Cats & Congestive Heart Failure

In cats, congestive heart failure occurs when the heart becomes unable to pump enough blood throughout the body. Although there is no cure for the condition, treatments are available to help with the effects of the disease.

  1. Cause

    • Causes of congestive heart failure in cats include birth defects, heartworms, degeneration of the valves that separate chambers of the heart, irregular heart beat (arrhythmia), disease of the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy) and disease of the lining around the heart, reports PetPlace.com.

    Symptoms

    • Congestive heart failure causes a number of symptoms in cats, including coughing, shortness of breath, weight loss, fatigue and abdominal swelling.

    Diagnosis

    • Veterinarians use physical examination, blood pressure levels and x-rays to diagnose congestive heart failure in cats. Additional tests may be used to measure the electrical activity of the heart (an electrocardiogram) or to take pictures of the heart muscles (echocardiogram), reports PetPlace.com.

    Treatment

    • Veterinarians typically prescribe medications like ace inhibitors, diuretics or digoxins to prevent water retention and help decrease the burden of a cat's heart, according to Mar Vista Animal Medical Center. Limiting sodium in-take may also prevent fluid retention and help manage the disease.

    Considerations

    • Sometimes, pet owners cannot afford the cost of the medications needed to control the symptoms of congestive heart failure for the rest of their cats' lives. Veterinarians may recommend euthanasia in such cases.