Key result
Feline cardiomyopathy is linked to a ~4-year shorter median lifespan compared to unaffected cats.
Why the study?
Feline cardiomyopathy is an important contributor to feline morbidity and mortality, but long-term outcomes in cats breed-screened for the condition required investigation.
Does the development of feline cardiomyopathy reduce long-term survival and increase cardiac-related mortality in breed-screened pedigree cats?
Cohort (n=1,113)
Yes
Does the development of feline cardiomyopathy reduce long-term survival and increase cardiac-related mortality in breed-screened pedigree cats?
In pedigree cats undergoing cardiomyopathy breed-screening, over 40% of affected cats were diagnosed after their last screening and affected cats had a significantly shorter median lifespan (9.2 vs. 13.4 years), reinforcing the need for repeated echocardiographic screening later in life.
Feline cardiomyopathy was associated with shorter lifespan in screened cats; supports repeated echocardiography but remains hypothesis-generating.
Feline cardiomyopathy (FCM) is an important contributor to feline morbidity and mortality. This explorative follow-up questionnaire study was aimed at investigating the long-term outcome in cats breed-screened for FCM (BS-FCM) in three Nordic countries. Records of cats with ≥1 BS-FCM between 2004−2015 were included. Of the 1113 included cats, 104/1113 (9.3%) had developed FCM at some time-point. Fifty-nine of the 104 (56.7%) FCM cats were diagnosed within the screening program (ScreenFCM), and 33/59 (55.9%) of these were diagnosed at the first BS-FCM. ScreenFCM cats or with an owner-reported FCM diagnosis at a later time-point had a higher risk of cardiac-related death compared to cats that never developed FCM. A shorter lifespan was found in ScreenFCM cats compared to those with normal screen results (p < 0.001). Times to all-cause mortality were shorter (p < 0.001) in cats that developed FCM at any time-point compared to those that did not. Non-cardiac morbidities were similar in all screen classification groups. The large proportion of cats that developed FCM at a later time-point underscores the need for repeated screenings later in life. Cats that developed FCM at any time-point had a shorter lifespan, with a similar proportion and in line with the nature of non-cardiac morbidities, compared to those without FCM.
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Follby et al. (2022) conducted a cohort in Feline cardiomyopathy (FCM) (n=1,113). Development of feline cardiomyopathy (FCM) at any time-point vs. Cats that never developed feline cardiomyopathy (normal screen results and no owner-reported FCM) was evaluated on Lifespan (median survival time / age at all-cause mortality) (p=<0.0001). Cats that developed feline cardiomyopathy had a significantly shorter median lifespan than unaffected cats (9.2 vs. 13.4 years, p<0.0001) and a higher rate of cardiac-related death (77.6%).
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