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The Persian cat is one of the oldest and most desirable breeds known. Due to its peculiar physical constitution the Persian cat suffers from some recurring problems which we will inform you about in this article. By this we do not mean that Persian cats are sick, because if they are provided with all the needs that their morphology needs, they usually have no problems.
In this article by PeritoAnimal we will show you the most common diseases of the Persian Cat, to learn how to prevent them.
Make a note of them all and don't forget to make regular appointments with the vet to make sure your cat's health is in perfect condition.
Trichobezoar
Persian cats are the feline breed whose fur is longer and denser. Therefore, cats are more likely to suffer from trichobezoar than other shorter-haired cats.
Trichobezoars are balls of hair that form in the cat's stomach and digestive tract. Cats usually regurgitate their hairballs, but sometimes they accumulate in the stomach. When this happens, cats are very ill and can even have serious consequences for the feline's health. The veterinarian must intervene as soon as possible to resolve the problem.
To prevent trichobezoars should brush the persian cat daily, thus eliminating the hair of death. You should give him cat malt, or pharmaceutical paraffin oil to get the trichobezoars evacuated.
polycystic kidney
Persian cats are a race prone to suffer from this disease, which consists of the development of cysts in the renal area, which, if left untreated, grow and multiply. It is estimated that around 38% of Persian cats suffer from this inherited disease.
For this reason, Persian cats must do annual ultrasounds from the first 12 months of life. If you see that you have kidney cysts, your veterinarian will advise you to treat them.
If no monitoring is done, affected Persian cats often suddenly collapse at 7-8 years of age, dying as a result of kidney problems.
Breathing problems
If you look at the face of the Persian cat, one of the things that immediately catches your attention is its big and flat eyes. Both characteristics sometimes cause side effects to the feline's health.
The fact that the muzzle is so little pronounced makes its nasal passage very short and it is more sensitive to cold, heat, humidity or dry environment. Which affects the efficiency of your breathing. For this reason, Persian cats are not as active as other breeds, whose breathing is more efficient and allows them to better oxygenate their blood.
Heart problems
A consequence of lack of correct breathing is that sooner or later this circumstance translates into heart problems. Obese Persian cats are more likely to suffer from these diseases mentioned.
A proven curiosity is that less than 10% of Persian cats suffer from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In this anomaly, the left chamber of the heart muscle develops more, which can lead to the cat's sudden death. The curious thing is that this disease affects practically only male cats, females being very far from this disease.
eye problems
The special shape of the Persian cat's eyes can also cause problems. Next, we'll explain the most important ones:
- congenital ankyloblepharon. This inherited anomaly usually occurs in the Persian blue cat. Consist of joining through a membrane between the upper and lower eyelid.
- congenital epiphora. It consists of excessive tearing of the tear duct, which results in the oxidation of hair in the ocular area and infection by bacteria or fungi in the affected area. There are specific medications to reduce this anomaly. It's an inherited disease.
- entropion. This is when the feline's eyelashes rub and irritate the cornea as a result of the inversion of the lid margin. Causes excessive tearing, causing the cat to have the cats half-open and corneal vascularization that causes ulcerations. Must be treated surgically.
- primary glaucoma. It consists of excessive blood pressure in the eye, the effect of which is opacity and loss of vision. It must be treated with surgery.
common problems
There are some common problems among Persian cats, so it's a good idea to know about them.
- Oculocutaneous albinism. It is an autosomal recessive characteristic that causes a mild kind of albinism that affects the cat's fur, becoming lighter than normal. Where the effects of this anomaly are most evident is that the cat suffers from photophobia and is more sensitive to infections. The veterinarian must treat the symptoms.
- Skinfold dermatitis. It refers to irritation of the cat's facial folds as a consequence of excessive tearing.
- oily seborrhea. The symptoms the veterinarian should treat are a flaky, oily skin.
- patellar dislocation. It causes lameness and prevents the cat from jumping without hesitation.
- hip dysplasia. This is when the joint between the head of the femur and the hip joint fails. Causes lameness, the cat stops jumping and has pain when moving.
- kidney stones. Kidney stones that must be removed with surgery. 80% of obese Persian cats suffer from this disease.
Have you recently adopted a cat of this breed? See our article on names for Persian cats.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.