The Germans are a people of cat lovers. Around 16.7 million house tigers live between Flensburg and Sonthofen, which corresponds almost exactly to the population of Cambodia. And although the common domestic cat is by far the most frequently represented, more and more people choose a breed cat.
But with special cats there are sometimes special problems, especially in the field of health. We took a closer look at the top 5 most popular cat breeds in Germany and, in this article, reveal which breeds suffer more often from certain diseases, how they are treated and what cat owners can prevent in order to support the health of their favorites.
1. British shorthair
The British shorthair owes its popularity not only to its noble appearance, but also the fact that it is one of the most robust cat breeds that mostly enjoys good health. Proper attitudes and a balanced diet, these house tigers are rarely susceptible to diseases and there are no special diseases that would occur particularly frequently in this breed.
It looks a little different if you want to breed the BKH because the breed of hereditary diseases such as polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is affected. Therefore, only parents should be used for breeding that are not affected by these diseases.
Slope to overweight
Since British short hair cats have an extremely quiet character, they often tend to be overweight when they are kept in the house. In order to avoid damage to the keeping apparatus, owners should pay attention to a balanced diet.
2. Maine Coon
The Maine Coon is one of the largest domestic cat breeds. It becomes up to 120 centimeters long and reaches a shoulder height of a good 40 centimeters. In connection with her long fur, the American looks particularly impressive. Although they are considered to be particularly good hunters, Maine Coons are extremely comfortable near man and are described as particularly affectionate.
Although the Maine Coon is considered a particularly robust breed and individual cats can achieve a age of 20 years, there is some hereditary diseases due to a relatively small gene pool that troubles the gentle giant. Above all, this includes
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
- Hip dysplasia (HD)
- Polycystic kidney disease (PKD)
- Spinal muscle atrophy
Heavy cat, weak hip
Adult Main Coon weighs an impressive weight. Cats weigh up to six kilograms, while some of the adult hangovers bring up to nine kilograms. This often leads to an abnormal development and degeneration of the Hip joints, the so -called hip dysplasia. This occurs significantly more frequently in dogs than in cats, but the Maine Coon is one of the main candidates for this disease. Female animals are particularly often affected by the HD.
What are the symptoms of an HD?
A Maine Coon with hip dysplasia is no longer able to move painlessly, which significantly limits the quality of life. Fortunately, this disease can be seen with clear symptoms. This includes
- reduced activity
- Sonior farming caused by pain
- Crack in the hip joints
- widened shoulders
- A curved back
Can you prevent an HD?
Since an HD is an inherited disease, there is nothing that could do cat owners to prevent them. However, weight control in conjunction with joint -building substances and nutritional supplements can help to slow down the process.
3. Norwegian forest cat
The Norwegian forest cat developed from wild farmers' cats in the 1930s. The targeted breeding only started 40 years later and only since 1977 the Norwegian has been recognized as an official breed. Since then, the population has sometimes suffered from inbreeding, which contributes to the spread of hereditary diseases that occur more frequently in Norwegian forest cats than with other breeds. Above all, this includes the
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
- Glycols Storage disease (GSD IV)
- Pyruvatkinase Deficiency (PK)
With particularly large and heavy specimens, hip dysplasia, i.e. a malformation of the hip joint.
HCM - Norwegian with a weak heart
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is by far the most frequently occurring heart disease in cats, and the Norwegian forest cat is not spared. The HCM leads to a thickening of the heart muscle of the left heart chamber and affects either the entire left chamber wall including the heart septum or only individual sections.
Veterinarians differentiate between the primary and secondary HCM. While the primary HCM is a genetic disease, the secondary HCM can go through.
Aortic stenoses, high blood pressure or an overfunction of the thyroid gland.
4. Siam cat
There is hardly a cat breed that is more elegant than the Siam cat. Above all, its human -related, playful and self -confident demeanor, the cat, which originally comes from today's Thailand, has made one of the most popular breeds in Germany.
Due to the strong demand in the 1950s, Siam cats suffered from a number of health problems and had to deal with kink cocks and a weak immune system, among other things. And even though the Siamese are among the more robust breed cats today, many of them still suffer from various hereditary diseases. These include
- Squint
- Tremor
- Progressive retinaatrophy
- Endocardial fibroelastosis
- Persistent duct arteriosus
- Cancer
- Metabolic diseases
Many Siamese suffer from amyloidosis
Siam cats are particularly at risk of developing amyloidosis. This is an inheritable protein metabolism disorder in which certain proteins, the so -called amyloids, cannot be broken down and excreted. Rather, they settle in the cells of the cell. There they act toxic on the cells and destroy the structure of the affected organ. Siam cats are particularly susceptible to liver amyloidosis.
What are the symptoms of amyloidosis?
The symptoms of amyloidosis depend on which organ is affected by the disease. However, they are often so non -specific that even experienced cat owners find it difficult to make out the symptoms. Include general signs
- dehydration
- more frequent and increased drinking
- more frequent urination
- emaciation
- Vomit
- Diarrhea
- Yellow discoloration of the mucous membranes by storing dyes from the bile
- Diabetes mellitus
Whether in view of these rather vague symptoms it is actually amyloidosis, it can only be determined after the cat's death. There is still no genetic test to determine amyloidosis.
Therapy options for amyloidosis
The treatment of amyloidosis is symptomatic. This means that only the symptoms are treated to increase the quality of life of the cat. The progress of the disease itself, which is always fatal, cannot be prevented.
Prevention of amyloidosis
Owners of Siam cats should have the functionality of the kidney and the liver examined by a veterinarian. If the disease is still in early stages, your course can be slowed down with a change in nutrition and medication, as can be read in an article in the Petdoctors.
5. Persian cat
With its long, fluffy fur, the flat face and her short nose, the Persian cat has conquered the hearts of the Germans by storm. The demand for long-haired, calm and reliable cats was so great that in the 1970s a mass breeding started in which the health of the animals was no longer in the foreground, but the financial profit. Again and again there was incest, in which blood -related animals were mated, which led to some racial diseases that are still inherited from one generation to the next.
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD)
Studies show that around a third of the Persian cats suffer from the polycystic kidney disease (PKD). The cats are born with small cysts in the kidney that grow over the years. As a result, the kidneys are increasingly damaged, which leads to chronic kidney weakness before the cat finally dies of kidney failure.
What are the symptoms of PKD?
Persian cats that suffer from PKD show the typical symptoms of general kidney failure. Above all, this includes
- Lack of appetite
- more frequent and increased drinking
- more frequent urination
- apathy
- Vomit
- Weight loss
- Pain (in the case of bacterial infestation of the cysts)
- enlarged abdominal circumference
Due to the continued growth of cysts, the kidneys are more and more lost their function to filter the cat's blood. This can lead to complications in the bladder and severe abdominal pain.
Therapy options at PKD
According to the current state of science, this kidney disease is not possible. Veterinarians must therefore limit themselves to the treatment of symptoms and the slowdown of the disease. Special medications are used to suppress the pain and improve the quality of life of the cat. However, the exact type of treatment differs from animal to animal.
Prevention of PKD
PKD is unfortunately not possible because it is an inherited disease. However, the urine system can be supported, for example, with the administration of cranberries, sodium chloride and rosemary.