Preserving Your Cat’s Heart: Precautions to Take

Cats are experts at disguising their discomfort or illness. They make great efforts to conceal their frailty, misery, and illness from you. For feline heart disease, this is especially true. Although heart illness cannot be avoided, some measures may be taken to maintain your pet’s heart in good shape. Here are a few things you can practice to keep your cat’s heart in tip-top shape.

Routine Checkups

Taking your feline friend to the vet for regular checkups is necessary to keep degenerative heart disease at bay. You should get your cat in for a checkup once a year at the very minimum. Your vet will listen to your pet’s heart with a stethoscope. If you suspect your cat has a cardiac disease, take him or her to a Matthews vet with the training and equipment to make that diagnosis.

Blood Test

As luck would have it, Carolina Veterinary Specialists in Matthews have discovered a blood test that can pinpoint felines at risk for heart issues. The concentration of peptide hormones (cardiac-secreted protein hormones) can be measured with a proBNP test. If a veterinarian finds a peptide, the heart is under stress. The peptide level will rise if measures are not taken immediately to ease the symptoms.

Exercise and Diet

Your cat’s diet plays a major role in ensuring general heart health and warding off potentially fatal cardiac conditions, which could lead to an appointment with a vet surgeon. Feeding your cat high-protein, low-sodium catfood will help keep his or her heart healthy by preventing the accumulation of fluid around it. Moreover, older cats may have trouble gaining or losing weight; therefore, their diets are adjusted accordingly.

As a cat owner, it may be more challenging for you to exercise, but doing so is essential for heart health. A cat’s inability to exercise is a direct result of cardiac disease. In addition, unlike dogs, which are exercised almost daily, it may be difficult to tell whether your cat has little interest in physical activity. Preventing cardiac problems requires only a few minutes of daily exercises, such as chasing a toy or using a scratching post.

Adequate Rest

If you have an old cat, it is especially important to ensure he is getting adequate rest and is comfortable in his bed. Provide him with a peaceful place to rest, where he may lay on soft blankets and easily access his food and drink. In addition, an orthopedic bed with heat and/or a vibrating massage mechanism is a good investment if you have an elderly cat.

Cat Supplements

Vitamins for cats may be one of the best ways to ensure your pet maintains healthy heart function. Many different elements and chemicals are present, such as protein, essential amino acids, fatty acids, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron, copper, cobalt, zinc, sulfur, sodium, selenium, nitrogen, and so on. The immune system, blood cells, heart, liver, and lungs can all benefit greatly from a diet rich in protein, amino acids, fatty acids, and selenium, all of which also play an vital role in increasing the body’s antibody response to infection.

Conclusion

Cats’ wild history makes them wary of showing vulnerability for fear of being devoured. It could be challenging for cat owners, especially nervous newcomers, to deal with this behavior. A thorough physical exam is necessary to diagnose cardiac problems in your cat. Your veterinarian can check the rhythm of your cat’s heart and the color of its lung fluid to detect any abnormalities. If your vet suspects your pet has a heart condition, they will likely advise you to see a veterinary cardiologist. A cardiologist with special training in diagnosing cardiac problems can do more in-depth examinations.

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