A foster kitten in search of a home found just that at the MSU Veterinary Medical Center when undergoing surgical repair for a heart defect.
Duck came to the Hospital’s Cardiology Service after his primary veterinarian noted a loud heart murmur when he was just two weeks old.
Spartan veterinary cardiologists identified the cause: patent ductus arteriosus, or PDA.
A PDA is a “hole” in the heart that shouldn’t be there—at least, not after a kitten has been born. This “hole” is a small opening that connects the heart’s two main blood vessels, the aorta and the pulmonary artery, in fetuses. Its purpose is to allow blood to bypass the lungs; after all, the lungs aren’t in use while in the uterus. After birth, the opening usually closes with the animal’s first breaths. In somewhat rare cases, such as Duck’s, it remains open.
What happens when the ductus arteriosus remains “patent,” or open? Blood over-circulates through the pulmonary artery, often causing left-sided heart enlargement. The organ must work harder to circulate blood through the rest of the body, which can lead to congestive heart failure. In some cases, pressure in the pulmonary (lung) vessels can force blood to flow the wrong way, circulating de-oxygenated blood through the body. This is potentially deadly. The Cardiology Service confirmed a PDA with an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) and referred Duck to the Soft Tissue Surgery Service.
Patent “Duck”tus Arteriosus
Fun fact: As a foster kitten, Duck’s name was Albert. His adopter, Dr. Alex Garrett, explains how he became Duck:
“Dr. Katie Mauro, the supervising faculty that day, came up with the name! It’s a play on the “ductus” in “patent ductus arteriosus,” the reason he needed surgical intervention.”
Forever Home
Duck would stay at MSU overnight, with surgery to repair the PDA the next day. Enter rotating intern Dr. Alex Garrett, who was working a late swing shift in the Intensive Care Unit.
“Duck was brought in by Soft Tissue Surgery nurses wrapped in this little baby-carrying scarf. He was asleep as all this craziness was going on around him; everyone was obsessed with him and wanted to hold him,” she says. “I was amazed at how cool a cat he was being while passed around to everyone for snuggles.”
Garrett had been searching for a lucky black cat to adopt. “When I sprinted over to hold him, the nurses told me he was up for adoption.”
She was given the contact info for Duck’s foster parent, who had generously fostered and found homes for numerous medically-challenged cats (“She’s the real hero in his care!” says Garrett).
The next day, soft tissue surgeons performed a procedure to tie a knot around the unneeded opening in the heart, thus stopping the abnormal recirculation of blood. At the same time, they neutered the four-month-old kitten.
He recovered well from the procedure with the support of his new family member.
“In between cases that came through the ER, he didn’t leave my arms,” Garrett said of his recovery time at the Hospital.
He has adapted well to his new home with Garrett, who reports constant zoomies and extreme playfulness.
“He’s never without a toy, loves people, and, weirdly, loves water. He always jumps into the shower when it’s running. He’s constantly making biscuits and purring.”
