Three Kittens with so many issues- Help!

Question
My co-worker has several feral cats in her back yard that have given birth to
many litters. Recently three kittens showed up on the scene. Feeling this was
out of hand and wanting to help, I decided to trap and take all three, not
really sure what to do with them, but hoping to keep at least one. Turns out
these kitties have a laundry list of problems. They include: fleas, ringworm,
tape worm, round worm,
umbilical hernias, almost certain cardiologist and possible FIV (the suspected
father was recently trapped and found to have it.)
Needless to say, this is way more than I bargained for. My two dogs, my son
and I all ended up with ringworm, which has been a total nightmare to get rid
of, and I am about $2,000 into vet bills thus far. Looking back, I can see how
very naive I was to bring them into my house without knowing the full
situation. On the positive side, they are beautiful kittens that have been fully
acclimated to humans, I am rounding the corner on the ringworm and other
infestations, and have fixed their hernias. I am however, at my maximum on
being able to do more for them financially as far as their health is concerned.
For instance, my vet suggested following up with a cardiologist to see the
complete status of their hearts, as all three have murmurs. But since, I have
no more available cash, this is not an option. So my question is this- does the
fact that all three of them have heart murmurs mean cardio myopathy is
likely, and if so, how long can they last with this? In your opinion, would I be
better off giving them up to a cat rescue, that might be able to address their
hearts, or are most folks going to look at this laundry list of issues, and
either not adopt them, or put them to sleep?

Answer
Jennifer -

You certainly have your hands full - what a lot of responsibility!! To answer your question - if is difficult to say why they have murmurs. There are some murmurs that are not pathologic - they are not harmful to the animal.  There are also heart murmurs that can be caused by anemia and will resolve once the anemia is corrected.  

Animal rescue groups and shelters are often hesitant to take pets that are not adoptable - if there are numerous health problems the animal is not determined to be adoptable because there are continued cost related to the health problems. Animals with health problems might not be considered adoptable by rescue groups or shelters.  Talk with representatives in your area to determine if they have the financial support to care for three cats with cardiac problems.  

Remember, there is always the possibility that your cats may not have severe health problems if the murmur does not resolve.  Stay in touch with your veterinarian to monitor the progress of your kittens' cardiac problems.  

Good Luck -

Charlotte Sherrell, DVM