There is always common health issues associated with any breed of animal. For Maine Coon Cats, one of those health problems is Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, which is often shortened to Cardiomyopathy, and abbreviated as HCM.

HCM can be inherited, but it can also be developed without inheritance, although most reported cases are through inheritance. HCM is a disease that causes the left ventricle of the heart to thicken and stiffen. This eventually leads to heart failure, and may also cause aortic thrombeoembolism.

In most cases, your breeder will give you a health guarantee or statement. Ideally, they will have had the parents tested to ensure that they do not have a mutation of the gene that determines the presence or development of this disease.

If they tell you that the 12 week old kitten has been tested, and tested negative, don’t believe it. HCM can only be detected with cardiac ultrasound, and cannot be detected in a cat younger than one year. Testing is recommended between the ages of one and seven years.

How big is the HCM problem? It’s fairly big, but is currently being bred out by responsible breeders. Of all of the Maine Coons tested for HCM, about one third of them tested positive. Responsible breeders have their studs and dams tested, before breeding, and it is recommended that any Maine Coon that tests positive for the mutated gene not be used for breeding purposes.

As mentioned earlier, genetics isn’t the only way that a Maine Coon can develop HCM. It can also be caused by a deficiency in taurine, which is an organic acid that makes up the majority of stomach bile. It is the only known sulfonic acid that occurs naturally in the body.

Once this was discovered, however, pet food manufacturers started adding taurine to cat food, which has made non-genetically inherited HCM quite rare. In the event that a Maine Coon does develop taurine related HCM, it is cured by adding taurine rich food to the diet. However, HCM that is genetically inherited cannot be cured. This is why responsible breeders have their animals tested, and do not breed those that have the mutated gene.

When you get your Maine Coon kitten, make sure that you ask your breeder about HCM. They should be very open in discussing this with you, and should be knowledgeable about the disease. Ask them whether or not their own animals have been tested, and ask to see documentation of that testing. If for some reason they refuse to show you documentation, the chances are good that the animals either tested positive, or were never tested at all.

The presence of the mutated gene does not mean that a cat should be destroyed, or that it cannot make a good pet or be shown. It simply means that you and your veterinarian need to be aware that it is there, and that you should be on the lookout for eventual heart failure. It also means that you shouldn’t breed the Maine Coon.

Cat Lover