Page 61 - Complete Cat Care: How To Keep Your Cat Healthy and Happy

Heart and blood disorders

The heart pumps blood around the body, and this blood carries oxygen
to all body tissues. Problems with a cat’s heart, blood vessels, or red
blood cells can cause weakness or even make the cat collapse.

life-threatening. Causes of HCM problems such as vision loss, kidney
include a genetic defect (see p.46), damage, and seizures. The heart
Signs of a problem hypertension (see below), or also has to work harder, so the cat
hyperthyroidism (see p.61). becomes easily tired and breathless.
■ Difficulty in breathing The cat may tire easily, breathe The cat will need to see a vet, who
■ Blue lips, gums, and tongue heavily, and lose his appetite. The will measure the blood pressure,
■ Fatigue, lethargy vet will use a stethoscope to listen give antihypertensive drugs, and
■ Anorexia, weight loss to the heart sounds, and carry out treat any underlying cause.
■ Increased thirst radiographs, ultrasound scans,
■ Fainting and ECG. The vet may give drugs Anemia
■ Hindlimb pain and loss of use to regulate the heartbeat, relax In anemia, the blood has too
■ Cough (rare) the blood vessels, and eliminate few red blood cells, which carry 59
excess fluid from the body. oxygen to the body tissues.
Causes include injuries, parasite
Cardiomyopathy Hypertension infestations (see pp.52–3), immune
This disease weakens the heart Raised blood pressure, or system disorders (see pp.62–3),
muscle. The most common form hypertension, usually results feline infectious anemia, and
is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy from other disorders such as kidney disease. The lack of oxygen
(HCM), which causes the heart’s hyperthyroidism or kidney disease causes pale gums, tiring easily, Heart and blood disorders
left ventricle (lower chamber) to (see p.67) and most often affects and labored breathing. Blood
enlarge and stiffen. Blood may clot older cats. The pressure can damage tests may be performed to diagnose
in the heart, and bits of clot may the smallest blood vessels, making the underlying cause, which will
lodge in an artery. This can be them bleed. This can cause serious determine the treatment.

△ Vet listening to a cat’s heartbeat
Vets use a stethoscope to listen to a cat’s
heartbeat and breathing rate, and to detect
any unusual noises in the chest.

▷ Vet taking a cat’s blood pressure
Usually only the systolic phase of the blood
pressure (as the heart muscle contracts)
is measured. Any reading over 160mmHg
shows hypertension.

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