Cat Health Issues

For dwarf cats..

Abnormal cat breeds
Abnormal cat breeds. Munchkin. Photo copyright Helmi Flick

Cat health issues are important to all cat owners and lovers, particularly in respect of dwarf cats. Like me you probably would like to know as much as you can about the health of a dwarf cat. I have said on the leading page that they are generally healthy. Here I add some detail on the matter of cat health issues and dwarf cats.


Caveat: I am not a vet. This page has been very well researched, however. It is intended to be an objective look at this topic. If I have made a mistake please tell me by going to the contact page and emailing me. There is no substitute for seeing a vet. Also, please note this:- I am not saying that all dwarf cats have a problem. I am saying that some dwarf cats (perhaps a v.small minority) may present with other physical abnormalities other than short limbs. As I said dwarf cats are generally healthy.Responsible dwarf cat breeders will take action to minimize any negative aspects of the dwarfism gene. The Dwarf Cat Association responsibly state: “We always recommend that you spend time in email, on the phone or in person with the breeder that you choose your new family member from, so that you make that choice with as much knowledge of your new baby’s breeder & birthplace as possible. As in all transactions with someone you may not know well, follow the doctrine of Caveat Emptor, learn all you can before you buy. TDCA is available to answer any breed questions you may have…”This article is simply meant to assist you in formulating relevant and useful questions when you talk to a breeder. A good breeder will give transparent and open answers.


The question that you may have asked is this – is the dwarfism confined to the length of the limbs (in which case there will it seems be no ill effects on other organs of the body) or are other bone structures in the body also misshaped and therefore an underlying cause of a medical condition (i.e. are there cat health issues)?

In “genetics speak” mutations of genes (as is the case for dwarf cats) are referred to as “defects”. For breeders, defects produce the very thing that makes the cat desirable so the term is re-phrased “anomaly”. Although the vast majority of breeders present the facts objectively, they are in business. As for all businesses they will present the facts in the best light for them. This is normal and to be expected.

It is interesting that we find dwarfism in humans unattractive. This is because the underlying cause of what makes other humans attractive is the other person’s ability to produce healthy offspring (i.e. attraction is ultimately driven by survival and the survival of ones offspring).

Humans, though, like the appearance of small, interesting, unusual, rare and compact things and this includes animals because a lot of humans don’t think of animals as fellow creatures but as things to be owned and possessed.

The recurring issue with dwarf cats (meaning those with the anomalous genetic makeup) is that you like their appearance but do they have more cat health issues compared to an ordinary or normal cat?

What causes a cat to be a dwarf cat? The Dwarf Cat Association state on their website

“The gene for achondroplasia, the most common type of human dwarfism, was discovered in 1994. Achondroplasia is caused by a gene mutation that is the same in 98% of the cases. The mutation, affecting growth, especially in the long bones, occurs early in fetal development. It is believed that an achondroplasia-like gene is responsible for the dwarfing in the Munchkin & all hybrid breeds based upon the Munchkin breed.”

In humans the clinical features of achondroplasia are:

  • nonproportional dwarfism (short stature)
  • shortening of the proximal limbs (termed rhizomelic shortening)
  • short fingers and toes
  • a large head with prominent forehead
  • small midface with a flattened nasal bridge
  • spinal kyphosis (convex curvature) or lordosis (concave curvature)
  • varus (bowleg) or valgus (knock knee) deformities
  • frequent ear infections (due to Eustachian tube blockages), sleep apnea (which can be central or obstructive), and hydrocephalus
  • midface hypoplasia

This looks pretty daunting and suggests that there are a lot of health issues for humans suffering from this condition. Does this translate into cat health issues?

It seems that the clinical features for cats with dwarfism differs to those that are evident in humans with the same condition.

Sarah Hartwell confirms that “achondroplastic dwarfism” is characterised by short legs and enlarged head”. While pseudoachondroplasia is characterised by short limbs and a normal head.

As the Muchkin (the founding dwarf breed) has a normal head Sarah Hartwell says that this suggests that the Munchkin suffers from pseudoachondroplasia.

The prefix “pseudo” before achondroplasia means that the disorder resembles achondroplasia but is actually different in that the symptoms are the same as for achondroplasia except the head is normal size.

In a debateable classification (used by vets and breeders) of genetic anomalies, achondroplasia is considered semi-lethal and cosmetic. Cosmetic means medical treatment is not required but there are medical or physical repercussions and some limitations. This would indicate that dwarf cats have cat health issues.

Sarah Hartwell says that Munchkins can suffer from lordosis (inward curvature of the spine – the spine drops down around the shoulder blades) and pectus excavatum (funnel chest – flattened ribcage), indicating cat health issues may be in evidence.

Lordosis in humans can be minimized by the use of a cross trainer a device which helps to straighten the spine; also exercise helps. Surgery is the last resort.

