How to Compare a Cat's Heart Rate to a Person's

Though both cats and humans have hearts with a similar structure, a cat's heart rate tends to be much faster than a human's, due mostly to its smaller size.

  1. Human and Cat Heart Rates

    • A well-rested adult human should have a heart rate between 60 and 100 beats per minute. An average adult cat should count between 120 and 200 beats per minute.

    Causes

    • Cats, being much smaller than humans, possess a higher ratio of surface area to volume, meaning that a larger proportion of a cat's body is exposed to the environment compared to your own. This causes heat to radiate from a cat's body more quickly, and its heart must pump blood faster to keep its body temperature from dropping.

    Other Considerations

    • Children younger than 10 have heart rates as high as 120 beats per minute, and infants up to 160, while the heart rate of a trained athlete may be as low as 40 beats per minute. A kitten's heart rate also tends to be much faster than an adult cat's, averaging 200 to 260 beats per minute, and often requires a vet to measure it accurately.