Congestive Heart Failure

[nancielle]

No, not me. Hunter, aka Widget, aka Brat Cat 1.0.

He'd been acting "off" for the past couple of days; not really eating, would just sit in one place and stare off into space, breathing from his abdomen, etc. Today I came home and found him sprawled out in the bathtub, mouth open and rattly breathing. He barely put up a fight going into the cat carrier to go to the vet and barely protested during the car ride.

Vet took some x-rays and showed me just how large of a fluid build up he had around his heart and how it was pressing against his lungs (he pointed out lots of other stuff too but I cannot remember what he said.)

They drew the fluid out (a significant amount but, not all of it according to the vet.) Hunter's on oxygen and still at the vet hospital where he'll stay the night. While not unheard of, my vet noted it's not all that common for a relatively young cat to develop CHF.

We're bummin'. Chloe and Ghost keep searching the house for him. :(

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb273/nancielle/Buddies-1.jpg

This is Hunter and Chloe taking over the bed.

[spokewench]

Oh, sad, I hope Hunter gets better soon

[makbike]

So sorry to hear about Hunter. If you can swing it you might talk to your vet about a cardiac ultrasound. It will allow the vet to pinpoint the problem and utilize the appropriate drugs. If it helps any I've had several cats with cardiac issues and all have responded well to treatment. Keep us posted.

[indysteel]

I sure hope Makbike is right and that the vets can zero in on an effective treatment. Poor Hunter; give him lots of love from the Crazy Cat (and dog) Ladies of TE.

[Koronin]

I am so sorry.

[OakLeaf]

Sending healing thoughts his way and comfort to you.

[westtexas]

I hope for the best for you and your kitty! My sweet Theo has a heart murmur and I dread the day that he may go in to failure. Luckily we have some really good drugs to help these guys stay comfortable and happy (and eating!) once we can get the fluid off their chests. I also highly recommend echocardiogram if you have a facility nearby that can do it (or maybe your veterinarian can). It's invaluable in looking at the anatomical structure of the heart (x-rays only show us size and general shape) and a very good tool for making sure your kitty gets on the right drugs and you have an accurate prognosis.

T&P for Hunter from me & my kitty in west Texas.

[bmccasland]

Healing juju for Hunter, and big hugs to you!

[PamNY]

Good wishes to Hunter and you, too. Drug therapy was great for my dog with CHF; I hope there's an equivalent treatment for kitties.

[badger]

so sorry to hear that your Hunter's not well. Sending you good thoughts!

[TsPoet]

Oh poor baby! Sending both of you warm thoughts and energy to heal!

[nancielle]

Thanks, everyone, for your good wishes. Hunter is home tonight. He's still not himself but his breathing is far less labored.

His vet and I discussed having an echocardiogram done but it will have to wait for now. His current bill cost over twice what I had been told it would (and I hate the finances have to be a deciding factor now but they do) so we have to wait. The vet who was covering today commented that they detected a heart murmur and wanted to know if it had been diagnosed before. I don't remember anything being said about it.

Chloe is thrilled that her buddy is home. Ghost is even giving him a break. Will be setting up additional litter boxes (what, you mean they aren't the "must have" home decor item of the season?!)

I wish I had noticed sooner any problems he had been having. Perhaps he wouldn't be enduring this now. :(

Thanks again, everyone.

[westtexas]

I wish I had noticed sooner any problems he had been having. Perhaps he wouldn't be enduring this now. :(.

Definitely don't think this way and don't blame yourself for what Hunter is going through. Often the first sign a kitty has heart disease is when the go into failure the first time and you notice the labored breathing. Things we assess in dogs - like coughing and exercise intolerance - aren't as "classic" of signs in kitties. Felines just like to be difficult, which is why we adore them.

I am happy that Hunter is home with his family tonight :) Sending more good thoughts your way!

[smilingcat]

I just got back on after few days away from the site. I am saddened for both you and Hunter. You've done a lot saving his life when you rescued him.

I know you are doing the right thing and Hunter, I'm sure, is very happy to be home with Chloe, Ghost and you. If I were sick, I would feel much better to be in a familiar surrounding and surrounded by those I love. Hunter feels the same way.

Maybe his heart problem is related to heart worm. Cats can get it too. Have your vet ruled it out?

I'm keeping healing and positive thoughts for both of you.

sincerely,

[Brandi]

Poor kitty! I have had a kitty with chf. She was playing and stopped and starte coughing. But not like a hairball cough. It is a tough one for sure. Back when my kitty had it there was only a few things we could do. And she was only 7 we thought she was too young too. But she had a good life up to that point for sure. My heart is with you and your family. I am curious how they treat it now besides the fluid draining and some of the meds we had to give her. She was a hard hard cat to give meds too and thought I was torturing her. That did not help the situation.
Good luck and keep us posted.

[smilingcat]

tricks to get a cat to take a hard pill.

one is to coat the pill in baby formula. Gerber baby food chicken/turkey/beef/lamb in broth. Chicken works the best. Let the kitty lick just the baby food and when the cats gets excited with the food, take a dab of baby food on your finger and stick the pill in middle of the dab of baby food and give it to the cat. Make sure you don't get bit.

If you still have a problem, after the pill is in the cat's mouth, squirt about 0.5cc (0.5ml) of water into the mouth. This forces the cat to drink the water and the cat will swallow the pill. Don't squirt the water down the throat, just into its mouth. use a syringe without the needle.

The trick has worked every time. We have a cat who has to take meds everyday and he is only 3 yo.

[skhill]

This thead has me a bit alarmed-- I think my elderly dog Pokey might have CHF. He's been coughing for a while, panting a lot, and he keeps running out of gas on his walk, and having to sit down and rest a bit. Thought it was probably a combination of the heat and humidity, his thyroid condition, and his bad kidneys. But maybe his heart is involved too. Time to call the vet...

Good luck with Hunter-- hope he's feeling better fast.

[nancielle]

Smilingcat, thanks for the suggestion. I picked up some baby food today to see if he'll take some of that. I hate the stress that pilling puts on him.

Brandi, not sure if treatments have changed much. This is my first experience with a really serious health issue with any animal. The vet did suggest having a cardiologist look at him. If finances permit, I may consider that. Right now he's just on meds and he spends most of his time sleeping or staring off into space (seriously!)

But Ghost continues to give him his space. Every now and then he will walk over and sniff at him then he walks away.

Again, thanks for all the good wishes and healing juju being sent my little punkinhead's way.

[Tri Girl]

sending healing vibes and good wishes your way. I know how much we love our pets and want the best for them. I hope that you can figure out how to deal with this best. Hugs to you both!

[alexis_the_tiny]

Poor Hunter, feel better soon!! Another way of pilling a cat, if its ok to crush the pill, grind it up and mix it into a small spoonful of those cheap canned foods in a really smelly flavor like sardines. The stink of the fish combined with the salt is usually enough to make a finicky cat ignore the pill.