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Journal article
Prevalence of cardiomyopathy and cardiac mortality in a colony of non-purebred cats in New Zealand
New Zealand veterinary journal, Vol.73(1), pp.1-9
2025
PMID: 39343434
Abstract
Aims
To evaluate the prevalence of subclinical cardiomyopathy and cardiac mortality in a research colony of non-purebred cats, established as a model of the wider cat population in New Zealand.
Methods
All apparently healthy, compliant, non-pregnant, non-neonatal cats in the colony at the Centre for Feline Nutrition (Massey University, Palmerston North, NZ) underwent physical examination and echocardiography using a 4.4–6.2-MHz probe by a board-certified veterinary cardiologist. Cardiac phenotype was classified following current guidelines. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) phenotype was defined as an end-diastolic left ventricular wall thickness ≥ 6 mm. Colony mortality data from February 2012 to February 2022 was reviewed to determine cardiac mortality.
Results
Cats (n = 132; 65 females and 67 males) included in the study had a median age of 4.1 (IQR 3.0–8.0) years. Thirty-two (24%) cats had a heart murmur, and three (2%) cats had an arrhythmia. Echocardiography revealed heart disease in 24 (18.2%) cats, including 23 with an HCM phenotype and one with a restrictive cardiomyopathy phenotype. Of the cats with the HCM phenotype, 3/23 had systemic hypertension or hyperthyroidism or both, and these cats were excluded from the final diagnosis of HCM (20/132; 15.2 (95% CI = 9.5–22.4)%).
Between 2012 and 2022, 168 colony cats died, with 132 undergoing post-mortem examination. Heart disease was considered the cause of death in 7/132 (5.3%; 95% CI = 2.2–10.6%) cats; five had HCM, one a congenital heart defect, and one myocarditis. The overall prevalence of death related to HCM in the colony during this period was 3.8% (95% CI = 1.2–8.6%). Three cats with HCM and the cat with a congenital heart defect died unexpectedly without prior clinical signs, while congestive heart failure was observed prior to death in two cats with HCM and the cat with myocarditis. Additionally, 30/132 (22.7%) cats had cardiac abnormalities but died for non-cardiac reasons.
Conclusions
Subclinical cardiomyopathy, specifically HCM, was common in cats in the colony. Given that the colony originated as a convenience selection of non-purebred cats in New Zealand, the true prevalence of HCM in the wider New Zealand population is likely to fall within the 95% CI (9.5–22%). The proportion of deaths of colony cats due to HCM was lower (3.8%) supporting the conclusion that subclinical cardiomyopathy may not progress to clinical disease causing death.
Clinical relevance
Veterinarians should be aware of the high prevalence of subclinical HCM when treating cats.
Details
- Title
- Prevalence of cardiomyopathy and cardiac mortality in a colony of non-purebred cats in New Zealand
- Authors/Creators
- J. Seo - Tāwharau Ora–School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New ZealandR. Owen - Massey UniversityH. Hunt - Tāwharau Ora–School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New ZealandV. Luis Fuentes - Department of Clinical Science and Services, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, United KingdomD. J. Connolly - Department of Clinical Science and Services, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, United KingdomJ. S. Munday - Tāwharau Ora–School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
- Publication Details
- New Zealand veterinary journal, Vol.73(1), pp.1-9
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
- Number of pages
- 9
- Grant note
- HPNZ-21-01 / Healthy Pets New Zealand
- Identifiers
- 991005913051207891
- Copyright
- © 2024 The Author(s).
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Veterinary Medicine
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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