Maxine is one of our very special patients who has been spending some time with us lately.

She has been living with Hyperthyroid disease for the last year, but recently she started having breathing problems and it was found that she had a large amount of fluid in her chest.

After her chest was drained she had an echocardiogram and it was found that she had advanced heart disease. Unfortunately for Maxine, she has two different types of heart disease going on at the same time - she certainly is a clever cat! The left side of her heart is very soft and floppy (dilated cardiomyopathy) and not effectively pumping the blood around her body and the right side of her heart is very rigid and thickened (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) which prevents the blood from filling the heart properly.
Generally cats are prone to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, but not in association with dilated cardiomyopathy. We started her on some medication, and she has had some more fluid drained from her chest to help keep her comfortable.
Maxine has surprised us all with her attitude to life - she is such a delightful little angel