Hypertension secondary to chronic kidney disease is common in aging cats and causes severe welfare harm through organ damage including retinal detachment and vision loss if inadequately managed.
Feline hypertension welfare is significant because the consequences of uncontrolled blood pressure elevation are severe and largely irreversible - retinal detachment causing permanent blindness can occur acutely, while chronic hypertensive damage to kidneys and heart progresses silently. The welfare harm is compounded by the difficulty of identifying hypertension clinically before target organ damage occurs, making proactive screening essential. Effective management with amlodipine is well-tolerated and dramatically reduces damage risk, making blood pressure monitoring and treatment one of the highest-value welfare interventions available for senior cats.