Infective Vegetative Endocarditis of the Mitral, Aortic, and Pulmonary Valves due to Enterococcus hirae in a Cat with a Ventricular Septal Defect

A 2.5-year-old female intact British Shorthair was presented for progressive complaints of abdominal distention, increased respiratory effort, lethargy and hyporexia. Based on the clinical presentation and a loud heart murmur, a cardiac cause was suspected. An echocardiogram was performed and the presumptive diagnosis of infective endocarditis of the aortic, mitral and pulmonic valves was made. Antemortem blood culture and postmortem valve biopsy confirmed bacterial endocarditis with Enterococcus hirae as etiological agent. To the authors’ best knowledge, this case report is the first to describe an infective endocarditis with vegetative lesions on three cardiac valves associated with a ventricular septal defect in a cat, and Enterococcus hirae as causative agent for endocarditis in small animals.