The most obvious inherited health issues of the Peke-face Persian: BAS.

Although the Peke-face Persian (flat-faced Persian) can suffer from all or one of 16 inherited diseases, the one highlighted in the infographic below is the most obvious. It is perhaps the classic consequence of breeding cats with unnaturally shaped heads and faces to try and meet an aesthetic which pleases the eye of some. Heavens knows why because the Peke-face is certainly uglier than the Doll-face.

There is no cure for this or the other Peke-face Persian inherited diseases because they are caused by a distorted face and head due to extreme breeding. You have to change the breeding practices over a long time if you are to 'cure' this shameful state of affairs where the cat fancy have abdicated their responsibilities to ensure that they breed healthy cats. In fact I think you'll see that the CFA demands in their breed standards that health should not be compromised BUT IT IS (in the most gross way)! And has been for decades in really serious ways causing distress and unhappiness in these cats. 

Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome (BAS) in Peke-face Persian cats by Michael Broad

If you click on this link: Infographics on Peke-face Persian health problems, you'll see some more health issues associated with this breed, if that interests you. Each one is a 60 second read. The goal is to explain sometimes complicated medical information in studies in an infographic. I want everyone to have access to this kind of information as it is good for cat welfare and to educate potential adopters of purebred cats.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Time for the cat fancy to do something about the Persian cat's polycystic kidney disease

It is well beyond the time when the cat fancy - and I'm referring mainly to the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) - does something tangible about the shameful health of the flat-faced Persian cat, created through decades of selective inbreeding of cats carrying the disease to fix the cats strange appearance which as a consequence, and as a side effect, has led to this breed suffering, interminably, from a nasty kidney disease which quite often proves fatal.

That disease, as mentioned in the title, is polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Cysts form on the kidney rendering the organ ineffective and it can start at a very young age. Ultrasound detects it which is why sometimes it cat shows you will see an ultrasound engineer on site to scan the interior of a Persian cat and other cats if need be. See video at end of article. The infographic sums it up.

Update: Some cat associations such as the UK's Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) require breeding Persians to be screened for the PKD gene defect. Langford Veterinary Diagnostics have documented a decreasing prevalence of the PKD gene in Persians in the UK, from ~28% in 2005 to ~2% in 2016, showing how effective this type of targeted intervention can be. - quote from the following study: Persian cats under first opinion veterinary care in the UK: demography, mortality and disorders.

Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) in Persian cats in an infographic by Michael Broad

I know I have banged this drum for far too long. I've become boring in constantly restating my distaste at knowing that the cat fancy has allowed this ill-health to be perpetuated for so long. The Persian cat was an extremely popular cat. In fact it was the top cat breed in terms of popularity for many years in America.

But nowadays, it has relinquished that top position to other cat breeds such as the Maine Coon. And it is very plausible to argue that a major reason is this inherited health problem combined with other inherited health problems such as tear duct overflow due to a distorted tear duct thanks to the flat face.

It's just not right. We don't have to be so obsessed with the appearance and in any case the cat fancy has overshot the mark with the Persian cat because initially they wanted the face to be a little more flat but now it has to be completely flat as if the cats been punched in the face. All the elements of the face of got to be in vertical alignment which is frankly madness. How did they get to this situation?

My answer to that is that the CFA administrators have been working in this closed shop for decades feeding off on another and supporting each other with what can only be crazy ideas. They think that the flat face is attractive compared to the traditional Persian cat which has a much more normal face which is in truth far more attractive. They tried to make that attractive Persian face more attractive but ultimately they went in the other direction and made the cat very unnatural and unattractive in my view and I would argue in the views of many others.

Let's tackle this PKD problem in Persian cats as soon as possible. The only way to do that is to lay down some laws regarding the breeding of this cat which would introduce fresh genetics into the Persian breeding lines to improve genetic diversity, to remove some of the inbreeding which would change the appearance of the cat but most importantly improve their health. And as mentioned to screen for PKD and 'cull' (remove) these cats from breeding programs.

Inbreeding causes inbreeding depression among other things. This is a weakened immune system and general ill-health.

