Is hypothermia a cause or symptom of cat heart failure after travel?

Question

Our cat went into congestive heart failure after a long flight - 14 hours - after he was taken to emergency vet care because he was lethargic and very cold. Turns out he had advanced heart disease that 2 vets didn't pick up on. Could hypothermia have triggered his heart failure? Or is it normal for cats with cardiomyopathy to experience hypothermia? The airline says the cargo hold is kept at 65 degrees, but could he have gotten hypothermia in 65 degree air temperature? Pet's info: Cat | Devon Rex | Male | neutered | 12 years and 10 months old | 10 lbs

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

I'm sorry to hear that! Cats that go into congestive heart failure quite often present with hypothermia - this is because their heart isn't doing a good job of pumping blood around the body, which results in the cat not being able to maintain a normal body temperature. It's more likely that the stress of the plane trip may have triggered the sudden worsening of R's previously subclinical heart disease - and once he went into congestive heart failure, the hypothermia resulted from that.

Is hypothermia a cause or symptom of cat heart failure after travel?

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