As cats get older, problems with their heart, kidneys and other organs can occur. Cancer, renal or kidney disease, diabetes, hyperthyroidism (disease of the thyroid gland), dental disease and heart disease are the most frequent diseases found in aging cats. Cats age seven times faster than we do and examinations done by your veterinarian twice a year can help detect problems earlier when they can still be treated. Diagnostic tests such as blood work, ECG, ultrasound and blood pressure monitoring can help screen for problems sooner.
A common heart problem that occurs cats is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Cardiomyopathy affects more cats than in dogs. HCM is an acquired heart disease that affects the muscular walls of the ventricles making them abnormally thick. As the disease progresses the pumping capabilities of the heart decreases. The wall of the heart gets thicker and stiffer reducing it's ability to contract and pump the blood efficiently. The center of the heart that holds the blood also gets smaller and smaller, so less blood is pumped out of the heart., This results in the amount of blood that once filled the heart is less than it should be and the heart muscle can't contract as well to move the blood out of the heart into the body. The heart now has to pump faster and harder than normal to keep the blood flowing throughout the body. The increased pressure also begins to back the blood into the lungs causing edema and congestion and eventually leads to congestive heart failure.
Sometimes, the faulty heart can have changes in the conduction system that tells the heart when to contract. This some times causes arrhythmias and can result in sudden death similar to those found in some of our young athletes that collapse during practice.
Another problem that can occur from the cardiomyopathy is a disease called feline aortic thromboembolism (FATE). Blood clots that form on flaps of the heart valves can sometimes break off and lodge in main artery leading to the rear legs,. The blood clot causes severe pain, loss of blood flow to the rear legs and paralysis, and even death. The blood clot is sometimes referred to as a saddle thrombus. About 40% of the cats recover from a saddle thrombus with intensive therapy and may regain use of their legs over time. However, these cats still risk developing another episode and still suffer from the primary heart condition.
Cats are very good as masking underlying physical problems and early detection is key to helping these cats live a full life. Your fat and lazy cat may actually be hiding a heart condition. Of course not all fat and lazy cats a have heart disease, but the only way to tell is with full exams by your veterinarian. EKG, blood pressure monitoring and ultrasound can help the veterinarian diagnose heart disease. Using ultrasound, your veterinarian can detect the thickened walls of the heart, just like they screen our young athletes.
Medications can help cats with their heart function, reduce the edema in their lungs and may help reduce the blood clot formations. The prognosis for a cat that has already developed the congestive heart failure is guarded, and even with medication, survival rates are 12-18 months after diagnosis and sudden death can occur at any time.
At your cat's next health check, speak with your veterinarian about developing a wellness plan for yor cat. By diagnosing disease conditions earlier, changes in diet and medication can help your cat have a better quality of life.
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