Hi There,

This is a tough one. Ideally, your cat should have the ultrasound, but I understand your not wanting to stress him out.

The problem is that you don't have a diagnosis yet and at this point you don't know why he is acting the way he is. It may or may not have something to do with his heart murmur.

I think if this were one of my babies, I would go ahead with the ultrasound, especially if his teeth are really bad. Usually heart murmurs aren't serious in cats and they can safely undergo gas anesthesia, but your vet is right to be cautious.

Even though bloodwork was done recently and it was ok, I would consider repeating the panel. Not to scare you, but I think there is something going on other than what is obvious, and senior kitties can go downhill rapidly. Vomiting and diarrhea in an older kitty can be very serious and I would want to know the cause.

You can decide to do nothing and just keep your kitty at home. I have done this with easily-stressed out senior cats, but not before I knew what was going on with them.

Another possible option would be to try to find a housecall vet, but they may not be available where you are.

I'll keep your kitty in my thoughts and prayers.

Regards,
PHKitkat

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