What are some heart problems cats can encounter?
The biggest heart problem we see with cats is an enlarged heart, called cardiomyopathy. That is the most common disease.
Dr. Heather Vargo
Highland Park Animal Hospital
How do heart issues impact the health and wellbeing of my cat?
Heart issues can cause your cat to be extremely lethargic and not feel well.
What preventative measures do veterinarians recommend to help avoid feline cardiology issues?
The most important thing is a physical exam to catch anything early in your cat. Diet is also extremely important as some factors in the diet prevent heart disease.
What are some signs and symptoms of cat heart issues, and what problems can they cause?
Lethargy, panting, enlarged abdomen, and difficulty breathing are some of the most common signs we see.
Can you tell me a little bit about high blood pressure?
High blood pressure, especially in older cats, is a very common illness that we see. Often, it will cause your cat to lose their vision.
Why is it important to avoid self-diagnosing heart problems in your cat?
It's important to make sure that you have a veterinary professional to help you diagnose any heart problems because it's hard enough for us to do that, and we go through many years of training because cats are very good at hiding signs and symptoms of heart disease.
How will a veterinarian diagnose heart issues in my cat?
The first thing we'll do is a physical exam to listen for any heart murmur. Often, cats don't have a murmur, so there are blood tests that we can do, as well as X-rays and ultrasounds, which can also help us detect issues.
What is a veterinary cardiology workup?
The veterinary cardiology workup includes some of the same things we do: a physical exam and listening for a heart murmur. We do x-rays, ultrasound, and blood pressure that helps us get the full picture of how to treat your cat.
What are some possible treatments or procedures for a cat with heart issues?
Most of the treatments for cats include medications to help the heart pump more efficiently and work better.
Why is early detection and diagnosis so important for cat heart problems?
Early detection is extremely important because cats are very good at hiding their symptoms, so most of the time, we don't know that anything is going on until they're having very severe symptoms and the disease is very progressed.
If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (214) 833-9821, or you can email us at info@hpanimalhospital.com. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as fast as we can. Don't forget to follow us on social media https://www.facebook.com/HighlandParkAnimalHospital, https://www.instagram.com/hpanimalhospital/