Why did my 2 year old Maine Coon cat get this disease?

Question

Last week I was forced to put my 2 year old Maine Coon cat to sleep. I had just napped with him, picked him up for a hug and kiss, I put him down, and he was fine. I left the room to get a drink, came back and he couldnt move his back legs. His meows were piercing, his breathing was very heavy. I called my fiance and he rushed home from work at 2am to take us to the 24 hour vet. The doctor told us this was something his breed was known for getting but I was too upset to understand. This is the worst thing I've ever been through, this cat was like my son and I would love to adopt another cat of the same breed in the future, I love their personalities, but I need to know more about this disease. I fed this cat the best foods, gave him more love than anything, played with him constantly, and catered to his every need. The vet said the only way we would have known about this was if we got him an echocardiogram, but even with that, is there is cure? It might be called HCM, but I'm not sure.

Answer 1

I am so sorry for your loss, HCM is a quick and devestating disease, which too many people are unaware of. Maine coons are more prone to it than the average cat, it usually strikes much earlier in them, but any cat can get it. An echo would not have "cured" it, but it would have made you aware of the heart disease, and medications could have been started to reduce the risk of blood clots (what caused his legs to stop working) and would have reduced the amount of stress on his heart, possibly prolonging his life. Dont blame yourself, without being informed of this type of disease, there is usually no way to predict it, very few cats show symptoms before its too late. It was not caused by anything you did or did not do for him during his life, simply a genetical failure. If you decide to get a cat again (especially a coon) I recommend to all my clients (and I do it myself) that you have a yearly check up with a vet cardiologist.

Answer 2

http://www.manhattancats.com/Articles/Arterial_Thromboembolism.html

Check out that website. I think it may be helpful for you.
I'm very sorry for your loss. HCM is very common in young cats. Had you known your cat had HCM, the embolism might have been postponed (due to medication). However, the disease would have progressed eventually. There is no cure. If you decide to get another cat, take it in for annual exams. Heart murmurs can be detected quite easily by veterinarians. Severe heart murmurs might indicate HCM is the cause. If your next cat ends up having a heart murmur, see a specialist to determine exactly what is wrong with the cat's heart so that you can give the cat heart medication.
I'm sure you're very upset to lose such a young cat. These things happen, but it tends to be pretty rare. I'm sure 2 years spent in a great home with you is better than nothing at all. Love your next cat as much as you can, and enjoy it as long as you can. Annual exams or exams every six months could be the key to detecting medical conditions early enough for therapy, but sometimes there's nothing we can do. Don't assume that your cat's death was your fault or that your next cat will likely have it too. I've worked in the veterinary field for more than 5 years, and we definitely don't see these cases very often. I'd say much less than one cat a month that is seen at our clinic dies of embolisms.

Answer 3

I actually had to do a web search on this and found tons of info. Looks like the Maine Coon are pretty prone to this problem, if you can contact the breeder and tell them the cat had this problem because it is genetic and they need to test both parents and stop breeding the one that has the HCM.

check this site for good info, and there was lots of hits on HCM in cats that you could get more info from.

http://www.catvet.homestead.com/Hypertrophic_Cardiomyopathy_for_Breeders.pdf

I'm sorry that you lost your pet, Maine Coons are wonderful animals, but there was almost no way you could have knowen the cat had this problem without finding a heart murmur before this.

Answer 4

Im sorry to hear that. i know how heartbreaking that felt. My cat had a heartattack. Currently scienctist are in the lab testing this diease which is good because they can try to prevent these sort of horrible things from happening.

well i looked up some information for you.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy -- a heart disease where areas of heart muscle enlarge and thicken -- is the most common heart disease in cats. Although it develops and progresses over time, its early signs may be subtle or nonexistent. A cat that seems healthy may appear to become very ill very quickly, or even die suddenly.

again im truly sorry to hear about your cat. Im glad you reconsidering another cat like him

Answer 5

Animals of a specific breed, who come inevitably from a limited number of breeders, tend to be related to some extent to their mates, so the genetical problems persist and multiply. It's the same for Shar peis, German Shepherds, etc. My advice is to adopt another cat, from a shelter, not a pure breed, a kitty who needs all this love you have to give and who will love you back dearly, like my cat who was rescued from the street and now is practically talking to me. I know how you feel, I have another cat dying at this moment, but honestly you can save another cat in the name of your cat. At least his life was happy and his death painless and quick.

Answer 6

wrong section.



ask a doctor.