Breed problems
Gingivitis-periodontitis feline juvenile-onset
Laminin alpha2 deficiency-associated muscular dystrophy, myopathy
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
A gene mutation responsible for a devastating heart disease in cats--which is also a leading cause of sudden death in young athletes--has been identified by a team of researchers at the University of California, Davis; The Ohio State University; and the Baylor College of Medicine.
This is the first report of a spontaneous genetic mutation causing any type of heart disease in a cat or dog and the first to identify a mutation in a non-human species causing hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
The discovery of the mutation in Maine coon cats was reported Oct. 19, 2005 online in the journal Human Molecular Genetics.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy occurs in humans and is the most common heart disease seen in cats. It causes progressive thickening of the heart muscle on the left side, and may not be detected on ultrasound. It occurs in young cats and can cause sudden death at any age. Signs can be so subtle in early stages that its missed in young cats even on exam. As it progresses, signs get worse. In cats, if the disease is severe, it causes heart failure. The disease causes an excessive thickening of the muscle of the left ventricle, the lower left chamber of the heart.
This is not a very treatable heart disease so the development of a gene test is hopeful. Prevention before breeding is going to be the best way to control this heart disease in purebred cat populations.
This type of gene testing will also lead the way to identifying other genetic diseases in cats.
http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/whatsnew/article.cfm?id=1499
Maine Coon cats are really big cats. They are a lot of fun. These are fun-loving adaptable cats that are trainable so if you want a cat you can teach tricks..this is the breed for you. As they can sometimes be shy, if you want and interactive cat, carefully select it and outgoing kitten from the Breeder.
Although The Maine Coon cat is a long haired cat it has little undercoat so is easy to groom.
This is a hardy breed and easy to care for. It is very slow in maturing.
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