Feline Arterial Thromboembolism Fate

Feline aortic thromboembolism (FATE), also known as 'saddle thrombus', is probably the most common form of thromboembolism. It is initiated by the sudden migration of a left atrial thrombus into the systemic arteries, FATE is a devastating syndrome, with short-term consequences characterized by acute pain, paralysis and rhabdomyolysis in the affected limb (Julien Guillemin et al 2024) Cats seem to be more susceptible than animals of other species to development of ATE, probably because of the higher prevalence of myocardial disease with left atrial enlargement in cats; the propensity for intracardiac thrombus formation seems to be higher for cats.