My cat has mild feline HCM. What can I do for his heart without meds?

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.

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.

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.

There is nothing you can really do that is natural at home. The medication provided by your veterinarian is the best to help Moo live the best life he can with all of his issues. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.

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!

As long as Casey's diet is not particularly high in sodium, there are no specific dietary requirements for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) management. Science Diet's Metabolic Diet has an appropriate sodium content, and if anything, is on the lower end (good news!). As long as he is eating it well, continue feeding this diet unless his vet directs otherwise. Continuing to work on weight loss is quite important and can have heart health benefits. There is a chance that Casey's coat has overall become a bit more dull due to his HCM (or any other concurrent disease) rather than his diet alone. I hope that all goes well!