Stressed Cats & Feline Hypertension
Feline Hypertension in cats is basically the same thing as high blood pressure. It is rare for this to be a primary illness and hypertension in cats is almost always a secondary illness. Stress seems to be one of the main factors in a cat developing this Feline Hypertension. The physical stress of kidney problems, thyroid, and heart disease are the main reasons for this.
Blindness is one of the more severe signs of Feline Hypertension as well as dilated pupils and blood in the eye. Blindness occurs because the high blood pressure in the eye builds and causes the retina to detach. You may probably find this out when your cat is stumbling into things that are unseen in its path.
Kidney disease is one of the main illnesses that result in hypertension. As a cat grow into old age, scar tissue makes the kidneys shrink making it more difficult for the blood to filter through the kidney. The blood will then back up in the kidneys causing an increase in the blood pressure.
Hyperthyroidism also causes Feline Hypertension. The thyroid will overproduce the thyroid hormone, which causes the metabolic rate to increase. This will cause the heart to beat faster and the pressure from this will enlarge the heart. Many felines will have approximately 25% higher blood pressure and while this seriously complicates the primary illness, theblood pressure is not high enough to cause blindness.
There are several drugs that have been very effective in preventing hypertension in humans. Some of these same drugs have proven to be effective in treating Feline Hypertension but none have been approved for use in felines as yet. There are studies being done now to determine which of these drugs will be safe for your cat.
The best way to treat the disease is to turn attention to the primary disease that is causing the Hypertension. If your cat has thyroid disease, kidney problems, or heart disease these illnesses must be treated immediately.
If your cat is developing vision problems then you need to have it diagnosed right away. You must lower the blood pressure with proper medication right away in order to prevent permanent blindness.
Of course as with all feline illnesses, the chances that
feline hypertension will develop in aging cats diminish as you are able to provide them with a healthy environment. This would include a balanced diet while keeping them happy and stress free.