We love our cats as companions and compatriots in life and we want to protect them from diseases like heart failure of chronic heart conditions. But recognizing the signs and symptoms of a chronic heart problem is difficult for even the most observant cat owner. As with any medical condition affecting your cat, it is important that you seek the advice of a veterinarian as soon as you can if you suspect your cat has a heart condition.
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Chronic Heart Disease
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Chronic heart disease is relatively common in domestic cats and is not necessarily related to their weight. The heart usually has somewhat weak muscles, either caused by a genetic defect, by the accumulation of fluid around the heart or by elevated blood pressure over time. Still, no matter what the cause, chronic heart disease may take months, or even years, to manifest any outward symptoms.
Veterinarians
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The first sign that a cat may have chronic heart failure may be in the veterinarian's office; sometimes a murmur or other irregularity in the heartbeat may tip off a vet that there is something wrong with your cat's heart. If the cat's siblings or mother died of chronic heart failure, but the vet is unable to hear anything wrong with the heart, he or she may order an ultrasound examination of your cat's heart.
Some Outward Signs
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Though cats are really good at hiding weakness (a leftover from their wild, solitary hunter roots), some outward signs may manifest. These can include a cat that has trouble gaining weight, shows little interest in activities such as playing or running, and has an increased respiratory rate when resting.
Manifestation
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Often, chronic heart failure does go undetected and may suddenly manifest in dramatic and traumatic ways. In some cases, such as Feline Cardiomyopathy, the heart isn't pumping properly, leading to a pooling of blood in the heart, which clots. Sometime in the future, these clots break up and are "thrown" into the arteries, where they cause blockages (or "thrombosis") or enter the lungs (an "embolism"), resulting in rapid onset of paralysis, extreme pain, difficulty breathing and/or stroke. Often, these symptoms, even if successfully treated, can recur, resulting in more frequent and more severe episodes.
In other cases, the cat may begin to wheeze, pant or gag as if on food or swallowed objects. This is usually an end-stage manifestation when the heart is giving out and is acting spasmodically, resulting in inadequate oxygenation of the body.
Prevention/Solution
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Prevention is sometimes possible through medication and consultation with your veterinarian. Blood thinners, beta blockers, ACE inhibitors and even natural remedies such as Hawthorn extract are sometimes used successfully, but are no guarantee of successful treatment. Once an acute manifestation occurs, there are few treatment options available. For example, in the case of a thrombosis, Heparin may be used to break up the clot, but the smaller clots may move on to the kidneys, lungs or brain, causing an almost immediate repeat of symptoms.
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