Maine Coon cats can be predisposed to 'Haemophilia of Maine Coons'

This is another medial article on the Maine Coon. I seem to be getting very proficient on medical topics because the Maine Coon does have a collection of inherited health issues which is disconcerting. The more I research Maine Coon health the more I realise that this popular cat breed could and should be healthier.

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Maine Coon. Image in the public domain.

I was doing some research on whether Maine Coon cats are predisposed to haemophilia. For those who are unsure, haemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder in which the blood does not clot properly. I discovered that Maine Coons are predisposed to a different kind of haemophilia which can affect domestic shorthaired cats. That kind of haemophilia is called haemophilia a and B.

It appears that more work needs to be done on 'Haemophilia of Maine Coons' but it is believed to be an autosomal (meaning not sex linked) inherited condition. In other words, offspring inherit the condition from their parents through their genes. It is unclear whether the mutated gene is recessive or dominant or if it has a more complex pattern of inheritance.

As would be expected, the symptoms include a mild to severe bleeding tendency. This can be seen as haematoma on the body surface or hemarthrosis. The latter is a condition of articular bleeding which is into the joint cavity. The word "haematoma" describes the condition where veins or arteries are damaged and blood escapes and connects outside the blood vessels in a muscle or within soft tissue.

Haemophilia of Maine Coons is, I would guess, pretty rare but it is an inherited disease nonetheless according to my research which includes the website vetlexicon.com.