Do cats get high blood pressure (hypertension)?

Our question this week was:

Dr. Debra – Do cats get high blood pressure? Have you ever heard of this?

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Sarah Miller

Answer

Hi – thanks for your email. You wrote asking if cats get high blood pressure (also called hypertension). The answer is absolutely yes. Cats can get high blood pressure from heart related problems as well as other diseases such as kidney disease or thyroid disease (hyperthyroidism).

It is commonly checked by veterinarians using a blood pressure cuff – similar to what is used in people only much smaller and a doppler. A Doppler is a device that detects blood flow through a vessel. Since cats are so small and their vessels are so tiny – it is hard to use the traditional stethoscope as you do with people. The Doppler is a noninvasive device that sits on the skin and amplifies the sound of blood flow.

An article that might be helpful to you is Hypertension in Cats.

Best of luck!

Dr. Debra

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