
    and by 6:00pm he had passed away.
    
    I tried to think back looking for other symptoms in the past month
    that I might have missed.  But if there were symptoms..they were
    so small we didn't notice.  For example:  Tamba would alway come
    running down my hill to greet me (this was a ritual...because
    I always thought of Lassie running over the hill to meet Timmy)
    but within the last two weeks "sometimes" Tamba would already be 
    on the porch or come walking over to me. (not the ususal running)
    My husband said "I should have noticed Friday night because normally
    Tamba will play fetch tin-foil balls and bring them back about
    5 times before he gets bored and quit...and he only brought it back
    twice.   If these were symptoms...both Ernie and I have realized
    and accepted...that we never would have picked up on something 
    being wrong....they were so minor.  
    
    I do agree that much more knowledge has to be gained on Cardio...
    it was amazing the difference of opinions when talking to three
    different vets about it. (two at the Emergency Center and then
    my own vet).  This was one reason why we chose not to have further
    tests on Tamba after he had passed away....because I truly felt
    the results of these tests weren't conclusive and it would have
    brought on many more "opinions" and truly not give me the reason
    why.   
    
    I pray that within a few years the animal research depts will get
    a better understanding of this disease for all the rest of the
    furfaces in this world.
    
    Sandy 

    Sandy,
    
    The flip side to what you wrote is that we could panic ourselves into
    believing that every time one of our cats does something out of the
    ordinary it is related to cardio.  That is the danger.  Cats don't have
    any concept of time, but they do know love, and Tamba, as well as the
    rest of our kitties, had lots of that.  My husband still beats himself up
    because he wasn't home to say goodbye to Murdock, and I still have
    regrets that I let the vet take him when I knew he was going to die. 
    But, he needed supportive care... there was no other choice.
    
    The staff at Tufts wouldn't have done anything differently except
    administer more diagnostic tests.  They might have been able to
    stabilize him like they did for Kirby, but in all honesty it would have
    done more good for you and Ernie than for Tamba.  Tamba's time had
    come, and he knew that.  He also knew that you were doing everything
    you could for him during those final moments of his life.  The beauty
    of love is that you can never run out... and I know that when you and
    Ernie are ready there will be another kitty in your household to live
    on for Tamba.
    
    Remember what I said earlier:  nothing done any differently would have
    changed anything.  You have to keep telling yourself that until you
    really believe it!  The feelings you are experiencing are all part of the
    grieving process and will lessen with time.
    
    Keep smiling!!
    
    --Roberta
    

    Again Roberta thanks for keep drilling that message into me.
    I'm sure someday I'll truly believe all your saying!
    
    About panicking about the other cats...your absolutely right...
    it is driving me crazy.  Poor Dewey sneezed once...and I was
    ready to whisk him to the vets and little Poco was sleeping under
    the table and I kept pulling her out to see if she was okay, and
    Barkley spept longer then normal...so I made him stay in for
    the day.  My poor kitties...I'm putting them through hell!!
    
    But on the other hand...the babies are getting so much love
    and attention because I now realize they can be here today and
    gone tomorrow.  I think I'm driving them nuts...they want to
    sleep...and all I want to do is hug and play kissy face.
    
    I'm sure this is all normal behaviours when losing a beloved
    pet....I just hope life can get back to normal sometime soon
    before my babies think their Mom and Dad have gone total bonkers!!!
    
    I truly hope that this particular note will be updated regularly
    with new information on the research being done, the sharing
    of personal experiences, symptoms and all the different opinions
    on Cardio.
    
    Sandy   

    Just to say this again, Sandy, even if there had been earlier
    symptoms, they wouldn't have changed the outcome.  Don't beat yourself
    up about it.  Also, if you had brought Tamba home to die, he may have
    suffered.  The way that it happened was painless and peaceful for him. 
    That is what truly counts.  
    
    To be perfectly honest, after I lost Kalliste I felt guilt too.  But my
    guilty feelings centered around the feeling that I had prolonged his
    agony and not his life.  I still get pangs about that when I think of
    him.  I am not sure that time will change this.  Lots of time has gone
    by and I still have a hard time talking about him without crying.  
    
    Right now I am involved with a group that is trying to get a Winn
    Foundation grant to study the incidence of cardio in our breed.  If we
    are able to get a study going, I will be sure and keep you all up to
    date with the findings.  This topic has been keyworded to
    cardiomyopathy so that over the years we will all be able to find it to
    add updates.  Also, for those interested, there are quite a few topics
    keyworded to cardiomopathy.  We have a lot of information right here at
    our fingertips already.
    
    Jo