Heart problems and moulting

[Desley (booktigger)]

Bless him!! Wish mine would sit with me, I can either sit in a room by myself (as I am now!!), or have 4 in the room but none 'with me'

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

What a wonderful pic!!

Thanks, Desley. It's tickles me too, the way he'll lay for hours like that with me. I prop a cusion underneath him to support his back. Sometimes he nods off and snores for England.

Odd cat...! 

[Desley (booktigger)]

What a wonderful pic!!

[blackcat]

I wonder if all cats like nature programmes? Mavey [bless her soul] once got fascinated with a programme about a Wolf...she got right up close to the telly to watch it - I didn't have the heart to turn over so I had to watch it as well.

Mine prefer soccer - all those minute humans running around on a green field - lovely. Sadly I hate sport, but have been known to leave them to it and go off and do something else till the end of the game........

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

As promised, piccie of Jumpy and I watching telly. It was 7.30am so please excuse 'lived in' appearance. 

Jxx

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[lilycat]

I wonder if all cats like nature programmes? Mavey [bless her soul] once got fascinated with a programme about a Wolf...she got right up close to the telly to watch it - I didn't have the heart to turn over so I had to watch it as well.

Look forward to the piccies.

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Imogen hasn't developed a cough at all, she was just lethargic when I first noticed she was a bit "off colour".

It could be an idea to have a look at the bit of paper which would have come in the meds packet...that should list any potential side effects. You could also look up the meds on a veterinary website - you should be able to get loads of information about the drugs in question.

I guess it strikes them down in different ways. The first sign we had of the murmur was when the vet found it. I'd originally taken Jumpy in with a tummy upset. At that time, the vet didn't think intervention was necessary - only I should watch for a cough (Which would be a sign fluid was entering the lungs).

Jumpy is one of those cats that has a lunatic half hour, then crashes for the next 12. He can do lethargic as a non-contact sport - always has. I'll see if I can dig out a photo of him laying back in my arms watching T.V. His favourite at the moment is Springwatch.

Good tip about the side effects of the meds - I'll research that, thanks! 

[lilycat]

Imogen hasn't developed a cough at all, she was just lethargic when I first noticed she was a bit "off colour".

It could be an idea to have a look at the bit of paper which would have come in the meds packet...that should list any potential side effects. You could also look up the meds on a veterinary website - you should be able to get loads of information about the drugs in question.

[Gillian Harvey]

I would say the moulting is pretty normal at this time of year - my 9 persians are all moulting like mad at the mo!  . Like Gill, I could just keep brushing/combing and there would still be fur coming out LOL!

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I have two birmans with no health probs that I know of but they are also moulting l;ike no tomorrow and I groom em and then stroke em and they still lose fur, I reckon if I just carry on combing it will just keep coming out till its all gone.

One saw the vet a couple of months ago cos he was under the weather and the vet didnt think this was a problem........he had been bitten by another cat it turned out.

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Hi, Lilycat 

Jump was diagnosed with a heart murmur last year. The vet told he to watch for excessive coughing, etc. That was in London. I got concerned about the cough and took him to my vet in Thanet two weeks back. He had an ultrasound scan and that was when we got the full picture.

Jumpy has to take 4 tablets of Hydrocard and half a tablet of Frusecare each day - which I think is to keep his fluids down. 

The cough has totally gone and he's running around like there's nothing wrong, but you could make decent rug out of the fur he leaves behind. 

He did develop a thick coat over the winter as, according to my daughter, he "didn't want to come in" and spent most of last winter outside. But I thought his winter coat would have gone by now...

Jx

[lilycat]

Hi!

One of my cats has the same condition but I don't really know what to suggest about the moulting; Imogen hasn't had any fur loss.

How long since Jumpy was diagnosed and the meds you mentioned - what are they? Imogen was diagnosed in March of this year and she's been put on Fortekor 2.5.

I hope he improves... for Jumpy.

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Hi, all 

Just wondered if anyone else has this problem. Jumpy has...  Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy... (got it right, I think!  ) Thing is, ever since the spring he is moulting like it's going out of fashion. The vet says it could well be to do with his heart problem. But he's been on his meds for a week and I see no improvement. Every time I touch him my hand comes away covered.

For info., Jumpy was being fostered by my grown up daughter in my old house for the past year - I reclaimed him three months back because she wasn't looking after him properly. I do brush him every morning, but this makes no difference to the amount he's shedding. The furr loss is even, there are no bald patches.

Any thoughts?

Jxx