title: Assessment of the responsiveness of the Cats' Assessment Tool for Cardiac Health (CATCH) Questionnaire.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the responsiveness and optimal timing of a validated health-related quality of life questionnaire, and to assess the relationship between quality of life, severity of disease, and N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in cats with acute congestive heart failure (CHF).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty client-owned cats with acute CHF.
  
  
  METHODS
  Echocardiography, International Small Animal Cardiac Health Council (ISACHC) stage, and NT-proBNP were assessed in cats within 36 h of admission. The Cats' Assessment Tool for Cardiac Health (CATCH) Questionnaire (range of 0-80, with 80 being the worst possible score) was completed by cat owners and ISACHC stage was assessed at the time of hospital discharge, 3 days after discharge, and 7-14 days after discharge. NT-proBNP concentration was reassessed 7-14 days after discharge.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ISACHC stage at time of admission improved significantly by reevaluation 7-14 days after discharge (P < 0.001). The decrease in median NT-proBNP concentration from time of admission (655 pmol/L; range, 188 to >1500 pmol/L) to reevaluation (583 pmol/L; range, 41 to >1500 pmol/L) was not significant (P = 0.59). Median CATCH score was 26 (range, 0-70) at baseline, 19 (range, 0 to 61) at discharge, and 19 (range, 2-49) 7-14 days after discharge (P = 0.89). CATCH scores did not correlate with NT-proBNP concentrations or ISACHC stage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that the CATCH questionnaire requires further refinement for uses requiring a responsive instrument in cats with acute CHF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, 200 Westboro Road, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA. Electronic address: john.rush@tufts.edu.
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Rush
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, 200 Westboro Road, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA.
authors.forename: Kursten V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Roderick
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, 200 Westboro Road, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, 200 Westboro Road, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA.
authors.forename: Suzanne M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, 200 Westboro Road, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA.
authors.forename: Vicky K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, 200 Westboro Road, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA.
authors.forename: Barret J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Bulmer
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, 200 Westboro Road, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA.
authors.forename: Kristen N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Antoon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002415:Cats; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D010067:Ownership; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Cardiomyopathy; Congestive heart failure; Feline; Quality of life