Two animal models with contrasting responses to pressure overloading were used to determine whether cardiac dysfunction is a general property of pressure hypertrophied myocardium or a specific property of a particular model. Chronic progressive cardiac pressure overload was compared in (a) the left ventricle of the adult and aged spontaneously hypertensive rat, in which pressure overloading begins in the pup, and (b) the right ventricle of the adult cat, in which pressure overloading was initiated surgically in the kitten. Nine hypertensive and nine control rats were studied at 1 year of age, when hypertension is stable in this model; five hypertensive and five control rats were then studied at 2 years of age, when both groups of rats are beginning to show appreciable senile mortality. Systolic blood pressure was similarly increased in both hypertensive groups; compared with the normotensive control groups, the ratio of left ventricular to body weight was 36% and 76% higher in the 1 and 2 year old hypertensive groups respectively. During isotonic contractions of left ventricular papillary muscles the extent and velocity of shortening in muscles from the control and hypertensive rats in each group were the same, but shortening and relaxation times were prolonged in muscles from the hypertensive rats in both age groups. During isometric contractions developed tension and the rate of tension rise were the same throughout, but the time integral of active tension was increased in muscles from the hypertensive rats in both age groups. The ratio of oxygen consumption to either external work or developed tension was decreased in muscles from the hypertensive rats. In contrast to these data, previous data from the hypertrophied cat model showed reductions in both the velocity and the extent of isotonic shortening as well as in the rate and amount of isometric tension development, and prolongation of contraction was not observed. A similar but smaller decrease in the oxygen requirements of contraction was found in hypertrophied cat myocardium. These contrasting data suggest not only that pressure induced hypertrophy is more fully compensatory in the rodent model but, more importantly, that general conclusions derived from any particular animal model of hypertrophy may be inappropriate.