Health supersedes appearance if we are really concerned about domestic cats. Unfortunately for many years appearance has trumped health in the cat fancy or in various elements of the cat fancy. I can't generalise because some breeds are healthier than others and clearly some administrators are more concerned about health than others.

On this page is an Infographic, as you can see, which was created by me and which summarises in a few words the important information about PKD in Persian cats. I hope it helps.

Below is a video of ultrasound scan on a Persian cat at a cat show in the US to check for PKD:

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

American insurance company Nationwide stops insuring 100,000 cats and dogs

AMERICA: I'm told by news media that Nationwide is America's largest pet insurer. And they've decided to stop insuring 100,000 pets. But read on. 

Image: The Canine Review.

It seems very bizarre because normally it is people who decide to stop insuring their pet's health because the insurance premiums are too high. This is the other side of the coin as this insurance company blamed inflation and the cost of veterinary care as two reasons why they have decided they can no longer insure pets. 

It would seem that some pets are uninsurable as far as Nationwide is concerned. It is pretty cynical because the policy concerns pets that need insurance. Nationwide want to insure health pets!

It has 100,000 pets on its books whose insurance policies are being terminated. There will be many customers who will no longer be receiving pet health insurance when their policies terminate unless they can find an alternative. Some pet owners are concerned that they won't be able to find an alternative at a suitable price.

Another problem which may be the central problem and which is not been fully clarified to me is that there have been recent underwriting changes in the insurance industry concerning Nationwide. The company feels that these changes have made it unviable to continue.

The announcement was quite sudden and made in a statement on June 14. All 100,000 policies will not be renewed at the date of their renewal. The non-renewal is not connected with the companion animal's prior claims history - they say. True or false?

'Inflation in the cost of veterinary care and other factors have led to recent underwriting changes and the withdrawal of some products in some states - difficult actions that are necessary to ensure a financially sustainable future for our pet insurance line of business.'

Overall the company says that it it insures more than a million pets - the largest in the country.

Profitability

The reporting is a little confusing and I'll tell you why. Nationwide insure 1 million pets but they are dropping insurance policies on 100,000 pets which indicates that they are being selective and that the termination of these insurance policies is connected with the high level of claims made by some customers because their pets are inherently unhealthy. That's my opinion until I receive better reporting.

And this thought of mine appears to be supported by the fact that many of the affected premiums are for older pets with pre-existing conditions.

My gut feeling is this: this insurance company has decided to take strong action to improve profitability and they are achieving that by stripping out of their customer database those pets that require consistent and routine treatment because of inherited and long-term or chronic illnesses. On the face of it is a cynical move to increase profitability by being more selective in the animals that they insure.

In response, a Facebook page has been set up by disgruntled customers entitled "Dropped by Nationwide Pet Insurance Whole Wellness? Join Us!

I've applied to join the group as it is private. I've not received an acceptance as at the time of publishing this article.

As I said, I think this is a reflection on the fact that some dog breeds are inherently unhealthy such as the French Bulldog. I have boldly claimed that that dog breed is the most unhealthy of all the dog breeds with 21 different inherited illnesses. Extraordinary; right? Other bulldogs have more than the usual inherited health issues. 

Avoid extreme breeding e.g. flat-faced dogs and unnatural looking animals. Mess with anatomy and there is a price to pay - literally.

It would seem that some animals are becoming uninsurable as is the case by the way with some vehicles. Interesting correlation here because in the UK some Range Rover models are uninsurable because they're being stolen all the time forcing the manufacturer to start up their own insurance company!

Self-insurance

Pet owners really should remind themselves that pet insurance companies are moneymaking machines. If they can't make a good profit from ensuring pets they either drop the animal from their books as is the case in the story or they put up the premiums. Either way they make more money.

It's another reminder that the best form of pet health insurance is to start your own savings account which is ring fenced. This is called self-insurance. Save $50 a month ideally before you adopt a companion animal and then when you have adopted the animal you have some savings in the bank allocated solely to treating your companion animal.

In addition, I would do your research on inherited diseases afflicting purebred dogs and cats. It's important you know about them so you can decide whether pet health insurance is necessary or a wise choice in respect of your to be adopted paired or adopted pet.

