Sometimes male cats can’t be neutered for this reason

Feliway diffuser may stop this

Sometimes male cats cannot be neutered. And it is entirely legitimate to leave them unsterilised and “whole”. This occurs when the cat cannot be put under a general anaesthetic. A veterinarian needs to put a male cat under a general anaesthetic to remove their testes. A cat with early-stage hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) or any …

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HCM in male and female Bengal cats and humans, a comparison

HCM in humans and Bengal cats

I’ve spotted a peculiar anomaly in the story about HCM in Bengal cats. In case you didn’t realise it, Bengal cats are said to be predisposed to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Maine Coon cats have the same problem by the way as do some other cat breeds e.g., Ragdoll and British Shorthairs. I will take …

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Cat heart murmur: symptoms and causes plus video of ultrasound testing

A cat with heart disease

It is worthwhile to have a quick look at the causes before setting out cat heart murmur symptoms as it helps to understand the symptoms. It is important to state that I am not a veterinarian. I do know a lot about cats and cat health. The latter information has all been gleaned from …

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Domestic cats that survive fires are more likely to die of a heart attack

Cats suffered burnt paws and smoke inhalation in Calif wild fires

I have come to the conclusion that domestic cats that survive fires are more likely to die of a heart attack. I think you have to come to this conclusion based on two sources. The first is that firefighters are at a higher risk of heart attack. There are several contributing factors such as …

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California’s wildfires that burnt domestic cats also damaged their hearts and caused blood clots

Singed tabby cat rescued from California fires

I was surprised to read a study published on 14 February 2020 on the nature.com website which concluded that domestic cats with thermal burn injuries from the California wildfires showed that they had heart disease and blood clots as well. The technical term is that they suffered with myocardial thickening (thickened heart muscle) as …

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About the heart condition that killed Leo of Pet Sematary fame

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the commonest form of heart disease in cats and it is very common in Maine Coons.  Universities Federation for Animal Welfare Elisa in her article wrote that Leo died of a saddle thrombus. This is a blood clot at the point where the aorta splits into 2 arteries; hence the …

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Cat breeds prone to HCM

Bengal cat HCM

Cat breeds prone to HCM are: Maine Coon, Ragdolls, British Shorthairs, American Shorthairs, Devon Rexes and Bengals. All these breeds are extensively discussed on this website. Please start by clicking on this page. Update: see comment below. Gail tells us that the relatively rare Ocicat is also predisposed to developing HCM. All, but the …

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