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Heart Emergencies in Cats
Heart disease is common in cats. Signs include difficulty breathing, open mouth breathing, pale or blue gums, not wanting to move around, too fast or too slow heart rate, loss of appetite, diarrhea, acute hind limb paralysis and weight loss.
Learn lifesaving skills in just 35 minutes! Sign up for our online Cat and Dog First Aid Online course today.
Emergency Steps
1If you suspect a cardiac emergency, check your cat’s ABC’s (airway, breathing, circulation) and perform cat CPR if needed.
2Take your cat to a veterinary hospital immediately.
3If the cat cries out or can’t move his hind legs, check for a pulse in the hind legs. Pulse will be absent if there is a clot.
- Severe pain and paralysis can result if a blood clot forms in a cat’s heart and lodges in his aorta, where it branches to the hind legs.
4Take your cat to a veterinary hospital immediately.
Cat Heart Emergency FAQs
How can I determine my cat’s heart rate?
You can feel your cat’s heartbeat at the point where the left elbow touches the chest (about the fifth rib). Lay your cat down on her right side and place your hand over this area to feel and count heartbeats. Normal heart rate for cats is 160-220 beats per minute.
How can I check my cat’s pulse rate?
You can feel your cat’s pulse by lightly touching your middle and index fingers to the inner thigh – lay your cat down, gently lift her upper hind leg away from the lower hind leg, place your two fingers as high up as possible on the inside of either leg, just where the leg meets the body wall, feel for a recess in the middle of the leg approximately half way between the front and back; this recess is where the blood vessels run and where you will find the pulse. Normal pulse rate for cats is 160-220 beats per minute.
What are the signs of heart disease and/or heart failure?
Signs of heart disease include:
- Difficulty breathing or increased breathing rate
- Loss of appetite
- Lethargy or not wanting to walk around
- Open-mouth breathing
- Paralysis in the hind legs, or less commonly, the front legs
How can I help my cat and try to prevent heart failure?
Feed your cat high-quality food. Take your cat for annual veterinary checkups; this is the best way to find and follow heart murmurs or abnormalities.
Download the FREE Red Cross Pet First Aid App
The American Red Cross Pet First Aid app puts veterinary advice for everyday emergencies in the palm of your hand. With videos, interactive quizzes, and simple step-by-step advice it’s never been easier to know pet first aid. Get the app and be prepared to act when called upon. iOS App, Google Play, or text "GETPET" to 90999.
Help Save Pet Lives with an American Red Cross Pet First Aid Class
Be prepared for any pet emergency! Sign up for our 35-minute Cat and Dog First Aid Online course. Learn the basics in caring for cats and dogs through a variety of topics – from understanding and checking your pet's vital signs, to preventative care for cats and dogs, to caring for the most critical emergency situations - including breathing and cardiac emergencies, wounds, bleeding, and seizures.
Our pet first aid online course can be good for: Pet Owners, Pet Sitters, Dog Walkers, and Dog Trainers, Animal Shelter Staff & Volunteers, Groomers, Pet Retail Employees, Other Pet Care Providers, and more!
Information Provided Deborah C. Mandell, BS, VMD
Pet First Aid information provided by Dr. Debbie Mandell, Professor of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine at the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; American Red Cross National Pet Care Advisor for the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council. Visit redcross.org/take-a-class/scientific-advisory-council to see how we work, members, sub councils, scientific reviews, and recent research.
About Red Cross Training Services
More than 4.6M people turn to us, the trusted training provider for First Aid, CPR, BLS and more, every year to gain lifesaving skills. Trust us to deliver unmatched lifesaving training that will provide you the confidence and skills to act when moments matter. Training Services is a division of the American Red Cross with the mission to spread knowledge and educate as many members of the national community in lifesaving procedures. Our services include training courses for CPR and AED, First Aid, BLS (Basic Life Support), Babysitting, Caregiving, Lifeguarding Water Safety, and more.