How serious is a grade 3 parasternal heart murmur in kittens?

by Noelle
(United States)

My family adopted a 3-month-old Turkish Angora with a heart murmur. The shelter said they usually go away as they get older; they had been monitoring it with their vet. His papers mentioned it was a grade 3 parasternal heart murmur. Is this something we should be worried about? What should we keep in mind while raising him and what should we look out for?


He plays a lot and is very active and vocal. He sometimes overworks himself with playing (we try to avoid that) and breathes heavily when that happens. Once he panted for about 3 seconds and stopped.

Thank you in advance.

Comments for How serious is a grade 3 parasternal heart murmur in kittens?

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Nov 14, 2021
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starstarstarstarstar 		He may get winded
by: Jim W.

As you've seen, he may get winded if he works himself too hard. I've never seen any other issues in cats with murmurs, but none of the cats had more than a grade 3 murmur. Vets have also told me that murmurs may go away over time if diagnosed as a kitten. I suggest calling to speak with the shelter vet to see if they can give you more details on what to watch for.

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