What Every Cat Owner Should Know About Feline Heart Health

In this guide

Heart disease is well known as a serious problem in humans, but it is just as significant a concern in cats. According to the Morris Animal Foundation, the most common feline heart disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, affects one cat in seven, making heart health something every cat owner should keep firmly in mind.

The heart is a remarkably complex organ with an essential job: keeping blood circulating around the body, rather like the body's own motor. As in humans, a cat's heart has four chambers, two upper and two lower, with one chamber on each side pumping blood in and the other pumping it out, maintaining a constant flow of oxygen and nutrients around the body. In heart disease, this pump becomes weakened, either failing to pump as efficiently as it should, or hampered by narrowed arteries.

How do cats develop heart disease?

For some cats, heart disease is inherited from one or both parents, resulting in kittens born with congenital heart problems. Others develop heart disease through ordinary wear and tear, sometimes following injury or trauma, while some experience malformed heart valves or other structural defects. Scarring, inflammation, or a thickening of the heart's walls can all reduce how efficiently it works.

A silent threat

Untreated heart disease is dangerous, yet a cat may show no obvious symptoms at all, either because the disease genuinely produces none in its early stages, or simply because cats are so skilled at masking discomfort. Either explanation is entirely plausible.

During a routine wellness exam, your vet will check your cat's heart and blood pressure, and combine those findings with factors such as age, diet and exercise to build a clearer picture of overall health and risk.

Diagnosing heart problems

Where a vet suspects heart disease, further testing usually follows. This can include an ultrasound to examine the heart and surrounding structures for existing or emerging problems, blood tests, and an electrocardiogram (ECG). Together, these give the medical team a clear view of the cat's heart health and allow a tailored treatment plan to be drawn up.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

As the most common feline heart condition, affecting one cat in seven, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy involves a thickening of the heart walls, which reduces the heart's efficiency and can lead to symptoms elsewhere in the body. There is no cure, but medication can lower the risk of congestive heart failure, ease the strain on the heart, and your vet can show you how to monitor your cat's respiratory rate and other vital signs at home in case of an emergency.

Common symptoms to watch for

Cats are notoriously good at hiding illness, so a cat that is isolating itself more than usual is often signalling that something is wrong. Symptoms linked to heart disease can include a faster breathing rate, reduced appetite, vomiting, a matted coat from reduced self-grooming, weakness in the hind legs or difficulty jumping, and a change in daily routine, such as no longer appearing in its usual spots at the usual times. Since each of these signs could point to any number of illnesses or injuries, it is worth paying close attention to your cat's habits and speaking to your vet whenever something changes.

Heart disease is a serious matter, but early diagnosis makes a real difference to a cat's quality of life. Regular wellness checks remain one of the most important things you can do for your cat's long-term health, and any sign of distress, or a due routine exam, is worth booking in with your vet.

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