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Introduction: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) has a variable prognosis; left atrial size, presence of clinical signs and left ventricular systolic function have been shown to predict outcomes. Mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) assess longitudinal ventricular systolic function and are decreased in cats with HCM. The aim of the study was to ascertain whether MAPSE and TAPSE have prognostic value in HCM and if cats with pleural effusion have lower MAPSE and TAPSE than cats with pulmonary oedema., Animals: One hundred eighty-four client-owned cats diagnosed with HCM., Methods: This is a retrospective study. Echocardiography was used to diagnose HCM (end-diastolic left ventricular wall thickness ≥ 6 mm) and to measure MAPSE and TAPSE. Survival information was obtained., Results: No multivariable model including MAPSE or TAPSE could be generated in this population. Cats with pleural effusion ± pulmonary oedema had lower MAPSE measured at the interventricular septum (MAPSE IVS) and TAPSE, compared with cats with pulmonary oedema only. MAPSE IVS was the only factor predicting pleural effusion on multivariable regression model., Conclusions: Lower MAPSE and TAPSE were not independently associated with outcomes on multivariable analysis. Cats with pleural effusion ± pulmonary oedema had lower TAPSE and MAPSE IVS than cats with pulmonary oedema, and MAPSE IVS was the only predictive factor associated with the development of pleural effusion in this population., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common heart disease in cats, and it can lead to increased morbidity and mortality. Cats are often screened for HCM because of the presence of a heart murmur, but screening for breeding purposes has also become common. These cats are usually purebred cats of breeding age, and generally do not present with severe disease or with any clinical signs. This type of screening is particularly challenging because mild disease may be difficult to differentiate from a normal phenotype, and the margin for error is small, with potentially major consequences for the breeder. This article reviews HCM screening methods, with particular emphasis on echocardiography., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) appears to be common in cats and, based on pilot data, a prevalence of 15% has been hypothesized. The objectives were to screen a large population of apparently healthy adult cats for cardiac disease, and identify factors associated with a diagnosis of HCM., Animals: A total of 1007 apparently healthy cats ≥ 6 months of age., Methods: In this prospective, cross-sectional study, the inclusion criteria were: apparently healthy cats, aged ≥ 6 months, available for rehoming over a 17-month period from two rehoming centres. Hypertensive or hyperthyroid cats were excluded. Body weight, body condition score, auscultation, systolic blood pressure and two-dimensional (2-D) echocardiography were evaluated. Cats with left ventricular end-diastolic wall thickness ≥ 6 mm on 2-D echocardiography were considered to have HCM., Results: Complete data were obtained in 780 cats. Heart murmur prevalence was 40.8% (95% confidence interval (CI) 37.3-44.3%), 70.4% of which were considered functional. The prevalence of HCM was 14.7% (95% CI 12.3-17.4%), congenital disease 0.5% (95% CI 0.1-1.3%), and other cardiomyopathies 0.1% (95% CI 0.0-0.7%). The HCM prevalence increased with age. The positive predictive value of a heart murmur for indicating HCM was 17.9-42.6% (higher in old cats), and the negative predictive value was 90.2-100% (higher in young cats). The factors associated with a diagnosis of HCM in binary logistic regression models were male sex, increased age, increased body condition score and a heart murmur (particularly grade III/VI or louder)., Conclusions: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is common in apparently healthy cats, in contrast with other cardiomyopathies. Heart murmurs are also common, and are often functional., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: A mutation identified in the myosin binding protein C3 gene (MYBPC3 R820W) has been associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in Ragdoll cats. Ragdolls with HCM are reported to have a poor prognosis and homozygous cats seem particularly likely to develop severe HCM, although the outcome in Ragdolls tested for the MYBPC3 mutation has not been reported. We aimed to determine the influence of genotype on survival in Ragdoll cats using a questionnaire, and hypothesized that homozygous Ragdolls had shorter lifespans and were more likely to suffer cardiac death than heterozygous or wild-type (WT) cats., Animals: 251 client owned Ragdoll cats., Methods: A questionnaire for breeders/owners of MYBPC3 genotyped Ragdolls included items related to genotype, age, sex, current status (alive/dead), and date and circumstances of death. Death was categorized as cardiac or non-cardiac. Survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves and log rank tests., Results: Completed questionnaires were received for 236 cats (156 WT, 68 heterozygous, 12 homozygous). Median survival time for homozygous cats was 5.65 years (95%CI 0.4-10.9 years) compared to heterozygous (>16.7 years) or WT (>15.2 years). Homozygous cats were more likely to die from cardiac death (p = 0.004 vs. WT; p = 0.003 vs. heterozygous) and had significantly shorter time to cardiac death (vs. WT p < 0.001; vs. heterozygous p < 0.001)., Conclusions: Ragdoll cats homozygous for the MYBPC3 R820W mutation have a shorter survival time than WT or heterozygous cats. This suggests a mode of inheritance that follows an incomplete dominance pattern., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)