Hi from Chicago, have a question I'd like some advice on.

[akapp]

My boyfriend and I live together and are looking to adopt a cat from a shelter. The one we're very interested in is named Morris and he's 7 years old. The biggest concern we have aside from him being a bit older is that he also has a level 6 heart murmur. Of course we didn't find this out until we had decided he was our favorite in the shelter. Are we setting ourselves up for a lot of issues down the road? Is this a bad idea? I know some cats can lead a normal life with a heart murmur. He also has a food allergy, but we're confident we can handle that with diet change and anti-itch medication. Any advice others can offer is greatly appreciated.

[badger]

Welcome to the board!

Thanks for setting your sights on an older cat when everybody these days seems to want kittens. I have heard that many cats with a heart murmur live normal lives, although they may not make old bones. Here is some info:

http://www.vetinfo.com/cmurmur.html

I have a heart murmur myself and am completely asymptomatic. So I say go for it, in the knowledge that Morris might live to be 15 or 20, but he may not. You could say that about any cat, really.
You've already named him. This sounds like a done deal to me!
PS We love pictures.

[akapp]

So we did finally decide on Morris (his new name is Carl Weathers) Don't ask! Let's just say my boyfriend has quite a sense of humor. We brought him home last night. He was a little scared at first. Spent the first hour under the couch, but after we gave him some time to relax and a little food, he came around and was exploring his new surroundings in no time. He's as friendly and lovable as he was at the shelter, so I'm confident he'll enjoy his new home with us. Thanks for all your help. And I'm sure I'll be having more questions down the road.

thanks!

[jawert1]

Congrats on your new bundle of fuzz! More pics please!!

[badger]

He's absolutely gorgeous, and trust me, after the shelter, he thinks your place is heaven.

[rainbow]

What a handsome boy he is.

[Prin]

Congrats! He's beautiful.

As for risks down the road, you'll just have to cross that bridge when you get to it. He's too lovely to look that far ahead.

[vfrohloff]

Wow, what a good looking boy! Congrats, and kudos to you for adopting an older cat. I always prefer the older ones because they are done with their destructive kittenhood ways. Don't worry about the heart murmur, I have a 7 year old Greyhound with one and it causes her no problems. My mom and dad had a cat who had a heart murmur and he died at age 21 from old age and the murmur never caused him any problems either. Have fun with your new boy!

[MartiniGIrl]

My AlleyCat had a heart murmer as well. I dont know what 'stage' it was, but she lived to be almost 12. And the only reason she died that young was because she ended up with a blood clot in her leg. The vet said it was just something that sometimes happens and wasnt necessarily anything to do with the heart murmer.

Good luck, he's Beautiful!!

[chico2]

He is beautiful and must think he's on thank's for choosing him,I am sure he'll reward you 100 times over,with purrs and cuddles:love: