Research Communications of the 27(th) ECVIM-CA Congress: Intercontinental, Saint Julian's, Malta, 14th to 16th September 2017

Disclosures: No disclosures to report. Information on the prevalence and cause of heart murmurs in young cats is scarce. This prospective study was performed to investigate prevalence of heart murmurs and heart disease, and to explore the association between auscultatory and echocardiographic findings in clinically healthy young cats. Between May 2012 and March 2017, 12,958 healthy cats aged ≤12 months were screened by auscultation by shelter veterinarians in a single animal shelter (RSPCA Yagoona, NSW, Australia). Heart murmurs were detected in 221 (1.7%) cats, which were subsequently within 1 month investigated by a veterinary cardiologist (NB) or cardiology resident (GN). Murmurs were confirmed in 163 cats. Murmur characteristics (timing, grade, point of maximal intensity) were recorded. All but one murmur were systolic. The point of maximum intensity of murmurs was often difficult to localize.