My cat was healthy, now has a murmur. Can it develop so quickly?

Depending on the underlying cause, a murmur may intensify quickly. A murmur is an abnormal heart sound, it is not an accurate indicator of heart function. To accurately evaluate cardiac function, you would need to have an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) performed on Muff. Your veterinarian may do this or may refer you to a veterinary cardiologist.

I am so sorry that your kitty died. The fact that he had a heart murmur means that he likely died of a blood clot in the lungs which then actually killed him. There would have been no way to save him and you would not have been able to prevent it. It is just one of those terrible things that happen. But he had 5 great years with you and that is something you can be proud of.

There sounds like there are two different things going on with Mario. His eye I would recommend having the pressures checked to make sure he does not have glaucoma but I would also recommend an ophthalmologist to determine the cause. Heart disease can be seen as coughing or fainting They can have panting or they may have no symptoms. I would actually recommend an echocardiogram over an x-ray. Cats typically get Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. This is when the heart thickens from the outside in. This means we will most likely not see an enlarged heart on x-ray. An echocardiogram is more expensive but the better test. I would monitor for fainting, coughing or exercise intolerance. The painting may be heart-related but I cannot say for sure without more diagnostics.

I'm so sorry you lost your cat so suddenly! An upper respiratory infection would not typically cause seizures. An upper respiratory infection can occasionally cause pneumonia or severe dehydration that could be life threatening but you would probably see other signs like trouble breathing or extreme lethargy. A heart murmur may or may not be related to underlying heart disease, but if there was heart disease present it could potentially lead to a seizure and sudden death. If he died recently you could consider taking him to your vet for a post mortem exam (autopsy) to try to determine what the cause may have been, but it can be difficult to know for certain.

Thank you for the additional information. Heart murmurs can affect the breathing in a couple of ways. One is that the murmur often times is due to a leaky valve which means the blood is flowing backwards, which then causes fluid to back up into the lungs and breathing to be more difficult. In cats, this fluid can also build up around the lungs and press in, decreasing lung volume. We hear heart murmurs because of turbulent blood flow and this turbulence increases the risk of forming blood clots, especially in cats. If these blood clots then break off, they can travel through the body and lodge somewhere. If the clot ends up in the lungs, this is called a pulmonary embolism and can cause difficulty breathing. It sounds like she's improved a bit, but if she's still gasping, it is an emergency and she needs to be seen by a veterinarian right away.

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.

Congrats on your new pet! Adoption is a wonderful thing. When Winston sees your veterinarian, discuss diagnostics to confirm and establish a baseline for his condition. Common tests may include chest x-rays to assess cardiac size and an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) to assess cardiac architecture and function. The echo, more than any other diagnostic, will determine if he will need medication to manage his condition. You can read more about cardiac conditions at this link: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/Health_Information/HeartDisease.cfm