Heart disease is suspected to have a hereditary component. Burmese, Siamese, and Abyssinian breeds have been shown to be at risk for dilated cardiomyopathy. In the past, cats that did not get enough of the amino acid taurine in their diet often developed this form of heart disease. Until this taurine deficiency was recognized as a major problem in commercial cat diets, dilated cardiomyopathy was a very common disease. Since then, commercial diets have added taurine, making dilated cardiomyopathy rare in cats.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has no known causes. Heart problems that have similarities to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can be caused by diseases such as hyperthyroidism, hypertension, and subaortic stenosis.
There is no known cause of restrictive cardiomyopathy, although inflammatory heart conditions may be a possible source. Also, there is speculation that this condition may occur in some cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy that have had recurrent episodes of myocardial infarction, which leads to areas of dead heart muscle and scar tissue.
