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As cat owners, our cats hold a special place in our hearts and keeping our cat’s heart is one of our responsibilities. When it comes to heart disease, regular visits to your veterinarian could mean the difference between life and premature death. Owners may not realize that their cats are susceptible to many forms of heart disease. In most cases, heart disease can be successfully managed with early detection and treatment.

Cats rarely have typical ‘heart attacks’ that we humans are so familiar with. However, cats can have what are called cardiomyopathie or diseases of the heart muscle. Such diseases include:

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (the most common feline heart problem)
When areas of the heart muscle (most often the left ventricle) enlarge and thicken

Congestive heart failure
When the heart cannot pump blood efficiently enough for the blood to function.

Cardiac arrhythmias
Also known as abnormal timing of the heart’s beat when the heart ‘skips’ a beat every once a while.

Thromboembolic disease
When a thrombus (blood clot formations) becomes dislodged and travels through the bloodstream.

Symptoms & Diagnosis
Heart disease usually takes several weeks to months to progress to the serious stage. For the first few weeks, your cat will look and act completely normal. Eventually you will start noticing your cat being lethargic and having a poor appetite. Near the end, your cat will start to have trouble breathing and will be at risk for blood clots that can lodge themselves in blood vessels throughout the body. The most common place for clots to lodge is where the aorta splits before going to the back legs. Your cat may seem paralyzed or as if he/she has a broken leg, but the reality is that there is no blood or oxygen going to the leg. If your cat has a blood clot, the affected area will have no pulse in it and will begin turn cold and blue.

No one is really sure why cat gets disease of the heart. Some think it may have a genetic precursor and be caused by a genetic defect that is inherited. In the past, cardiomyopathies were seen quite often due to taurine (an essential amino acid) deficiencies. However, all commercially available cat foods today are enriched with taurine to avoid this problem.

Treatment & Prevention
Congestive heart is a chronic disorder and thus if you catch it early and treat it early, your cat can love a long and happy life. Diagnosis will be done with X-rays, echocardiograms, sonograms or blood tests. If your cat is suspected of having heart problem other tests will most likely be performed to rule out other causes of heart disease such as kidney disease, hyperthyroidism or liver disease.

If you think your cat may have heart problem, consult your vet as soon as possible. There are many options for cats with cardiomyopathies today, but you need to catch the disease early and treat it as soon as possible.

Make sure your cat eats healthy and exercises often. A kitty in good shape is less likely to develop heart problems or exhibit heart failure even if they have a weak heart to begin with.

It’s no longer a dog-only activity but cats are getting into the act as well. Here are some info about grooming your cats; their importance and how you can do it at home.

Q: Why is grooming important?
A: Cats shed, no matter how longhaired or short haired. Grooming helps in getting rid f loose fur on the cat. When they lick themselves, the loose fur often gets ingested and hairballs are created within them. The presence of this foreign material can lead to gastrointestinal symptoms especially if it obstructs the pathway of food to the stomach. Grooming also helps minimize the amount of cat hair in the house especially sofas, carpets and beds.

Q: What are the advantages of bringing our cats to a professional groomer?
A: As cats can get quite agitated while being groomed at home, a professional groomer would know how to handle the cat with care, so as to not to injure or frighten the cat. From cleaning of ears, clipping the nails plush brushing and trimming of coat, they would also share any skin problems that they encounter like ticks or fleas to the owners and advise them on the appropriate action to take. If the coat were badly matted and they are unable to bathe the cats, they would try to de-mat coat as far as possible before restoring to really shaving it down.

Q: What advice to owners should they choose to groom their cats at home? What are the things they should look out for and to avoid?
A: Start grooming their cats when they are still kittens. Get them used to the brushing and clipping of nails and in time they will not be so agitated if you need to bring in for a proper grooming session. For shorthaired breeds, one can brush 2/3 times a week to get rid of loose fur. For longhaired breeds however, it’s a minimum once every other day, as they tend to shed more heavily than other breeds. Take note of areas as under the arms, belly, around the neck and behind the ears as they tend to mat more easily than others. Showering for cats, though can be traumatic experience for them and once a month would be adequate.

Answers provided are from Ms. Jacy Chia, a professional groomer who specializes in cat grooming in Singapore.