A 14-year-old spayed female mixed-breed cat weighing 3.4 kg was admitted to the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Animal Medical Center for syncope after vomiting. Echocardiography, electrocardiography, and thoracic radiography revealed no abnormalities. Holter electrocardiography showed a paroxysmal high-grade atrioventricular block coinciding with the vomiting. Based on these findings, the cat was diagnosed as having situational syncope with paroxysmal high-grade atrioventricular block triggered by vomiting, which improved with antiemetic treatment alone. The cat subsequently died of chronic kidney disease approximately 3 years and 4 months after the initial diagnosis. This is the first reported case of situational syncope triggered by vomiting in a cat.
Keywords: cat; high-grade atrioventricular block; neurally mediated syncope; situational syncope; vomiting.