Cardiomyopathy is an alteration in the function of the heart muscle. It can occur for several reasons in cats and it can take several forms. When the muscle is sufficiently affected that it can not function properly, heart failure occurs. Cardiomyopathy is the deterioration of the cardiac muscle of the heart wall.
Cardiomyopathies can generally be categorized into two groups: ischemic cardiomyopathy and nonischemic cardiomyopathy. Nonischemic cardiomyopathy is weakness in the muscle of the heart that is not due to coronary artery disease. To make a diagnosis of nonischemic cardiomyopathy, significant coronary artery disease should be ruled out. The term nonischemic cardiomyopathy does not describe the etiology of weakened heart muscle. The nonischemic cardiomyopathies are a mixed-bag of disease states, each with their own causes.
