


Genetic Diseases


The Maine Coon is subject to certain genetic diseases or defects, unfortunately hereditary , or to other viral diseases, that any cat can catch.

- HCM: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy ("HCM") is a disease of the myocardium (the muscle of the heart) in which a portion of the myocardium is hypertrophied (thickened) without any obvious cause. HCM is a progressive disease and can result in heart failure, paralysis of the hind legs due to clot embolization originating in the heart, and sudden death. More informations : here.

- PKD : Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a cystic genetic disorder of the kidneys. PKD is characterized by the presence of multiple cysts typically in both kidneys; the cysts are numerous and are fluid-filled, resulting in massive enlargement of the kidneys. The disease can also damage the liver, pancreas and, in some rare cases, the heart and brain. More informations: here.

- HD (Feline Hip Dysplasia): informations here

 - PKDef (Pyruvate Kinase (PK) Deficiency): infos

- SMA (Atrophie musculaire spinale): infos

- FIV : Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a lentivirus that affects domesticated housecats worldwide and is the causative agent of feline AIDS. From 2.5% up to 4.4% of cats worldwide are infected with FIV. FIV is the only non-primate lentivirus to cause an AIDS-like syndrome, but FIV is not typically fatal for cats, as they can live relatively healthily as carriers and transmitters of the disease for many years. No vaccine is available.

- FelV : Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is a retrovirus that infects cats. FeLV can be transmitted between infected cats when the transfer of saliva or nasal secretions is involved. If not defeated by the animal’s immune system, the virus can be lethal. The disease caused by this virus is a form of cancer of the blood cells called lymphocytes (a leukemia). Vaccines for FeLV are available



All these diseases can be detected by tests (blood tests, echo, DNA) made by veterinarians.

All my cats are tested and found negative / non-carriers of these diseases.