Topography of the heart in the domestic shorthair cat in a clinical aspect

Literature provides no detailed descriptions concerning the topography of the feline heart. Some schematic and often contradictory information is found in a few publications. This study was performed on 60 corpses of adult domestic shorthair cats of various ages and both sexes. In all specimens the following were determined: the skeletotopy of the cardiac notch of the left lung, the apex and the base of heart. The studied material revealed that most frequently the cardiac notch is located on the level V of intercostal space, just above the costochondral joint (25 cats, 41.67%). The base of the heart, directed towards the cranial thoracic aperture, mostly reached half of the length of IV rib (25 cats, 41.67%). In most cases, in 35 individuals (58.33%), the apex was located at the level IV intercostal space, in the vicinity of the sternocostal joint. These observations should be under consideration when auscultating and imaging hearts in cats.