HCM

HCM and SPHYNX… Feline Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a condition that causes the muscular walls of a cat’s heart to thicken, decreasing the heart’s efficiency. Although the cause of HCM has not been clearly identified, the fact that the condition is more prevalent in certain breeds (including Maine Coon, Ragdoll, British Shorthair, Sphynx, Chartreux and Persian cats) and that mutations of several cardiac (heart) genes have been identified in some cats with this disease suggests that genetics plays a role in some of the instances. While the disease’s effects and prognosis (predicted outcome) may vary considerably, proper diagnosis and treatment can decrease the chance that a cat with HCM will experience certain symptoms and can improve his or her quality of life.

So what is Nocoatkitty doing to prevent HCM in their linage?

There is a lot of misinformation out there about HCM in regards to the sphynx. We see people talking on social media groups blaming a specific breeder, a specific line etc, everyone thinks they are an expert. HCM DOES NOT KNOW GOOD BREEDER FROM BAD BREEDER. And here is the problem.. just because a line may produce an HCM kitten or 2 in its lifetime, that does not mean the line is polluted with HCM and it will continue to keep producing kittens with heart disease. 15% of cats of all breeds will develop HCM. It is more detrimental to the breed eliminating lines too quickly as the sphynx still has a very small gene pool. HCM is also not always genetic. So following lines is HUGE! I believe following lines is just as important as scanning. Though we scan every cat in the program every year, and most of our retired cats every 2 years, following lines is just as important because a lot of cats scan HCM negative but can still produce HCM positive cats. Its important to have wonderful relationships with our buyers so we can follow the health of our kittens for years to come.

Nocoatkitty has been breeding sphynx for close to 20 years, I have seen it all. A lot of our program has come from outcrossing and making our own bloodlines. Sadly there is NO HCM FREE CATTERY. Heart disease is the #1 killer of all mammals. Though eliminating HCM is a wish we all have as breeders, its just not realistic. HCM is a disease effecting all cat breeds not just sphynx. It comes down to how we deal with HCM when a situation arises in our catteries. At Nocoatkitty we have no problem removing a questionable cat from the breeding program for any reason, I started this cattery to better the breed and the last thing we want is a life cut short that we could have maybe prevented, but we are also very honest with our potential buyers that there is only so much that can actually be done to lessen HCM until we have a legitimate DNA test. Its important to scan your pets every 2 years and also understand that HCM is NOT a death sentence, some cats can live a full life with it as it does not always progress.

THIS IS A GREAT ARTICLE ON HCM

We are very active on social media, I started a Facebook page that discusses a lot of great sphynx topics including HCM. We can all learn a lot from each other. I think being open and honest and discussing topics like this is key to really improving our breed!