Persian
Breed problems
Chediak-Higashi syndrome
Corneal sequestrum
Dystocia
hyperplastic Gingivitis -
portosystemic shunts
Persians are predisposed to portosystemic shunts, a condition in which blood returning to the heart from the abdominal cavity bypasses the liver, which results in a decrease in liver function and signs of central nervous system disease due to increased levels of ammonia in the blood stream. This could appear as an episodic problem and can produce changes in behavior as well as seizures. It seems to me that it would be worth ruling this condition out, since it is something that would have an early onset and could conceivably cause long term problems. There is some chance that your vet already considered this and has ruled it out based on lab work and ultrasound exam but it would be worth asking about.
hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Persians also seem to be predisposed to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that can produce murmurs and could produce many of the other signs that you are seeing, as well. If the ultrasound exam that was done was performed by a cardiologist, or reviewed by a cardiologist or radiologist or if your vet is very good at ultrasound examination, this seems less likely. However, it isn't a bad idea to recheck an ultrasound exam at a later date if clinical signs suggestive of problems continue to occur, as has been the case with Karma. We have had disagreements between specialists over cardiac ultrasound examination results in a couple of our patients, so I think that it isn't too unusual for it to take more than one ultrasound exam to find or definitively identify a problem in some cats.
Mike Richards, DVM
Polycystic renal disease
What can you tell me about poly cystic liver disease in cats. Also can you refer me to any references or journals on this subject. Any help that you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank You
I can not tell you much about this disease except that it seems to be mostly a problem of Persian cats and that it is probably the same disease as polycystic renal disease. The cysts seem to occur in either organ system but cause problems earlier when they develop in the kidney. I haven't even seen any conjecture about why these cysts occur, except mention that they can be associated with cancer in some cases. At present, it appears that draining the cysts by guiding a needle into them using ultrasound may make the cat more comfortable and may help to preserve kidney or liver function. It doesn't appear to be a long term solution but there doesn't appear to be a better approach at present.
I wish we all knew more about this problem.
Mike Richards, DVM
When thinking about this lovely cat as a companion first consider the upkeep because if you don't you will have a matted mess. They need frequent grooming and shed heavily. It sheds all year not seasonally. But if you have the time to groom then they make love pets.