(The term “lordosis” is also used to describe the raised posture of a female cat in heat when she is assuming a mating position.)

Lordosis causes misalignment in the thoracic region of the spine, which is the upper part of the spine including the vertebrae that connect to the ribs.

The spine dips down compressing the heart lungs and trachea. When severe, the kitten will die apparently at 10-11 weeks of age. The cats appear swaybacked or humpbacked. The condition may be due to shortened muscles that cradle the spine. Some breeders refuse to accept that this condition exists. Breeders need to do genetic studies to see if this condition can be bred out. Not enough is known about the secondary problems surrounding the dwarf gene in cats. How many die of this in breeding programs? When mild it causes infections, pneumonia and breathing and cardiac distress. When very mild, the cat can lead a normal life.

Breeders need to do studies to see if this condition can be bred out and if not perhaps thought should it seems be given to the breeding programme generally.

Pectus in humans (and I think it is fair and helpful to look at this from the human standpoint as there is less research data on these conditions in relation to cats) can cause pain and result in breathing problems, if it is a severe case. There is a procedure to help correct it. This may indicate that there could be cat health issues for cats with the same condition. A cat’s chest cavity is normally oval dwarf cat normal chest cavity while in pectus the chest cavity is narrower top to bottom, the sternum being displaced upwards dwarf cat pectus chest cavity {see the diagrams and x-ray picture}.

cat health pectus chest x-rayIn severe cases of pectus the reduced space in the chest results in a compression of the heart and lungs. This in turn leads to aversion to exercise, breathing difficulties, coughing, weight loss or failure to gain weight; in other words cat health issues. There appears to be no information as to the frequency of occurrence of this condition. Clearly then in severe examples of pectus there are accompanying cat health issues.

I believe that breeders of dwarf cats refer to these conditions as “LP”.

Confused…? Well you might be because I’m still not sure if dwarf cats have a higher frequency of cat health issues than a normally proportioned cat and that is the question we set out to answer.

It would seem that good breeding is the key as to whether lordosis and pectus occur. I’m sure good breeders try to track these problems to minimize their occurrence. Although as they are part of the genetic make up of a dwarf cat it would seem that these conditions cannot be eradicated. If you have views on this and if I am incorrect, please leave a comment.

However, in conclusion, if I were homing a dwarf cat I would at least have a thought for these conditions before proceeding and to check for cat health issues. This is good practice anyway and, as mentioned, recommended by The Dwarf Cat Association and by good breeders. Also, by working with a responsible breeder who will speak openly about health issues, you are encouraging sound breeding practices. This is all for the better for dwarf cat breeders and the association as it must always be wise to air (through discussion) cat health issues that people are concerned about.

There is still not enough information about dwarfism in cats it seems. This article is intended to help not criticise.

One final thing; I would suggest that you instruct your own vet, if that is practical, to carry out tests on your intended adopted dwarf cat, as this would provide an independent appraisal.

Sources:

  • Wikipedia
  • Yahoo Answers
  • Sarah Hartwell, MessyBeasts
  • www.munchkins.com
  • Catvet.homestead.com who refer to:

References:

Boudrieau R et al. Pectus excavatum in dogs and cats. Comp Contin Edu Pract Vet 12(3): 341-355, 1990

Fossum TW et al. Pectus excavatum in eight dogs and six cats. J Am Anim Hosp Assoc 25:595-605, 1989

McAnulty JF, Harvey CE. Repair of pectus excavatum by percutaneous suturing and temporary external coaptation in a kitten. J Am Vet Med Assoc 194(8): 1065-1067, 1989

Sturgess C. Flat chested kittens – does taurine have a role to play? Burmese Cat Club News (U.K.), vol 12, no 8, 1995

Sturgess CP, Waters L, Gruffydd-Jones TJ et al. Investigation of the association between whole blood and tissue taurine levels and the development of thoracic deformities in neonatal Burmese kittens. Vet Rec 141:566-570, 1997

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18 thoughts on “Cat Health Issues”

  1. The author of the best comment will receive an Amazon gift of their choice at Christmas! Please comment as they can add to the article and pass on your valuable experience.
  2. Hi Heidi, yes it can happen to cats other than dwarfs. I surprised to read that it has occurred in a Bengal cat. It is the first time I have heard this.

    I have a page on it here:

    https://pictures-of-cats.org/cat-health-issues.html

    You may have seen it. It was written years ago and is quite comprehensive and concerns dwarf cat health issues.

    Thanks for commenting.

