Heart disease is quite common in our feline friends. In fact, up to a quarter of outwardly healthy cats may reveal signs of the disease when tested. And left undiagnosed, heart disease can be crippling or even fatal to your purring pal.

A heart murmur or abnormal cardiac rhythm heard during an examination is often the first clue to heart disease. This is why your veterinarian listens carefully to your cat’s heart with a stethoscope. If an abnormality is detected, your cat may be referred to a veterinary cardiologist for an echocardiogram, a form of ultrasound that shows the heart at work. By measuring heart chambers, valves and major blood vessels, the cardiologist can diagnose and appropriately treat a cat’s heart disease.

But the first step in the process depends on you taking routine veterinary checkups to heart.