What's the prognosis for a cat with early hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?

Unfortunately hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in cats can cause them to have a shorter life span. They because more at risk of high blood pressure, congestive heart failure and thromboembolism. I'm glad you were able to seek the help of a cardiologist for Smudge because atenolol and ace inhibitors can help increase a kitty with HCM life expectancy. You may be able to get the ace inhibitors compounded into a liquid to make giving it easier. Or try a pill pocket or other treat to get Smudge to take the medication. One thing you can do at home to monitor Smudge for signs of trouble is keeping track of his resting respiratory rate. Count his breaths per minute when he is in a deep sleep. Anything above 30 breaths per minute would be considered abnormal and means he should see a veterinarian.

I have attached a link below that provides some general information on HCM. Your cardiologist may have given you much of this and i am sure has ruled out things like high thyroid (hyperthyroidism) and high blood pressure. The most important things are to rule out other diseases that can cause thickening, monitor at home for any changes, and follow up with your cardiologist to see if the disease is progressing. For cats that are diagnosed when asymptomatic (such as evaluation for a heart murmur) the disease may or may not advance. Many cats can live a long life if the disease does not advance. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! www2.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/hypertrophic-cardiomyopathy

It appears that nebivolol is being researched for many different possible uses in many lab animal species, but I could not find any information on its use in cats. From the information I could find, most vets have mixed feelings on using atenolol in cats with HCM. There does seem to be a consensus among specialists that it could help in cats with HCM that have Systolic Anterior Motion (SAM) of the mitral valve (seen on echo), but there are no studies showing a positive benefit.

You didn't do anything wrong and although the symptoms might not have been there, it doesn't mean the condition wasn't developing slowly without you being able to notice it. unfortunately this is bad news, but with the right treatment you could buy her a good quality of life for the next 1-2 years.

HCM can occur at any age but is more common in adult cats. An echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) can be done at 2-3 years of age. If the echo is clear, recheck every other year until 8-9 years of age. Yearly echocardiograms should be done at this point. If symptoms (lethargy, difficulty breathing, coughing, murmur, arrythmias, sudden paralysis) develop sooner, have your cat examined by your veterinarian or a veterinary cardiologist every 6 months or yearly beginning at an earlier age.

I am sorry you didn't have much useful explanation of your pets condition. These results are indeed unfavorable. So your pet Amelle has congestive heart failure, kidney insufficiency (the kidney isn't functioning properly) and liver enlargement (a sequela of the heart failure). So when a pet goes into heart failure that means that there is a defect in the heart that has overcome what the heart can correct for. The heart is unable to pump blood efficiently to the rest of the body, leaving fluid to build up in the lungs and also to lead to congestion in the liver. The pet will also have a low blood pressure, because again the heart can't pump effectively, leading to poor perfusion through the kidneys and subsequent kidney dysfunction as well. SO basically your pet Amelle has heart failure and multi-organ failures occurring as a result of the heart. You can try heart medication and diuretics, along with fluid therapy for few days to help the kidneys hopefully return to normal function. The fact that the CREA and PHOS levels are normal means the kidneys have a chance to correct themselves if they get proper perfusion. The liver congestion should improve if the heart improves, however the medications can only do so much to help manage heart failure. We will essentially be buying Amelle more time with an incurable disease process. That is why we call this type of treatment, heart failure management and not cure. It is worth a shot, especially if she is eating well and still has a will to survive. I wish you all the best in getting Amelle to a more stable state. Best wishes moving forward with her care. Take care. Here is a website link on heart failure meds for more information. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Toxicity does not increase with number of medications, and the more medications you have the better they can work together to help fight the heart disease. (Toxicity occurs with OVERDOSES of one particular drug). Heart disease unfortunately is progressive, and if Zoe has been placed on all four of these medications, it likely means that the heart disease is severe, and she NEEDS these medications so that she doesn't suffer from congestion (which is awful). These are all life-long medications so please do not stop them! At this stage there aren't any other typical heart medications to add in, so if Zoe is not doing well clinically (weak, tired, not breathing well, bloated abdomen), then I recommend you have a recheck with your vet. These drugs can be hard on the kidneys, but in order to treat the heart disease so that Zoe isn't suffering from congestive heart failure, this is sometimes unavoidable. Best of luck with Zoe, I hope she feels better!