Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure. A cat is generally thought to be hypertensive when its systolic blood pressure is above 160mm Hg.
Are certain cats more likely to get high blood pressure?
In humans, hypertension is related to several factors, including a stressful lifestyle. Although not all causes of feline hypertension have been identified, stress does not appear to play a role in the development of this disorder in cats.
A post-it and several sheets of paper were tapped to the door of a vet clinic – all to describe the resident cat. A chunky cat named Fat Fred has captured people’s attention and apparently the clinic has received many inquires about him – so they decided to post a witty note. Someone was strolling by the clinic when they noticed the note and snapped a photo to share online. KneeAppallingTanIceCream posted the hilarious sign to Imgur with the caption, “Walking by a vet clinic when I saw this sign…” and it immediately went viral. To read more on this story, click here:Overweight Cat Is Going Viral After Passerby Shares Vet Clinic’s Hilarious Sign
This is Bruno, and he’s a 25-pound cat who’s currently up for adoption at the Wright-Way Rescue Adoption Center in Morton Grove, Illinois. The 7-year-old cat is polydactyl, meaning he has a few extra toes. He also has a strange habit of standing on his hind legs, the shelter said on Facebook. “This usually happens when I want food. No, my foster parents did not teach me this. They are not sure how I learned,” the shelter said. He’s now on a diet and “walking, playing, and doing tricks” so he can lose some weight. Bruno also apparently loves to be petted while he eats. “It took my foster mom a little time to realize what I was meowing about, since she had just put food in my bowl,” the shelter said. “Soon she found out it’s because I want pets while I eats! I will still eat if you don’t pet me, but I will meow more and stare at you for a while.” He also drinks a lot of water, but is very particular about it. “I never drink the water in the kitchen where my food is. I only drink the water that was put in a completely different room,” the shelter wrote. “If you have a larger house, perhaps put multiple bowls of water around for me and be sure to give me fresh water at least once day?” “Yes, I know I am EXTRA,” they wrote. Besides getting pets while eating and staying hydrated, Bruno’s hobbies are simple: lying down and, well, getting more pets. “When I am in a normal home, most of my day is spent laying around, but never far from my family. I usually prefer to lay on the floor or right next to you, but occasionally I like to be a lap-cat,” the shelter said. “I also really like playing with my feather wand toy. Not so much my other toys or scratchers, though. I do like to sleep with my foster parents, but at the end of the bed so you still have room.” He also likes “when you scratch the sides of my face and neck.” “I like to be pet on the top of my head and spine only. I know my tummy is so tempting to touch, but I would prefer if you didn’t,” they said. “I may swat my hand and pretend to bite if you do.” Bruno is overall just a “pretty laid back, lazy cat who just wants to be in the presence of my owners,” and potential adopters can stop by to meet him at the shelter starting this weekend. Visit me on facebook:Bruno Location: Address: 5915 Lincoln Ave, Morton Grove, IL 60053 Phone: (847) 728-5434 Website: Wright-Way Rescue
A troublingly overweight cat joined his thinner counterparts at the Riverside Cat Hospital as doctors hope to alleviate his constipation and potentially reduce his immense size. The cat, aptly named Biggie, weighs a whopping 37 pounds. "He’s a little stressed, but he’s a very gentle, nice kitty," Dr. Nichole Agarwal told NBC4 on Monday. To read more on this story, click here: 37-Pound Biggie the Cat Gets Medical Help
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The animal world lost a (furry) gem on Saturday when Meow, a 39-lb, two-year-old rescue cat, died of pulmonary failure.
Weighing in at just under 40 pounds, Meow was originally dropped off at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society by his elderly owner. His extreme weight and desired 25-lb weight loss was featured on both the “Today Show” and “Anderson 360,” making Meow an overnight sensation.
Meow was even a much-loved celebrity on Facebook, with nearly 6,000 fans.
His death was first announced on the Humane Society’s Facebook page, when Mary Martin, the executive director, stated that despite having four veterinarians at his side they “were unable to stop the progression of what turned out to be pulmonary failure.”
“We will forever be grateful for the attention Meow’s size brought to pet obesity and to animal shelters across the country.”
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, a cat name Meow can't help but waddle. He's one super-sized cat.
The 2-year-old orange and whitetabby tips the scale at nearly 40 pounds, and the Santa Fe Animal Shelter is on a mission to get the feline back into shape.
Meow's 87-year-old owner could no longer take care of him, so the pet was turned over to a shelter in southeastern New Mexico that called the Santa Fe shelter for help.
"The thing with this cat is when you look at it, certainly it's obese. You see that. But it's a sweet looking cat. His face is very sweet. It's just incredibly fat," shelter spokesman Ben Swan said Friday.
Meow has been placed with a foster family. He'll be on a special diet so he can start shedding some pounds. The goal is for him to lose at least 10 pounds so he can be put up for adoption.
The shelter plans to post updates on Meow's weight loss on its Facebook page.
It's not clear how the feline was able to gain so much weight in just two years. Adult cats typically weigh between seven and 12 pounds.
"If you go online, you'll see a lot of fat cats and these are people who have fed them just one thing, like meat or something that's not nutritionally balanced," Swan said. "Then the cat refuses to eat anything else and then they just get fatter and fatter and fatter."
Meow has one thing going for him. He's not the fattest cat out there.
That record belongs to Himmy, a tabby from Australia that weighed almost 47 pounds. The shelter said Guinness World Records has since stopped accepting applications for the record over concerns it would encourage people to overfeed their animals.
In Meow's case, the shelter is awaiting blood test results to make sure he doesn't have any additional health problems.
Shelter veterinarian Jennifer Steketee said the idea is for Meow to gradually lose weight by eating a special diet. He has already lost a couple of pounds since being turned in.
Steketee said the dangers of feline obesity are not much different than they are for humans — extra pressure on the heart and joints.
Swan said all the extra weight makes it tough for Meow to play. He had little interest in the super-sized toy mouse the shelter gave him when he first arrived and he couldn't squeeze much more than his head into the carpeted ring attached to the shelter's scratching post.
"He's very sweet. He's doing everything a normal cat would do except he loses his breath and tires easily," Swan said. "We're seeing what we can to do help him."