RELATED: Genetic diseases in cats.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Berlin police seized 48 illegally bred Levkoy cats considered the product of 'torture breeding' in Germany

Germany has a brilliant nationwide law which states that purebred cats that are bred with inherited genetic diseases causing general pain and suffering are the product of "torture breeding" and they are illegal in the country. 

Levkoy Cay. Image from unknown author.

The word "torture" is a very evocative and strong word and I think it is a brilliant word to describe these breeds which are fully accepted in many other countries including America.

In this instance I'm referring to the Levkoy which is a Ukrainian breed; a hairless cat with floppy ears. Germany has outlawed hairless cats because they don't have a coat 😎😢 and therefore they can't live normal lives. 

You can't change the anatomy of a cat breed that fundamentally in Germany and make the cat more vulnerable without being labelled a torture breeder.

And apparently this man living in Berlin was told to stop breeding the Levkoy cat but he continued nonetheless and in a raid by the police and animal welfare authorities his entire stock of cats were seized and he was arrested. He now faces a substantial fine.

The officials believe that he was probably the last breeder in Germany of the Ukrainian Levkoy cat breed.

The seized cats have been distributed to foster carers across Germany where they have received a check up and veterinary care where needed.

You might like to read about this cat by clicking on the following link. It's an article written by visitor to my website. I have updated that page to include what happened in Germany as described in this article.

Levkoy Cat Breed.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Lucy the 'bat cat' nude kitten with hydrocephalus

Lucy is described by her owner as "the bat cat". Not a particularly flattering title I have to say. You might know me and that I dislike these sorts of Instagram accounts because you get owners of strange cats vicariously achieving some fame for themselves through their cat. 

Often these cats are misshapen through a genetic defect or in this instance this hairless cat suffers from hydrocephalus which is a buildup of fluid on the brain which puts pressure on the brain and which can damage it. It is treatable and for humans and the survival rate for treated hydrocephalus is high. 

Lucy the bat cat. Photo: Instagram

Sorry if I upset some people in disliking these sorts of social media accounts. The pics are from Lucy's Instagram page. They were taken by her owners.

Lucy is called 'the bat cat' because of the obvious reason: she looks a little bit like one of those strange bats. And the stranger the cat looks the better for the celebrity cats.

My research indicates that a cat suffering from hydrocephalus may be asymptomatic. Alternatively, the symptoms might include, wetting or soiling in the house, sleeplessness, blindness, seizures, excess globalisation, hyper-excitability, a large dome-shaped head which is due to intracranial swelling, walking abnormalities, cross-eyes, abnormal breathing, arching their head back and extending all four legs and coma.

Lucy the bat cat. Photo: Instagram.

There are various causes including, inherited (congenital), genetics, prenatal infection, vitamin A deficiency, intracranial inflammatory diseases, masses in the cranium, brain haemorrhage in newborn after a difficult labour, exposure to teratogens (these are drugs which interfere with the development), coronavirus. We don't know which cause is applicable for Lucy. My guess is that it was inherited.

Credits as per above.

Lucy is a Sphynx cat by the way. She has 35,400 followers on her Instagram page. Her birthday is on March 15. She was born on March 15, 2019.

Lil Bub and Grumpy Cat both died of bacterial infections at a young age

Both Lil Bub and Grumpy Cat both died of bacterial infections at the age of 8 and 7 respectively. Both were dwarf cats. Lil Bub's infection was in her bones while Grumpy Cat's infection was in her bladder i.e. it was a urinary tract infection.

Lil Bub and Mike Bridavsky, her human guardian during most of her shortened life. Photo in public domain.

There were both chronic infections that could not be cured in the usual way with antibiotics. I don't want to say anything untoward or nasty because both these cats entertained millions of people. They made a lot of people happy and they made them smile. They therefore performed a service to humanity but they died very young with lifespans at least half of normal.

It is very unusual for a cat to die a bacterial infection at the age of 8, as happened for Lil Bub. It is impossible not to be drawn to the conclusion that the inherited genetic mutations which made them both money spinning celebrities through their unusual appearance, also killed them. 

I would speculate quite confidently that if they had not suffered from dwarfism in the case of Grumpy Cat and Dwarfism in conjunction with osteopetrosis in the case of Lil Bub, they would not have died for these reasons. 

