The heart is a vital muscle for any animal. It is the one in charge of cleaning and giving the impulse that the blood needs to be able to reach all parts of the body. Unfortunately, cats can suffer from heart disease or other throughout their lives.
For that reason, next I'm going to tell you how to tell if a cat has heart problems.
What are the symptoms?
If we want to know if our furry friend has any heart disease, we have to observe him to see if he shows any of these symptoms:
- Is lethargic: It occurs due to poor blood circulation, which can cause nausea and dizziness. Thus, the cat learns that it is better to rest.
- Respiratory rate is high: a healthy feline breathes between 20 and 30 times per minute at rest; If you do it more times, it is a sign that your lungs are accumulating too much fluid and, therefore, you are forcing the animal to breathe more.
- PantPanting is normal when the cat has played a lot, is stressed or even when it is hot. But if you are at home and resting and doing so, it is a sign that your body is trying to get more oxygen to your lungs due to poor oxygen exchange.
- Adopt a position of breathlessness: In these situations, you lie on your belly with your head and neck extended in a straight line. You will keep your elbows away from your chest so that it can expand as much as possible.
- Lose your appetite: When the cat swallows, it stops breathing, so if it has heart problems it can stop eating.
In severe cases, in addition, the following may be observed:
- Fainting: caused by poor blood circulation, which causes not enough blood to reach the brain.
- Presence of fluid in the belly- It is caused by blood vessels during fluid exchange, causing fluid to leak through the body.
- Hind leg paralysis: it is due to the presence of blood clots that lodge where the main therapy that goes towards these legs is divided in two.
What to do?
Of course, If any of these symptoms appear, take him to the vet as soon as possible.. Once there they will do a physical exam, that is, they will auscultate you, check the mucous membranes and check the distention in the jugular vein (the neck). In addition, you may undergo various tests, such as a blood test, a chest X-ray, and / or an ultrasound of the heart.
This way you will know what is wrong with you and how to treat it. Depending on the cause and the problem, you can choose to intervene surgically or to eliminate excess fluid, or we will simply recommend giving you a series of medications and a low sodium diet so that you can lead a normal life.
I hope it has been useful to you.