Can a cat's heart murmur cause difficulty breathing or gasping?

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I forgot to mention as well that Lily has a heart murmur. Her breathing has slowed down a bit but it's still like she's gasping for air. Anyway a heart murmur could cause this? No new food, she was around a new kitten a family member had. Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 1 year and 7 months old | 7 lbs

Amber Da Silva, DVM · Accepted Answer

Thank you for the additional information. Heart murmurs can affect the breathing in a couple of ways. One is that the murmur often times is due to a leaky valve which means the blood is flowing backwards, which then causes fluid to back up into the lungs and breathing to be more difficult. In cats, this fluid can also build up around the lungs and press in, decreasing lung volume. We hear heart murmurs because of turbulent blood flow and this turbulence increases the risk of forming blood clots, especially in cats. If these blood clots then break off, they can travel through the body and lodge somewhere. If the clot ends up in the lungs, this is called a pulmonary embolism and can cause difficulty breathing. It sounds like she's improved a bit, but if she's still gasping, it is an emergency and she needs to be seen by a veterinarian right away.

Can a cat's heart murmur cause difficulty breathing or gasping?

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