An 11-year-old spayed female domestic shorthaired cat was diagnosed with severe dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and congestive heart failure. The cat had been eating cat foods that were high in pulses (e.g. peas, lentils, chickpeas). Neither plasma nor whole blood taurine concentrations were deficient. Primary treatment included furosemide, pimobendan, and clopidogrel, and changing to diets that did not contain pulses (a taurine supplements was not administered). The cat's clinical signs improved, high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I concentrations decreased, and echocardiographic measurements stayed relatively stable for over one year after initiating cardiac medications and changing the diet. Ultimately, the cat was euthanized for worsening congestive heart failure 374 days after the diagnosis of DCM. Infectious disease testing during the time of clinical surveillance was negative. Routine histopathology of the heart was unremarkable, but electron microscopy of the left ventricle showed large numbers of mitochondria of variable size and structure. A moderate number of lamellar bodies and autophagic vacuoles also were noted. This case report illustrates an unusual case of a cat with DCM unrelated to taurine deficiency. The relative roles of diet change, cardiac medications, and a dedicated owner are unclear, but this cat's relatively long survival time is similar to that seen after diet change in dogs and cats with DCM eating high-pulse diets.

中文翻译：

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猫的扩张型心肌病可能是由饮食引起的

一只11岁绝育的雌性家养短毛猫被诊断患有严重扩张型心肌病（DCM）和充血性心力衰竭。这只猫一直在吃豆类含量高的猫粮（例如豌豆、扁豆、鹰嘴豆）。血浆和全血牛磺酸浓度均不不足。主要治疗包括呋塞米、匹莫苯丹和氯吡格雷，并改为不含豆类的饮食（不服用牛磺酸补充剂）。在开始心脏药物治疗和改变饮食后一年多内，猫的临床症状有所改善，高敏心肌肌钙蛋白 I 浓度下降，超声心动图测量值保持相对稳定。最终，在诊断出 DCM 后 374 天，这只猫因充血性心力衰竭恶化而被安乐死。临床监测期间的传染病检测结果为阴性。心脏的常规组织病理学检查未见异常，但左心室的电子显微镜显示存在大量大小和结构各异的线粒体。还注意到中等数量的层状体和自噬液泡。本病例报告说明了一只患有扩张型心肌病（DCM）的猫的罕见病例，该病例与牛磺酸缺乏无关。饮食改变、心脏药物和专职主人的相对作用尚不清楚，但这只猫的相对较长的生存时间与患有 DCM 的狗和猫在饮食改变后观察到的相对较长的生存时间相似。