What are the common heart diseases?
The most common forms of heart disease in adult cats are those affecting the muscle of the heart itself (cardiomyopathy): Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy The most common form of cardiomyopathy is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, in which the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick which prevents the heart from working properly and reduces the amount of blood flowing through it. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can be caused by an increased workload for the heart. If the heart has to do more work to pump blood out then the muscles in the heart get bigger (just like a weight-lifter’s muscles get bigger when they work-out a gym). However, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can also occur in otherwise healthy animals and the exact cause is often unknown. It is more common in certain breeds, eg Persians, which suggest that it may be inherited in some cases. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) This disease is caused by the stretching of the heart muscle walls so that the heart swells (like a balloon filled with water).
