Influence of clinical setting and cat characteristics on indirectly measured blood pressure and pulse rate in healthy Birman, Norwegian Forest, and Domestic Shorthair cats

Abstract

Background: Measured indirect blood pressure (BP) results in cats in a clinical environment might be affected by stress and characteristics of the cats.

Hypothesis: To investigate the influence of clinical setting, cat characteristics, and life situation on BP and pulse rate (PR) in healthy cats.

Animals: Ninety-four healthy Domestic Shorthair, Birman and Norwegian Forest cats.

Methods: Blood pressure measured by high-definition oscillometry in 3 settings: cat placed in its own carrier with veterinarian present; cat placed in carrier with owner alone present; and cat placed on table with veterinarian present. Statistical analyses were performed using mixed linear models.

Results: Systolic BP (SBP) did not differ among settings. Higher mean arterial pressure (MAP), diastolic BP (DBP), and PR were found when measurements were performed with cat placed on table, rather than in carrier. Coefficients of variation (CVs) higher for SBP, MAP, DBP, and PR when measured with cat placed on table than in carrier. Birman cats had lower BP than other breeds. Systolic BP, MAP, DBP, and PR increased with age. Cats allowed outdoors had lower PR than cats living strictly indoors.

Conclusion and clinical importance: No difference in SBP was found among settings, but measuring BP with the cat placed on the examination table gave higher MAP, DBP, PR, and CV than measuring BP with the cat in its carrier. Breed affected BP, with lower BP in Birman cats than other breeds. Blood pressure increased with age. Pulse rate was lower in cats allowed outdoors than cats living strictly indoors.

Keywords: Birman; breed; oscillometry; pulse rate.

FIGURE 1

Arterial systolic (A), mean (B), and diastolic (C) indirect blood pressures, and pulse rate (D) in all cats (n = 94) in three different clinical settings by the number of measurement. Mean values are presented at each measurement. Obtained BP and PR values were included for the first four measurements of each setting. There were 12 missing values, one in the setting Carrier‐O in the second measurement, and the others in the setting Table‐VO in the second (N = 1), third (N = 3), and fourth (N = 7) measurement. Measurements with PR <75 or >300 pulses/min (N = 18) were regarded as outliers and excluded. Two of these were in the setting Carrier‐VO in the fourth measurement: in the setting Table‐Carrier‐O they were in the first (N = 3) and fourth (N = 1) measurements, and in the setting Table‐VO in the first (N = 4), second (N = 4), third (N = 1), and fourth (N = 3) measurements. Carrier‐O = cat placed in carrier with cuff on tail, owner alone performed the measurements; Carrier‐VO = cat placed in carrier with cuff on tail, both owner and veterinarian present, veterinarian performed the measurements; Table‐VO = cat placed on examination table with cuff on tail, both owner and veterinarian present, veterinarian performed the measurements