Heart failure in cats can be caused by value issues, heart muscle problems, electrical conduction problems, hyperthyroidism, and congenital problems. [1] X Research source If the circulation is inadequate, then the cat feels light-headed, dizzy, and weak. This causes the cat to learn it’s best not to move around much, so it tends to rest instead.
If you are suspicious about your cat breathing quickly, watch it while it’s resting and count the number of breaths taken in one minute. Repeat this several times to be certain that you are getting a true figure. You will need to take this information to your vet, since it’s normal for cats to hyperventilate at the vet’s office, making it hard to take an accurate reading. The normal respiratory rate in the cat is between 20-30 breaths a minute. More than 35-40 breaths a minute at rest is considered high, and over 40 requires a vet’s attention.
Mouth-breathing is your cat’s attempt to get more oxygen because not enough is getting absorbed.
The belly may swell and fill like a water balloon.
The vet will count the respiratory rate and assess how the cat is breathing.
Another hint that points toward abnormal breathing is if the cat’s tummy is going in and out with each breath. This is known as “abdominal breathing” and is a sign that the cat is struggling to draw air into the lungs. It’s important to note that cats rarely cough as a result of heart disease, unlike dogs.
Your cat may have developed a heart murmur later in life, so a clean medical history does not mean that your cat can’t have an issue now.
Heart murmurs are common in cats with heart disease. However, a heart murmur does not mean that your cat definitely has heart disease.
A stressed cat will have a faster heart rate, meaning that the vet’s measurement could be high. While a cat is at the vet, most vets consider up to around 180 beats per minute to be normal. Out of the vet’s office, 180 beats is very concerning. A cat’s heart may be beating fast to maintain circulation if its heart is failing.
First, the beat is regular with exactly the same time interval between beats. Second, the cat’s heartbeat is synchronized with its breathing. An abnormal heart rhythm is erratic.
If the heart is failing and the circulation poor, the gums tend to be pale or even white. However, this sign is not exclusive to heart disease and gums can be pale because of anemia or pain.
These veins run up the neck, and if the heart is struggling, blood tends to accumulate downstream of the heart and cause the jugular veins to distend.
The tools most commonly used in the diagnosis of feline heart murmur are a specialized blood test (proBNP), chest radiographs, and cardiac ultrasound. Aside from an X-ray, only an animal cardiologist will perform these tests.
The results are allocated to one of three groups: low indicates heart disease is not causing the cat’s clinical signs, normal range means heart disease is less likely at that time, and high means the cat has significant heart muscle damage. Your vet may use Pro BNP blood testing to eliminate heart issues as a cause of symptoms or to monitor your cat’s condition once treatment has begun. Your vet may also do a blood test to check for kidney disease, liver disease, or hyperthyroidism. If your vet suspects one of these conditions, they may also do a blood pressure test.
Radiographs can be of limited value because one of the common feline heart conditions, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), involves the heart muscle thickening inwardly. Because x-rays only show the heart silhouette, rather than what’s going on inside, HCM can be missed with radiography alone. However, radiographs are useful to look for fluid in the lungs, such as pulmonary edema, which can indicate a failing heart, and also to rule out other conditions such as feline asthma or lung tumors.
Ultrasounds also detect problems such as fluid in the sac around the heart, which can go undetected on X-rays. Ultrasounds also allow the vet to measure the dimensions of the different heart chambers so that they can decide if the heart is functioning appropriately.
