Congestive heart failure (CHF) occurs when the heart doesn’t pump blood forward normally, resulting in the “backup” of blood and the accumulation of fluid (edema) in tissues. In cats, the left side of the heart (which pumps blood that has just come from the lungs out to the body) is most often affected, resulting in edema in the lungs (called pulmonary edema). Pulmonary edema impairs the ability of the lungs to oxygenate blood, resulting in decreased delivery of oxygen to the body.
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