Can gets really have hypertension?

Question

I recently moved from NY to FL ( stupid move) and my 6 year old cat had an upper respitory infection. I brought him to a new vet and he treated the infection... at the same time however he claimed he heard a heart murmur and then said an x ray was in order to make sure the heart looked normal. I went for it. The heart was fine, however the vet said the murmur is probably due to hypertension. HE tested the cat's blood pressure and found it to be higher than normal....
Am I being taken for a ride here? Could my cat just have been nervous at a new vets office? I mean people have white coat hypertension, why couldn't cats?
Erica

Answer 1

Of course cats can have high blood pressure, anything with a circulatory system can.

Yes, cat's can get 'white coat hypertension' but the fact that your cat has a heart murmur makes it likely that she does in fact have high blood pressure, as this would be a common result of a murmur. My cat was on tablets for high blood pressure due to a heart murmur too.

If you don't believe the vet, just get a second opinion - or get the vet how to show you to listen to the cat's heart yourself with a stethoscope, grade 2 murmurs and above aren't that hard to hear, the heart beat sound more like 'whoosh whoosh' than 'lub-dub' - it's usually valves of the heart not working properly causing constriction of the blood flow.

Chalice

Answer 2

Yes, cats can have hypertension, or high blood pressure. Many times it's caused by kidney problems or a thyroid condition, both of which will show up on blood work.

On the other hand, many cats do get very stressed when they go to the vet, and that can cause their heart rate and blood pressure to rise. I would make another appointment with the vet to test the blood pressure again, or maybe find an all cat practice where your cat wouldn't be so stressed.

If your cat really does have high blood pressure, it needs to be treated. If it's too high for too long it can cause blindness (it damages the blood vessels in the eyes).

Answer 3

Yes they certainly can.
Please see these links for detailed information.

http://www.fabcats.org/hypertension.html

http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/hypertension.html

http://www.newmanveterinary.com/hyperten.html

They go into every detail there is, take a look.