Health
Health in cats can be seen at more levels. Health in general is a very wide topic. This is just a short decription of some of the hereditary diseases the Maine Coon cat can be influenced by.
 

Genetic Suferings
”No rose without a thorn”. There is no animal that has been purebred by man that does not carry genetic defects that are unwanted in the breed. These defects are often increased with inbreeding.

And all purebred animals whether it is cats, dogs or canary bird are inbred to some extent. In most cat breeds you see various hereditary defects that are more or less common; quite common are e.g. kinked tail, umbilical hernia, and cryptochidism.

 

The Maine Coon cat has – besides the earlier mentioned hereditary defects – among others the four following diseases in it’s ”genetically catalogue of sins”. It is impossible to avoid these diseases to occur, but one can do his best to try and eliminate them. This is done by testing the breeding cats, and subsequently exclude the affected animals. The more generations that are tested, the higher the probability for breeding away from the diseases will be.
 

HCM(hypertrophiccardiomyopathy)
HCM is a disease of the heart. It manifest itself with the heart musculature overdeveloping thus reducing the pump mechanism of the heart. Normally the disease can not be seen on an ordinary x-ray but only by means of ultrasound. By using ultrasound it is possible to measure the inner volume of the heart chambers and the musculature of the heart – and this way obtain a measure of the capacity of the heart. At HCM the capacity of the heart – that is the ability of pumping blood around the body – will be reduced.

For more detailed information see:
Feline HCM
 

PKD (polycystic kidney disease)
PKD is also a disease where ultrasound (or DNA) is the method of revealing the disease. As the name says it is cysts in the kidneys. By doing an ultrasound on the kidneys the veterinarian is able to reveal if there is any cysts in the kidneys. By using a good ultrasound machine it is possible to reveal cysts as small as 1-2 mm. The cysts are not-active kidney tissue, and if more cysts are present the filtration effency of the kidneys will be reduced.

For more detailed information see:  www.felinepkd.com
 

HD (hip dysplasia)
HD is a problem among various larger dogs. In cats it is primarily seen in Maine Coon cats, but is also found in other breeds. It is a dysfunction in the articulation in the hip joint. This means that the way the flat joints in the hip joint meet is unnatural and can course more or less pain around the joint.

By means of x-ray it is possible to see if the hip joint is built anatomically correct, and if the femural head is positioned correct in the hip socket.
For more detailed information see:
www.fhda.com

Patella Luxation
Patella luxation shows itself by a displacement of the patella from its normal position in the trochlear groove. The patella comes out of position on the frontside of the femur and is usually positioned on the inner side of the femur. Patella luxation can be categorized in different categories. It is important with an experienced veterinarian who is capable of feeling if the patella is unnatural loose so he/she can diagnose correctly.
 

Postscript
To avoid breeding cats with the forementioned hereditary diseases it is necessary to test the breeding cats before they are used for breeding. Testing however does not guarantee the diseases won´t show up. But it is the only way to try and avoid the diseases as well as avoiding to mate closely related cats as the risk of hereditary diseases is increased with inbreeding.

 

PAWPEDS is a website, where it is possible to look up ancesters, trace pedigrees and make theoretical testmatings to see e.g. the inbreeding coefficient. The site also provides imformation and answers to more generel questions about breeding. And what to do when you want to start testing or share your testresults with Pawpeds, and that way make the health information on you cats known to everyone in cyperspace.

As mentioned in the introduction it is NOT possible to guarantee healthy cats with no disorders what so ever. It is possible however to test the cats for HCM, HD, PKD and patella luxation (and more) to avoid breeding on affected cats. This way the breed is better off in the battle towards hereditary diseases.