  3. This is to Sarah or Rebeca, I am not a long time cat breeder but live on a farm and have breed many types of animals over the years and had many feral /barn cats and never have seen this before. I have Bengals and have been raising them for 6 years now. I have a male kitten that is 6 weeks old I notice that his spine behind the should blades started dipping.(pectus excavatum or lordosis) I think that what you are calling it. I took him to the vet and she had never seen this before. Otherwise he behaves like a normal kitten. I don’t know what to think or where to get information on this. there isn’t much on the internet about treatments or about this please help me out if you can. Micheal thank you for writing about this even if my cats aren’t dwarfs. Apparently it can happen in any breed.

  4. _To whom it may concern-
    Was it not clearly stated that not enough information has been tested & documented concerning Dwarf Cats? Let the experts research and carry out a genetic program to breed out the anomaly’s in cross-breeds to prevent future mistakes and then post your own Proffessional results to this reputable and respectable link for yourselves. No one knows all-that’s why we as humans share our thoughts-discoveries & concerns. As for the Photo of a >British SH is bred to a Selkirk Rex, it can only be a Selkirk Rex whether it has curly hair or straight hair.So what about the photo> It is still derived from the same gene pool_ is it not? correct me if I am wrong.And lastly-I must caveat on the typos which may be ” DISCOVERED” herein.I am handicapped. Every cat Lover who visits this web site enters for a good reason__Because right or wrong-they Love Cats *Let’s take ego out of the equation.

  5. Just for the record your comment was not published immediately because it has a link in it and the program thinks it might be spam requiring moderation because spam comments have links in them. Your comment is not spam but the computer can’t read English. I will respond properly to your comment soon.

  6. I had not mentioned the issue with the dwarfism gene because at this point I had hoped that it was a mute point. Dr. Solveig Pflueger a geneticist which is on the TICA genetics committee had received some Munchkins when the breeders were first starting the breed. Dr Pflueger had done multiple exrays after studying them for a lengthy time, and deemed these cats to be healthy with no deformities. The Munchkin have been in Championship status (final status) for many years now and the designer breeds have been around a few years now too. At this point there is no issue about the dwarf gene since its questionable health issue was cleared so many years ago. The question about deformity in a dwarf cat was asked and answered so many year ago that to question it now is my opinion a waste of time. Anyone who wants to get answers to this subject would simply need to search for the history of the Munchkin cat. The Cat Channel has an article on its website http://www.catchannel.com/kittens/breed_history/munchkin_kitten_history.aspx
    I have a brief history about the Napoleon is on my webpage purwaky.net and my cattery Face Book page named Purwaky Cattery and there are links for the other websites on my FB page for more details about the breed. It mentions the issue of the dwarf gene being cleared by Dr Pflueger many years ago.
    The Napoleon breeders have moved way past that history now and they are in the process of trying to move the Napoleon up through TICA. The breed is presently in Provisional status and about to go to another board meeting at the end of May 2013 (this month). The Nap breeders have met all the criteria to go to the board this month which accounts for the required number of cats and breeders in all the regions along with other requirements. Napoleons have been allowed to be shown in Provisional status but not for titles yet. There have been enough Napoleons shown to meet that criteria too and the breed standard was changed years ago per the boards request regarding the wording of the standard. If the board denies the breed again it will be most likely based on the personal opinions of the judges. I my opinion that is not a fair way to judge a breed. I think the breed should be based on meeting the requirements of the association and and the uniqueness of the breed. The breed standard has been revised to describe the Napoleon as a breed unique to its parent breeds and to any other breed in existence. The Nap has acquired the best qualities of its parent breeds which IMO makes it better than them. I think that once enough of the public finds out about the breed that it may surpass the Persian in popularity. Since the Persian and the Exotic are first and second in popularity the Napoleon my become the most popular breed given time for the word to be spread about the breed. Most of the Nap breeders have long waiting lists and feel that there are not enough Nap breeders now to fill the demand for the standard (short legged) Nap. The long legged (non-standard) looks like a baby doll faced or traditional Persian which has become popular to those who are willing to pass on the short legged version.

  7. Hi Rebecca. It is OK what you have said and to be expected. I don’t mind and even like it to a certain extent because it is a good dialogue. Polite argument is good as it airs thoughts and beliefs.

    Of course, not everything I write is true and correct but then nothing really is anywhere. There is always something that is disputed or about which people disagree and so on.

    All one can do it be careful, research well and be respectful. I hope I have done that all the time. Even the experts get things wrong and it is not rare either.

    The reason why I mentioned health issues on dwarf cats is because that is the subject of the page. The page is about that and nothing else. Other pages on the site discuss other issues and present a very balanced viewpoint and of course such as you can balance things when needed. That is why I like your comments. They add something that in the end helps the page.

    To be honest a lot of people criticise the dwarf cats because they are based on a health problem: dwarfism. That is why the CFA don’t accept them. I have not gone into that or been too hard on dwarf cat breeders or the cat itself. I think that was decent of me 😉 I hope you agree.

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