Caring for cats with cardiac disease

What are some of the challenges of caring for felines with cardiac disease and how are they managed? Melissa Evans, CVT, LVT, VTS (ECC), owner of Melissa Evans, VTS (ECC)-Veterinary Nurse Consulting, discussed these challenges in a dvm360 interview.

Evans is an experienced emergency, intensive care unit and critical care technician with additional experience in shelter, wildlife and disaster medicine. She is a RECOVER CPR certified instructor who has worked in referral and specialty hospitals in New Jersey and New York. Evans is also a relief technician for specialty hospitals throughout New York City.

The interview as recorded at the 2025 Fetch dvm360 Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, where Evans presented a series of continuing education sessions. Her topics included ‘Feline Cardiac Emergencies.” The session focused on common cardiac emergencies in cats such as feline atrial thromboembolism, congestive heart failure and arrhythmias as well as difficulties faced in treating cats with cardiac disease, among other topic areas.

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The following is a transcript of the video:

Melissa Evans, CVT, LVT, VTS (ECC): So cats tend to hide their symptoms until they're very far along. So, especially in things like cardiac issues, it's going to be a pretty bad case, usually, that gets presented. They often present in respiratory distress, and so we have to really treat them quickly. Also, I have found, personally—this is anecdotal, completely—is that these patients tend to be a little more aggressive. [It] makes sense. If you're struggling to breathe, then maybe you're not going to want people doing things to you. So there's a lot of hands off that needs to be done, especially to protect ourselves and to help our patients.

For more coverage of the Fetch Kansas City conference, visit the dvm360 conference news page.