genetic disorders

'Bengal nose'

Bengal Nose

Bengal Nose – a comparison between a good nose and an affected nose – photo copyright Helmi Flick This page was first written, as I recall, in around 2009. It has been updated on more than one occasion including today June 5, 2022 at which point I have republished it. My understanding of the cause …

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Dry mouth in cats can cause the cat to lick their lips to try and moisten them

Lethargic cat with dry mouth and loss of appetite

by Jennifer (Canada) These are some pertinent details: Cat 8 years old, not eating for 2 days now. Sleeping more than usual and not usual playful self. Dry mouth I need a reply right away? We’re terrified for our cat. Please contact with suggestions at: ps*******************@ho*****.com (note: MikeB deleted the email address as this is …

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The Siamese cat has the most genetically inherited illnesses

Inherited metabolic diseases in domestic cats

The title describes disorders that produce degenerative changes in the central nervous system. They are determined by inherited genes. In each of the conditions listed a specific enzyme needed for nerve cell metabolism was missing. These conditions affect purebred cats and breeder should do their best to eliminate carriers from their breeding programme. Metabolic nervous …

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Brody a Klinefelter's Syndrome sufferer

Are calico cats healthy?

The genetics of calico cats are complicated and I don’t pretend to fully understand the science. You can read up about it on Sarah Hartwell’s website messybeast.com [link]. In answering the question in the title, the story of the health or otherwise of calico cats comes down to their gender and the chromosomes inherited from …

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Hip dysplasia in cats

Selective breeding and smaller cats would help to resolve the problem of hip dysplasia in large cat breeds

The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences has done a study into hereditary hip dysplasia in Maine Coon cats. They concluded that the size of the cat is a major contributing factor in cats developing hip dysplasia. They also said that selective breeding plays a part not just in terms of reducing the size of the …

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Note: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified.
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