Preventive Measures for Cat Heart Disease

Prioritizing regular targeted screenings, controlling body weight within a reasonable range, minimizing stress stimulation, and supplementing necessary nutrients as needed based on feeding conditions can help most cats avoid more than 80% of the risk of acute heart attacks, and even detect congenital risks in advance and provide early intervention.

Last year I treated a 3-year-old British Shorthair cat. The owner usually fed the cat very carefully, switching between imported food, freeze-dried food, and staple food cans. He rarely let the cat go out. He never even tried to walk the cat. The annual physical examination only did blood routine and biochemistry, and never included an echocardiogram. That time, the cat suddenly panted heavily and could not even stand while squatting on the ground. It was found that it was already in the middle stage of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and pulmonary hypertension had already appeared. It was a pity. If an echocardiogram had been done a year earlier, the disease could have been suppressed by medication, and it would not have developed to such a serious stage.

Many people think that cats only get old heart disease, but this is not true. HCM, which accounts for more than 60% of the incidence of heart disease in cats, is a disease with congenital genetic tendencies. High-risk breeds such as Ragdolls, Maine Coons, British Shorthairs, and American Shorthairs may already show signs of myocardial thickening between the ages of 1 and 3, which are completely invisible at ordinary times. They can eat, run, and tear down homes more happily than anyone else. Once an attack occurs, it may cause acute heart failure or hind limb thrombosis, which is directly life-threatening.

Nowadays, many parents who raise breed cats are confused about whether to do HCM genetic testing. There is really no unified conclusion in this industry: one school of thought is that testing for breeds with known mutation sites (such as two HCM sites in Maine and one HCM site in Ragdolls) can screen out high-risk individuals and is more suitable for breeders to conduct population screening.； The other group believes that nearly 40% of clinical HCM cases do not carry known mutated genes. Even if the test result is negative, it does not mean that the disease will not occur, and it cannot replace annual echocardiography. I raise cats myself and give advice to friends around me. Basically, I say that you don’t have to worry about whether to do a test or not. Add an echocardiogram for 200-400 yuan for an annual physical examination. The scan takes 10 minutes and you can see at a glance whether there are any problems. It is more reliable than anything else.

In addition to early screening, the most easily overlooked aspect is weight control. I have seen too many owners who think that cats are "well-raised" only if they are chubby. You can't even touch the ribs, and the belly is full of soft fat. Don't think that being fat just doesn't look good. Excess fat will add continuous extra burden to the heart. For cats with congenital myocardial problems, if they gain two pounds, the onset of the disease may be 2-3 years earlier. Oh, by the way, don’t overdo it. In order to help the cat lose weight, there was an owner who only fed half a spoonful of food a day. Some cats starved to death and developed fatty liver disease. Just feed the cat normally. Every time you touch the back, you can easily feel the ribs, but the bones will not hurt your hands. This is the most suitable weight.

Another triggering factor that many people don’t take seriously is stress. I have previously encountered cases where firecrackers were set off for two days in a community during the Chinese New Year, and the cat was not given a quiet corner to hide in the house, which resulted in acute heart failure. There were also cases where the owner took a very timid cat to a strange pet shop for a bath, and when he came back, his hind limbs were paralyzed (thromboembolism). It’s not that you can’t take your cat out or take a bath at all, but you have to figure out your cat’s temper. If your cat is timid and shy, don’t join in the fun and take it to a pet-friendly shopping mall to “see the world.” Also, try to find a carer who can come and be gentle when bathing. If a stranger comes to the house, let him hide under the sofa, and don’t force him to take him out to socialize. Seriously, I encounter two or three cases of heart attack emergencies every month due to scares.

By the way, there is also the nutritional supplement issue that everyone is most concerned about. Now there are two different opinions about taurine supplementation: Academic veterinary nutritionists believe that as long as you feed qualified full-price cat food and staple food cans that meet national standards, the taurine content in it is enough to meet the daily needs of cats, and no additional supplement is needed.； Pet owners who make homemade raw meat or cooked meat at home generally add additional taurine. After all, if the ingredients are not properly mixed when making homemade food, it is easy to suffer from insufficient taurine intake. Long-term deficiency can indeed induce dilated cardiomyopathy. This is actually easy to judge. If you usually feed regular full-priced staple food, you don’t need to buy a bunch of health supplements. If you feed homemade foods, just add taurine at the standard of 100-200mg per kilogram of body weight. If a physical examination reveals signs of myocardial thickening, just follow the doctor’s advice on what health products you need to take and how much. Don’t follow the trend and buy Internet celebrity heart drugs. Many of them are IQ taxes.

Oh, by the way, you can always observe the cat's condition if you have nothing to do. If he suddenly becomes too lazy to move, panting after playing for two minutes, his tongue turns purple, or he coughs frequently like gasping for breath, don't delay and go to the hospital for examination. After all, for cats with heart disease, prevention is always much more cost-effective than treatment. If you really wait until the attack occurs before sending it to the doctor, not to mention the cost, the little furry child at home will suffer.