New Hope for Cats with HCM
Feline hypertrophic cardiomyopahy (fHCM) is a devasting heart disease that affects an estimated 15% of all cats. One of the halmarks of fHCM is an enlargement of the heart, most commonly a thickening of the wall of the left ventricle (but both ventricles can be involved) as well as an enlargement (dilation) of the left atrium. Cats with fHCM can be diagnosed before there are symptoms with an echocardiogram; a test that can see structural changes in the heart.
Felycin-CA1 is a newly approved medication to treat cats with subclinical HCM. In the paper linked below, the authors of the study show that the thickness of the heart wall was significantly lower in the group who received the drug than in the group who received a placebo (didn’t get the drug), indicating the use of this drug in delying the progression of HCM in cats. In addition, the drug was well-tolerated by the cats in the study.
This is big news since it is the first medication that can be given to cats before they develop significant symptoms. With advances in diagnostics and the ability for cats to be diagnosed with fHCM before symptoms are present, this new treatment provides hope for a longer, healthier life for cats with HCM.
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