In cats, tachycardia is defined as heart rate greater than what?

In cats, tachycardia is defined as heart rate greater than what?

• A. >160 bpm
• B. >170 bpm
• C. >180 bpm
• D. >190 bpm

Answer: (C)

Tachycardia is an abnormal elevation in heart rate beyond what is typical for a cat at rest. In adult cats, resting heart rates commonly range around 140–220 beats per minute, and a practical clinical cutoff for tachycardia is greater than about 180 bpm. This threshold helps distinguish true tachycardia from normal fluctuations due to stress or excitement, while still catching rates that reflect possible problems such as pain, fever, hypoxemia, anemia, shock, or cardiac disease. Lower cutoffs would label many normal or mildly elevated rates as tachycardic, while a higher cutoff could miss early or mild tachycardia.

Tachycardia is an abnormal elevation in heart rate beyond what is typical for a cat at rest. In adult cats, resting heart rates commonly range around 140–220 beats per minute, and a practical clinical cutoff for tachycardia is greater than about 180 bpm. This threshold helps distinguish true tachycardia from normal fluctuations due to stress or excitement, while still catching rates that reflect possible problems such as pain, fever, hypoxemia, anemia, shock, or cardiac disease. Lower cutoffs would label many normal or mildly elevated rates as tachycardic, while a higher cutoff could miss early or mild tachycardia.