Any cat fans? breeders? persian owners?

[PSSuperstars]

Here's Theodore:


He was my first purebred cat. He's a black persian. CFC registered.
Today I took him to get his matts in his fur inspected... and to schedule a grooming with a new vet... and they discovered that his kitten heart murmur has progressed from a level 1 to a level 3.. from age 8 weeks.. to 10 months. That's a pretty big jump.

Most Persian cats are born with a murmur.. then outgrow it.

I called the breeder.. and she told me she was only breeding champion lines now.. and didn't have a replacement... she offered me his cost as a discount on a champion line...

I don't really WANT a new cat.. but I'm wondering if he DOES pass away or it DOES get worse... am I only going to have him for a year or two... should I go ahead and push her for a replacement? or cash back?

The contract says equal value cat.. and no cash refunds...

She did say she has one retired breeder male who is 3 years old.. who she could replace him with.. and it just sounded heartless to hear her keep saying "replace"....

Anyone with persian experience?
anyone have a cat with a heart murmur?

[PersianKitty]

I definitely qualify as having cat experience, persian cat experience and feline heart murmur experience.

My Blue Persian, Smokey (*THE* Persian Kitty) and the one in my avatar was diagnosed with a congenital murmur when he was 6 months old. This was in 1986 and vet medicine was nothing like it is today. I was told he'd likely not live to see a year of age and that I should talk to the breeder about a replacement. Not being one to think of my pets as replaceable, I decided to let the breeder know what I'd found out and then cross my fingers.

Well.. Smokey lived to be 17 years old and (pun intended) never skipped a beat. He had the murmur the entire time. Sometimes it was worse than other times. Persians are usually live fairly sedate lives so often the murmurs don't effect their day to day routine.

I've had another cat that developed a murmur at the age of 12 years and she lived to be 20.

btw.. Theodore is definitely a cutie.

[fuzzylogic]

i bought a defective purebred turk from a registered breeder in nyc. had him flown out to vegas. he died around 18 months. the breeder offered a replacement which suggested there is no refund, though i didnt ask for a refund. a new litter had two brothers that were (and still are) very attached to each other. got one for free as the replacement and bought the other brother.

turks are awesome!

[PSSuperstars]

I definitely qualify as having cat experience, persian cat experience and feline heart murmur experience.

My Blue Persian, Smokey (*THE* Persian Kitty) and the one in my avatar was diagnosed with a congenital murmur when he was 6 months old. This was in 1986 and vet medicine was nothing like it is today. I was told he'd likely not live to see a year of age and that I should talk to the breeder about a replacement. Not being one to think of my pets as replaceable, I decided to let the breeder know what I'd found out and then cross my fingers.

Well.. Smokey lived to be 17 years old and (pun intended) never skipped a beat. He had the murmur the entire time. Sometimes it was worse than other times. Persians are usually live fairly sedate lives so often the murmurs don't effect their day to day routine.

I've had another cat that developed a murmur at the age of 12 years and she lived to be 20.

btw.. Theodore is definitely a cutie.

Thank you for posting this! It's great appreciated. We thought we just had a really mild mannered persian. He's the most laid back, chill cat ever.. only being mischevious when you initiate the play.... he never just "acts out"... and he laid on the table.. they groomed him without sedation... But come to find out.. cats adjust their temperment when they have the heart murmurs...

I'm hoping that it doesn't worsen between now and the next check up..

Did you pay for the EKG? Put Smokey on meds? Or just let nature take its course?
If it's still a three in a month or two.. I think I'll get the EKG to see the severity... Dunno..

Thank you thank you thank you for some clarity though.. and real, first hand experience

You too, fuzzy logic
thank you both.

[tical]

my siberian (hypo allergenic too)

[PSSuperstars]

my siberian (hypo allergenic too)

He's so chill! I love him/her.

[PersianKitty]

Never put him on meds for the heart. I know he had at least one EKG somewhere down the line. He was mellow to an extent. He hated the vets as he got older. At home he was very laid back. When I got him I had two other cats that were close to each other. Smokey was the people kitty.. the lap cat.

He had other health issues as he got older (hyperthyroid that had to be irradiated twice), none of which were a breed issue.

Usually to diagnose the cause of a murmur they'll want to do xrays or an echocardiogram to help in determining the exact reason for the murmur. Alot of it is up to the pet owner. Me.. I've aways wanted to know why something is going on in case there's a way to fix it or treat it to assure their quality of life is the best it can be.

[mona]

Poor little guy! He looks like a sweetie!

Persians can be really finicky, but they can tough it out as well. I LOVE vets, but you have to take what they say and suggest with a grain of salt from time to time...

My Persian, Duchess (RIP), ended up having serious liver problems...

[prezzz]

We have a springer spaniel and a norwegian forest cat. We lost the older dog last year due to an unfortunate accident...

[PSSuperstars]

We have a springer spaniel and a norwegian forest cat. We lost the older dog last year due to an unfortunate accident...

Dude I love that cat. Seriously.
Gorgeous.

[PSSuperstars]

Poor little guy! He looks like a sweetie!

Persians can be really finicky, but they can tough it out as well. I LOVE vets, but you have to take what they say and suggest with a grain of salt from time to time...

My Persian, Duchess (RIP), ended up having serious liver problems...

Aww... Duchess's coloring was gorgeous Pretty Kitty. Sorry for your loss.

[Barefootsies]

Nice kitties.
I have a Siamese, and I think the other is a Minx.

[candyflip]

I have a Lilac Point Himalayan.

He just celebrated his 10th birthday and he's the same lazy fuck he has been since I got him at 10 weeks old.

[Spunky]

Duchess looked like quite the lil character.

[BlackCrayon]

We have a springer spaniel and a norwegian forest cat. We lost the older dog last year due to an unfortunate accident...

wow, fluffy tail on that cat. I thought it was another dog at first.

[JamesK]

We have a springer spaniel and a norwegian forest cat. We lost the older dog last year due to an unfortunate accident...

Nice mane on that cat. He looks a miniature colored lion

[fuzzylogic]

We have a springer spaniel and a norwegian forest cat. We lost the older dog last year due to an unfortunate accident...

holy shit that cats tail is bangin!
beautiful cat in a nice pose.

[Deej]

I had persians...


Wait I think they were himilayan...

similar, persians have a more smashed in face though