Health
Maine Coons are generally a healthy breed but like many other pedigree and non pedigree cats, they have a genetic predisposition to several genetic diseases.
Hypertophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)
HCM is the most common cardiac disease identified in domestic cats. It is characterized by an increased left ventricular mass due to an increase in wall thickness of the heart, with papillary muscle hypertrophy and systolic anterior motion on the mitral valves.
Death by HMC can occur via three mechanisms:
* sudden cardiac death with arrhythmia and ventricular fibrillation
* heart failure with tachycardia, increased respiration, shortness of breath, pulmonary oedema and pleural effusion
* thrombus formation. Thrombi can form either in the left atrium due to abnormal blood circulation or in the heart chamber itself due to severe hypertrophy and cardiac weakness.
Atrial thrombi can break free and reach the arterial blood circuit, thereby often causing blood congestion at the branching of the pelvic and crural arteries with paralysis of the hind legs.
Death by HMC can occur via three mechanisms:
* sudden cardiac death with arrhythmia and ventricular fibrillation
* heart failure with tachycardia, increased respiration, shortness of breath, pulmonary oedema and pleural effusion
* thrombus formation. Thrombi can form either in the left atrium due to abnormal blood circulation or in the heart chamber itself due to severe hypertrophy and cardiac weakness.
Atrial thrombi can break free and reach the arterial blood circuit, thereby often causing blood congestion at the branching of the pelvic and crural arteries with paralysis of the hind legs.
Spinal Muscular Atropy (SMA)
SMA is a disorder caused by death of spinal chord neurons that activate skeletal muscles of the trunk and limbs. Loss of neurons in the first few months of life leads to muscle weakness and atrophy that first becomes apparent at 3-4 months of age.
Affected kittens develop an odd gait with a sway of the hindquarters and stand with the hocks nearly touching. They may also stand with toes out in the front. By 5-6 months of age they are too weak in the hindquarters to readily jump up on furniture and often have a clumsy landing when jumping down. If the limbs are felt underneath the long coat, reduced muscle mass will be evident.
Affected kittens develop an odd gait with a sway of the hindquarters and stand with the hocks nearly touching. They may also stand with toes out in the front. By 5-6 months of age they are too weak in the hindquarters to readily jump up on furniture and often have a clumsy landing when jumping down. If the limbs are felt underneath the long coat, reduced muscle mass will be evident.
Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKDef)
PKDef is an inherited disease. Pyruvate kinase is a red blood cell enzyme important in red blood cell energy metabolism. Therefore, if this enzyme is lacking, a haemolytic anaemia can result. However, the anaemia may only be mild and intermittently detectable, or may not become evident until the cat is older. A rapid severe life - threatening anaemia can also develop. The disease is an autosomal recessive trait, so only cats with two copies of the defective gene are affected . Carrier cats are clinically heathy but can pass the defective gene to their offspring.
