Routine health screening: findings in apparently healthy middle-aged and old cats

Abstract

Study rationale: Veterinary practitioners often perform geriatric health screening in cats. Unfortunately, scientific information regarding clinical and laboratory abnormalities and normal blood pressure values in elderly cats is scarce. This prospective study evaluated routine health screening tests in apparently healthy middle-aged and old cats.

Protocol: One hundred cats of 6 years and older underwent blood pressure measurement, physical examination, blood and urine analysis, indirect fundoscopy and bilateral Schirmer tear tests.

Findings: Mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) was 133.6 ± 21.5 mmHg. Increased SBP (>160 mmHg) was observed in eight cats, submandibular lymphadenopathy in 32, gingivitis in 72, heart murmur in 11, thyroid goitre in 20, increased creatinine in 29, hyperglycaemia in 25, increased total thyroxine in three, feline immunodeficiency virus positivity in 14, crystalluria in 41, borderline proteinuria in 25 and overt proteinuria in two. Mean tear production was very similar for both eyes and none of the cats had ocular lesions secondary to hypertension.

Clinical significance: Old cats (>10 years) had significantly higher SBP, heart rate, murmur frequency, thrombocyte count, urine protein:creatinine ratio and serum urea and bilirubin concentrations, and significantly lower body condition score, haematocrit, albumin and total calcium concentrations than middle-aged cats (6-10 years). The common occurrence of physical examination and laboratory abnormalities in apparently healthy old cats underlines the need for regular health checks and the development of age-dependent laboratory reference intervals.

Figure 1

SBP measurement using the Doppler ultrasonic technique in (a) the sitting position and (b) lateral recumbency. The cat is restrained gently in a comfortable position with the cuff held at the level of the heart base. In cats, we always use headphones to avoid stress hypertension due to the sounds of the Doppler machine and to improve audibility of the Doppler sounds to the clinician

Figure 2

Top view of a cat with ideal body condition (body condition score 5/9). The cat is well proportioned and the waist behind the ribs is visible

Figure 3

Auscultation of the right ventral thorax. Standing behind the cat to restrain it gently in a comfortable position allows auscultation in almost all cats

Figure 4

Thyroid gland palpation in a cat using the classic technique. The cat is restrained in a sitting position with the neck extended. The clinician’s thumb and forefinger are placed on each side of the trachea and swept downwards from the larynx to the sternal manubrium

Figure 5

One of the study cats just after (a) and 60 s after (b) placement of a Schirmer tear test strip in the ventral conjunctival sac of the left eye. The tear production for the left eye is 9 mm/min

Figure 6

Blood sampling from the jugular vein. By keeping the neck and front legs extended, the jugular vein becomes visible and/or easily palpable in most cats

Figure 7

For cystocentesis the cat is restrained in dorsal recumbency and the bladder is palpated and immobilised during aspiration of urine