University of Florida veterinary cardiologists manually removed three heartworms from an infected cat Dec. 17, dramatically improving his prognosis through a rare procedure performed at UF for the first time. - Read more

What you need to know about hypertension, or high blood pressure in cats. - Read more

What you need to know about cardiomyopathy in cats. - Read more

- Read more

- Read more

- Read more

- Read more

- Read more

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a primary heart muscle disease & is the most common heart disease in cats. It usually results in a hickening of the heart muscle, generally in the left ventricle & often leads to an increase in blood pressure in the upper chambers of the heart & causes a backward flow of blood into the lungs. The symptoms cat owners notice include difficulty in breathing (open-mouth breathing) or heart failure. - Read more

Hypoxemia occurs when the blood in the arteries is not being oxygenated sufficiently. The condition is dangerous in cats because the oxygen that is vital for the functioning of all the organs is adversely affected. The brain can suffer irreversible damage when deprived of oxygen for even relatively short periods of time. Oxygen deficiency may also lead to anemia and/or hypoxia in the organs, which can progress to arrhythmia and heart failure. - Read more

The heart has four chambers: two chambers at the top, the right and left aorta; and two chambers on the bottom, the right and left ventricles. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a heart disease that affects the ventricular muscle. It is characterized by dilated, or enlarged heart chambers, and reduced contraction ability. That is, a reduced ability to push blood out of the respective ventricle. DCM causes the heart to become overloaded, and will often lead to congestive heart failure. - Read more

Endomyocarditis. Endomyocarditis, or inflammation of the inner heart muscle and lining, is an acute heart and lung (cardiopulmonary) disease that typically develops following a stressful event. It is characterized by interstitial pneumonia, and inflammation of the innermost portion of the heart. Pneumonia is usually severe and commonly results in death. - Read more

Heart disease, Heart muscle failure - Read more

High blood pressure - Read more

Although treatments cannot reverse heart disease, your cat can live a relatively normal life. Aging is the most common reason cats develop a heart condition, but other factors like heartworm can also lead to heart disease. - Read more

Although treatments cannot reverse heart disease, your cat can live a relatively normal life. Aging is the most common reason cats develop a heart condition, but other factors like heartworm can also lead to heart disease. - Read more

How to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in cats. - Read more

Hypertophic cardiomyopathy is the most common heart disease seen in cats. Find out the symptoms & treatment of this disease. - Read more

High blood pressure (hypertension) is something that most people associate with humans. It is also described as 'the silent killer' as often high blood pressure may be present for a long time without any symptoms, and the problem may only be discovered when a doctor (or veterinarian) checks the blood pressure. - Read more

Capillary refill time is a quick test to determine blood flow to tissue. Find out how to do this & what is the normal rate in cats. - Read more