Do Persian cats suffer from health problems? Well, yes and no. You can read about them here. But don't make the presumption that Persian cats are unhealthy - they are not. It really depends in my opinion on the breeders (if you buy from a breeder) and how they deal with the health issues raised here.

The difference between Ultra Persians and Traditional Persians is the effect breeding has had on their facial appearance and underlying bone structure.

So, in answer to the question as to whether the Traditional is more healthy than the Ultra, the answer is "yes" (that doesn't mean all Traditional Persians are more healthy). This is because of the health issues associated with the "Pekingese" look (as the CFA described it in 1969). These issues are breathing and sinus problems and, as described on this page, tear duct overflow

Important: please go to the base of this page to see the sources of this information, which discusses potential Persian cat health problems. I only use quality, authoritative and informative sources.

Persian cat health problems can take the following form, nostril constriction, cherry eye, tear duct overflow, dental malocclusions, polycystic kidney disease, entropion, and seborrhea oleosa.

An inherited disease exist within the Persian cat breed. The disease is called Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA). It causes blindness. It affects other mammals including humans. It is early onset in Persians. Read about Bengal cats and PRA.

I refer, here, to two health issues, Polycystic kidney disease and tear duct overflow as common Persian cat health problems.

PKD1 Quick read reference Persian cat health problems

PKD1 Polycystic Kidney Disease

PKD1 has gone unnoticed for many years and has spread throughout the Persian breed.

In Persians, the condition has been shown to be inherited as a single autosomal (any of the chromosomes other than the sex-determining chromosomes) dominant gene

It is estimated that over 37% of Persians have PKD1, a breed that accounts for nearly 80% of the cat fancy.

PKD1 is most common in the Persians and breeds that are related to Persians or have used them in breeding programs

Other breeds may have inherited PKD1 from an accidental use of either a purebred or random bred cat that had the heritable form of PKD1

Generally, 50% of PKD1 positive cats' offspring will inherit PKD1

It is slowly progressive disease

It shows up later in the cat's life at on average 7 yrs of age - a late onset renal disease

The cysts in the kidneys are in existence from birth and become visible early in life

It results in kidney enlargement and dysfunction

The cysts grow and enlarge the kidney resulting in kidney failure

Kidney failure is certain if and when the cysts grow

Symptoms are:

depression lack of appetite excessive thirst excessive urination weight loss

Diagnosis

PKD is most easily diagnosed by ultrasound, which can identify the disease very early in its course

When carried out by experienced personnel using proper equipment, ultrasound diagnosis is 98% accurate after approximately 10 months of age.

What can be done?

Greatly reduce this frequency by using ultrasound screening (and now DNA screening) methods and improved breeding practices (see below).

Which cats should be tested?

British Shorthair, Persians, Exotics, Scottish Fold, Himalayans and Persian out-crosses only

What can owners and breeders do?

Testing for Persian PKD1 can be performed as early as 2 weeks of age

Cat owners will be able to collect their own samples, without a veterinarian

Wait 60 minutes if the cat has been eating, drinking or nursing before sampling

The swabs are stable at room temperature indefinitely. They can be shipped to any laboratory offering the test worldwide. Regular post can be used.

the contacts page of Veterinary Genetics Laboratory is:- http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/contacts.html

Breeders should visit Dr Lyons' Website for advice on dealing with this disease and to take part in a survey: http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/lalyons/Sites/PKDDNAtest.htm Also visit CFA website

Experts conclude that Breeders need to work with scientist to reduce the occurrence of this disease through a breeding programme. I am sure this is happening as this is clearly one of the exotic persian cat health problems

Tear Duct Overflow

Tear duct overflow can occur in any breed of cat. However, because of the very flat nature of the face of the exotic Persian cat, additional causes for the failure of tears to drain away are presented. Here is a quick read overview of one of the potential Persian cat health problems.

Tear Duct Overflow

The abnormal overflow of tears due to overproduction of tears or poor drainage of tears. The tears overflow onto the face. What causes the overproduction? Several causes: infection irritants foreign matter allergies What obstructs drainage? Several possible causes, the ones listed specifically relate to the peeked Persian and Himalayan breeds: inefficient drainage from partial closure of the drainage openings increased kinking of the drainage duct in the nose wicking of tears onto hairs present in the crease where the eyelids meet. Abnormally small tear duct openings shallow tear lake at the inner corner of the eye What are the symptoms? Watery discharge from one or both eyes Possible tear staining on face below the eye, near the nose Accumulation of dried discharge on the edges of the eyelids Ulceration and irritation of the skin below the eye, near the nose there are more......

Go to Cat Health Problems

Go to Siamese Cat Health Problems

Sources:

Information about Persian cat health problems has been carefully researched from the following sources.

Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
Free Animal Health Resources Web Sites.
Although these resources are not endorsed by Cornell
they are recommended as quality-animal-health-related information sources
by the university.

http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/service/cat/PKD.html
http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/
Veterinary Genetics Laboratory
Genetics Home Reference
http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/ghr/glossary/autosomal
Lyons Den (Leslie Lyons PhD)
http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/lalyons/Sites/PKDDNAtest.htm
Tally's Cat Care, Behavior, Health & Illness
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/9352/alphalinks3-a.html
Cat-World (this resource is not on the Cornell University list of referred sites)
http://www.cat-world.com.au/TearStainingInCats.htm

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