🫶 Murr-Murr and HCM (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy)

All of my breeding cats are genetically tested clear for HCM (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy).This means your kitten does not carry the HCM mutation and cannot have a genetic heart condition related to it.

However, it’s quite common for veterinarians during a routine check-up to say:

“I hear a heart murmur… let’s do an ultrasound, just in case.”

This happens often — many owners immediately panic, spend hundreds of dollars on testing, and later discover that their cat’s heart is perfectly normal.

A mild “murmur” can appear temporarily when a cat is stressed, frightened, or breathing rapidly during the visit.Even a healthy heart can sound irregular under stress — and that’s completely normal.

And yes, there is also a human factor: some clinics depend on additional, often expensive, procedures as part of their income.That’s why it’s so important for owners to stay calm, informed, and avoid making emotional decisions under pressure. At this time, genetic testing is the only scientifically reliable method to assess hereditary risk for HCM. Echocardiograms do not detect a “gene” and cannot predict whether a kitten will or will not develop heart disease later in life. An echo only shows what the heart looks like at that specific moment in time.

Routine or annual echocardiograms on asymptomatic cats are not considered a guarantee of future heart health, and they do not replace genetic testing. Even a cat with a completely normal echo today can develop changes years later — and conversely, many perfectly healthy cats show temporary findings under stress.

For kittens specifically:

• Echocardiograms are not recommended or reliable in young kittens

• Heart structure is still developing

• Stress alone can create false findings

For this reason, kittens are not routinely screened with echocardiograms, as it provides no meaningful or predictive value.

In summary:

• Genetic testing addresses hereditary risk

• Echocardiograms are a diagnostic tool, not a preventive or predictive one

• A genetically clear lineage is the most responsible and evidence-based foundation a breeder can provide