How long can a young cat with HCM or heart disease expect to live?

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear about Alfie's diagnosis. Unfortunately, no one can predict exactly how Alfie's hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) will progress. Some cats can live for years with known heart disease, while the disease progresses more rapidly in other cats. The progression of HCM is variable, and the best person to provide you with a more detailed prognosis would be a veterinary cardiologist. Often the best we can do is regular monitoring (recheck echocardiograms) to watch for progression of the disease and provide the appropriate treatment accordingly. Even so, there are some things we cannot predict, such as a thromboembolism, that can occur secondary to heart disease. It's difficult to have so many unknowns, and so I encourage you to ask your vet about referral to a veterinary cardiologist for evaluation if you would find more information helpful. I know this is still a pretty open-ended answer, but hopefully it helps guide you to the next step.

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.

Since Toki has been a bit off, I think it would be better to have him checked out sooner rather than later. Changes in his respiratory rate could indicate fluid accumulation in his lungs as a result of HCM. That said, the respiratory rates that you are describing are relatively normal. Better safe than sorry!

Poor Toki! When a cat has HCM, they do have a higher than normal heart rate, but if it's racing, that can be a sign of progression in his disease. I would have him seen by a vet for this, as medication can prescribe that may help with his disease. In these cases, it's best the cat is seen as soon as possible, either tonight or first thing in the morning.

The heart condition is likely a sequel to the hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism speeds up the heart rate, and that increases the thickness of the heart muscle which will enlarge the heart. Please do not experiment with herbal medicines. Hyperthyroidism, if not controlled will cause the heart condition to worsen, so it is absolutely necessary to use medications that will work such as thyreostatic medication (the thyroid medications your veterinarian prescribed). The Furosemide will help your cat get rid of the fluid in her lungs. Please listen to your veterinarian. Your kitty can have a good quality of life with the correct medications. This is one case where herbals will not help.

It sounds like you have exhausted many of the options available to you already. While the medications are great particularly at reducing inflammation in the airways, they don't actually deliver any additiional oxygen to Clark's body or blood stream. For some of my cardiac patients and to a lesser extent the respiratory patients, I recommend keeping an at home oxygen set up available not that different from how a human with emphysema keeps oxygen on hand. This often helps reduce the number of attacks as well as the need for a stressful visit to the vet everytime an attack occurs or appears like it is going to occur. I am not saying it is a subsitute for a vet, but I would speak with your primary vet about potentially getting you a prescription for the tank. You will have to build the vessel yourself but can be done so out of a large tupperware and some tubing essentially with relative ease. In terms of life expectancy, it will all come down to your ability to get the attacks under control. In theory the disease can be be managed long term, but in worst cases potentially like Clarks, can ultimatley result in respiratory distress and failure. Hope this make sense.