Osteopetrosis is a bone disease which causes dense bone which fills the centre of the bone where there should be bone marrow. There are other effects too cats with this inherited condition which cause cats to be prone to chronic bacterial bone infections.

Grumpy Cat and Rafi Fine at the 2014 VidCon at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Photo: Gage Skidmore on Wikipedia.

Dwarfism in felines can have associated conditions which I discuss on another page. If people are interested in why these celebrity cats died at such a young age we have to speculate because their owners have been reticent in disclosing in any detail regarding the cause of death. 

In respect of Lil Bub, it seems clear to me that the inherited medical conditions due to genetic mutations ultimately caused her premature death. In respect of Grumpy Cat, the same conclusion, I feel, needs to be drawn. It is likely that she became resistant to antibiotic treatment for a chronic bladder infection and so the infection killed her.

If I'm anywhere near right on this then it does call into question whether people should put on a pedestal and monetise domestic cats who are sadly born with inherited genetic conditions which make them look cute but also which makes them vulnerable disease and a shortened lifespan.

I discuss in a bit more detail the cause of death for both these cats which you can access by clicking here for Lil Bub and here for Grumpy Cat.

Patellar luxation and Abyssinian cats

Abyssinian cat. Photo: Helmi Flick with her express permission.

Patellar luxation is more common in some cat breeds than was once thought. Rather disturbingly, surveys of Abyssinian cats from California in 1991 and1992 discovered that 26/69 (38%) of examined Abyssinian cats had "patellars that could be dislocated, compared with 1/84 other cats tested". This condition can sometimes be found at the same time with hip dysplasia. The kneecap slides to the inside of the leg rather than remaining on top of the joint i.e. in its trochlear groove. There may be intermittent lameness and a reluctance to jump.

The source of the information comes from the studies listed below:

1. Giger Urs, P.A. Green and G.K. Smith: "Hip Dysplasia and Patellar Luxation in Cats", Veterinary Proceedings from the North American Veterinary Conference, 1992 Vol 6:321. This study is referred to in Medical, Genetic & Behavioral Risk Factors of Devon Rex Cats by Ross D Clark DVM.
2. Guger Urs; Presentation at the 13th Annual Robert Winn Foundation Symposium on Feline Health, June 20, 1991. "Patellar Luxation and Hip Dysplasia" summary by Diana Cruden. Cat Fanciers' Almanac, Nov. 1991, p. 84.

Are Oriental Shorthairs healthy?

Like most purebred, pedigree cats Oriental Shorthairs (OSH) have inherited certain health problems due to selective breeding. One major issue for me, is that there is a family of Siamese cats which includes the Oriental Shorthair. They are all centred around the Siamese cat because the Siamese cat is in their breeding lines. And the problem here is that, on my reckoning, and based upon my extensive research, the Siamese cat has the most inherited health problems of any cat breed. So the question is: is the Oriental Shorthair susceptible to many of the medical problems that potentially affect the Siamese cat?

Oriental SH - photo: Helmi Flick

In addition to that long list of possible illnesses it is said that these animals are susceptible to respiratory illnesses and cardiomyopathy has also been reported in some lines. This information is according to Dr Ross D Clark DVM in his book Medical, Genetic and Behavioural Aspects of Purebred Cats.

A pet insurance company say that the OSH can suffer from progressive retinal atrophy and glaucoma. In addition, about nine years ago I wrote an article about hepatic amyloidosis in Siamese and Oriental cats. The article was based upon information provided by a visitor to the website, Lisa Lyons, who lives with Oriental Shorthair cats. The symptoms of hepatic amyloidosis include jaundice, a high white cell count, a low red blood cell count, vomiting, anaemia, general malaise and cyst damage to the liver causing bleeding. It is a very serious disease which is incurable and fatal. Some cats die within 2 to 3 years. That does not paint a very pretty picture in terms of the possible health problems affecting the Oriental Shorthair cat. But I have to be truthful and straightforward in answering the question in the title.

I would recommend that you read my page on Siamese cat health problems. It might surprise you. I decided at the Siamese cat was the most unhealthy cat in the world certainly amongst all the pedigree cats.