Heart Murmur In Cats Grade 2
This type of murmur is benign not harmful.
Heart murmur in cats grade 2. Murmur intensity or grade is defined below. Birth defects and feline cardiomyopathy cause serious murmurs and hyperthyroidism can also cause heart murmurs. The grade of murmur does not necessarily mean heart disease is more or less severe or even present.
A grade 1 murmur is barely audible a grade 2 murmur is louder and a grade 3 murmur is loud but not accompanied by a thrill. On the other hand Grades 56 indicate that the heart murmur in cats is extremely loud and intense. She immediately said we needed to do an echo because HCM is common but would talk with the cardiologist first.
For example a dynamic grade IIIIVI murmur describes a murmur that has an intensity that varies throughout the auscultation period from difficult to hear grade I to immediately identifiable grade III. How are heart murmurs assessed. Vets grade heart murmurs on a scale of 1 to 5 from the barely audible grade 1 to the very loud grade 5.
The vet is suggesting that it is a very uncommon condition but I have heard that sometimes they can be caused by real problems eg congenital defect or just because the kitten is stressed going to the vets and the vet is hearing turbulence in the blood going through the heart as the heart is so small. Murmurs are commonly described as a whooshing sound and are a result of unstable blood flow in the heart. He is 3 months old and the vet says he has a grade 2 heart murmur.
What Are The Symptoms Of A Heart Murmur In Cats. Some normal adult cats may have an intermittent heart murmur that shows up. A new onset of heart murmur in adult cats should be evaluated.
The grade 5 murmur. These are often difficult to hear and maybe overlooked if not too careful. A systematic evaluation of murmur characteristics is indicated when a heart murmur is detected in a cat.