Thread: first post and wanting to know about heart problems in Maine Coons

Originally Posted by brightlight23

Hello,
This is my first post on this Forum and apologies if this topic has already been covered elsewhere. Essentially I've an eight month old Maine Coon kitten who I'm extremely fond of as he is such a friendly, and caring cat, though worrying about having him on borrowed time, as I keep reading about Maine Coons dying prematurely from heart conditions. Is the heart problem really as common as it seems, and if so is there anything I can do to prevent my cat developing this?

Many thanks for reading x
Victoria

Victoria to put your mind at rest a little contact your breeder for a copy of both the parents HCM test both gene and echo test

All Mainecoons should be both gene and echo tested and a breeder that is not doing this should not be bought off.. END of the day we can not irradiate this problem with irresponsible breeders. I always gene test our cats every year and then when they are over 3 Echo test! for peace of mind..

ALL breeders should give a copy with your pedigree papers and anyone looking NOW for a Mainecoon should insist on seeing the test before you put down a deposit. This test is not expensive around 25 pounds for the gene test, and around 120 Euros for the echo test..



ANY breeder displaying this on their website who is not giving or showing the test results is in breach of the trades descriptions act and should be reported.
It is possible that a cat can indeed get some form of heart problem later in life Mainecoons are not on their own in this.. But Responsible dedicated breeders should also ensure they play their part!

Debbie

When the gene test became available I had four of my six tested just as a matter of interest & they all came back negative,wouldn't have made any difference whatever though,they all came from good breeders & good breeding lines & I have always accepted when I bought a MC that being a large breed it could tie in with the same as larger dogs more health problems & a shorter life span,I am prepared for either I know I could not be without a MC in my life.
Having said that of all the MC's that come into work & a lot of them from not so good breeders I haven't known any of them to have heart problems,stunted growth upset stomachs yes but hearts ticking away like a good un,even friends who have lost their MC's at a youger age have not had heart problems. Everything living is on borrowed time from the day it is born,that is a fact of life so be positive,as Debbie has pointed out look for a good breeder fall in luv,buy & enjoy every minute you have with them
it will be worth it....x

Thanks so much for your replies and advice. The truth is I'm very new to cat ownership and didn't know about the possible genetic mutation. I'm certainly going to contact the breeder, though I think there may be an issue as I've noticed on the website that there's a memorial to one of her cats who died quite young, about age 6. I don't yet have Kitten's papers - as the breeder said she would pass these to us once we'd shown evidence of having him castrated. And as we intend to only keep him as a pet, so far I've not been back to her to follow up this up. There is certainly nothing about the genetic test on the website - the breeder though describes it as a small hobby practice on the Isle of Wight, so it could be that they do not do this. We bought the Kitten at about eight weeks old and have organised his jabs etc ourselves. I know now that these are all meant to be done prior to purchase. I sincerely hope we will be lucky as he's such a sweet cat, and really quite clever. Thanks again, for taking the time to reply x

Don't forget that heart conditions can be caused by more than one gene, but only one can currently be identified by the genetic test. It is not infallable and even if a cat has the defective gene which can currently be identified, it doesn't mean he or she will develop a heart problem. If your kitten has not yet been neutered, why not ask the vet if he or she can echo test at the same time? It won't cost a great deal but may help to put your mind at rest. I'm surprised you took your kitten home at 8 weeks of age, 13 weeks is the norm for a pedigree cat, after vaccinations.

I'm not saying that testing is worthless, as I believe it is and my cats are in the process of being tested. Anything we can do to make the breed less susceptible to inherited problems is worthwhile.