Mary Allen
Even if high blood pressure does not cause pain in cats, it can be dangerous. To lower blood pressure and avoid consequential damage, you should discuss appropriate treatment with your veterinarian.
High blood pressure in cats often occurs as a side effect of another underlying disease, for example, kidney failure or an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism). At the same time, however, high blood pressure can make these and other diseases worse. It is therefore advisable to reduce it to a healthy value as early as possible.
High Blood Pressure in Cats: Treat the Cause
If it is not so-called primary high blood pressure, then a certain underlying disease is the cause of the elevated blood pressure values. If this condition is successfully treated, blood pressure usually returns to normal. Treatment of renal insufficiency or treatment of hyperthyroidism in cats also benefits from lowering blood pressure.
For some diseases that cause high blood pressure, a diet can also be useful. For example, diabetes can be alleviated by weight loss, and kidney problems can be alleviated by a diet low in phosphorus and protein. Hypertension can be especially dangerous for cats with heart problems like HCM. In this case, a low-sodium diet can help against the symptoms. However, never feed them any diet food without first talking to your veterinarian. A lot can go wrong with cat nutrition, so professional advice on dietary changes in the event of illness is essential.
Lower High Blood Pressure With Pills
There are also medications that help lower high blood pressure. Tablets with the active ingredient amlodipine are used to treat high blood pressure in humans, but can also be used for affected cats. Your veterinarian will determine the appropriate dose after a thorough examination.
The agent is a so-called calcium channel blocker. The muscle cells in the blood vessels absorb fewer calcium ions, so the concentration of calcium in the blood falls. As a result, the vascular muscles can no longer contract as tightly and the vessels dilate. The blood can flow more easily again and the blood pressure drops.