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Read this before giving Librela or Solensia to Maine Coons with hip dysplasia

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Both of Librela and Solensia are solutions for injection to be given subcutaneously (under the skin) for cats or dogs. They are used to alleviate pain caused by arthritis.  However, a business concerned with canine rehab and hydrotherapy say that pain relief and supplements for dogs suffering from hip dysplasia can be given Librela which is injected into the mouth. The drug is effective in reducing pain caused by hip dysplasia.  Arthritis and hip dysplasia are similar in that they both affect the joint and both can and do cause pain depending on their severity. Don't authorise your vet to use this on your Maine Coon suffering from hip dysplasia until you are completely satisfied that it is safe and will not cause severe side effects. Image: DALLE. This is a fictional image. Maine Coons are well-known to suffer from hip dysplasia. The Maine Coon is synonymous with hip dysplasia (HD). Now for the last piece in the jigsaw. Another website (Yahoo Finance) tells us that the manufac...
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Maine Coon has diarrhea? Possible cause is a Trichomoniasis foetus infection (treatment explained)

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Image: MikeB This is a post that may help a Maine Coon cat owner whose cat is suffering from bad diarrhoea and the vet has been unable to get to the bottom of it. In the title I have referred to a  Trichomoniasis foetus infection . First point: it seems that there are four acceptable spellings! These are the other three as I understand it: Trichomonosis Tritrichomonas Trichomonas I have mentioned this for the sake of clarity. So what is this infection? It is a protozoan parasitic infection of the bowel causing colitis - a large bowel parasitic infection. Fortunately I have found a case study of this disease affecting a Maine Coon.  RELATED:  Characteristics of feline diarrhoea, likely cause and locatio n Case study This is a case study of a two-year-old, 4.2 kg, spayed female Maine Coon. The cat was the subject of a scientific study. She suffered from the aforesaid parasitic infection together with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Perhaps the two go together, one causing...
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Ramipril an ACE inhibitor does not benefit Maine Coons with HCM without congestive heart failure

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Maine Coon photo copyright Helmi Flick. This is very much a 'normal' Maine Coon not bred to extreme. Introduction I am not a veterinarian I am good at research I am good at understanding medical/scientific studies I can summarise them into plain English --------------------- Ramipril is an ACE inhibitor. ACE stands for "Angiotensin-converting enzyme". ACE inhibitors such as Ramipril are medications that help relax the veins and arteries to lower blood pressure.  Key point: ACE inhibitors prevent an enzyme in the body from producing angiotensin II, a substance that narrows blood vessels.  Alternative names for Ramipril include: Lopace, Ramipril, Triapin, Triapin Mite, Tritace (British Heart Foundation). The study I am referring to is: The Effect of Ramipril on Left Ventricular Mass, Myocardial Fibrosis, Diastolic Function, and Plasma Neurohormones in Maine Coon Cats with Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy without Heart Failure. Link to study abstract:  https://doi.o...
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Is hip dysplasia in Maine Coon cats painful?

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The question in the title is important for Maine Coon owners because this condition is present in about 30% of cats of this breed at various stages of their lives. It needs to be managed by their owner and the options are limited in respect of preventing or treating feline hip dysplasia. The Cornell Feline Health Center tells us that this inherited condition is, indeed, painful . For example, it causes the avoidance of physical activity. The reason why is because it is painful to engage in these activities. If the hip is touched by their owner, the cat may give a clear indication that it is painful. A Maine Coon cat might persistently lick or chew at the hip area. Another sure sign that the area is painful. That answers the question. Why painful? The pain emanates from bone-on-bone contact. This occurs because the cat inherits a malformation of the ball-and-socket joint which connects the cat's thigh bone (femur) to its hip. The socket (acetabulum) is in the hip and the top of the ...
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How do I know if my Maine Coon has hip dysplasia (HD)?

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We know that hip dysplasia (HD) is pretty common in Maine Coon cats, regrettably . It should be something that Maine Coon cat owners are fully aware of, and I am sure that most of them are. I think that it should worry people who want to adopt a Maine Coon cat. It means that you are adopting a cat that is liable to end up disabled requiring special treatment and perhaps veterinary care. Anyway, that is another topic.  Although the breeders should do more about this as a matter urgency, but it appears to be accepted by the cat fancy which if true is remiss of them. Breeders would normally take steps such as eliminating cats with HD from the breeding programme but clearly this is not happening enough. Perhaps pet health insurance is appropriate , but the problem will be the high premiums because this is a known congenital condition.  Remember, too, that hip dysplasia is more common and worse in larger Maine Coons . It is a trade-off for the impressive stature of these huge cats....
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Mavacamten is slated as a possible new drug for HCM in Maine Coon cats

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We know that about 30% of Maine Coon cats have a genetic mutation which makes it likely that they will develop hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a thickening of the muscle walls of the heart. It leads to heart failure and other complications. It is an inherited disease in Maine Coon cats, one of several. It is a shame that this highly popular cat breed, which is increasing in popularity, has the stain of inherited diseases against its reputation. RELATED:  Gene mutation troponin-T (TNNT2) implicated in HCM in Maine Coon cats . HCM in cats. Note thickening of heart muscle and decrease in lumen size of the ventricle. Gif: CVCA. Mavacamten (MYK-461) is a drug which is about to emerge as a treatment for HCM in humans. In 2020 MyoKardia was purchased by Bristol-Myers Squib for $13.1billion. The price was based in part on this new drug which has been shown to improve heart function in 37% of humans suffering from HCM compared to 17% who improved taking a placebo. In 2014 MyoKardia with ...
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The extreme Maine Coon face

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This is an example of extreme breeding. This is a Maine Coon but this cat is an extreme and rare example of this breed. This is not the way they look normally. This face is almost like an aggressive robot with the piercing eyes and the huge muzzle.  Or like a lion's head. The head looks enormous and very heavy. It looks unreal. But it also looks very impressive.  And purchasers like impressive-looking domestic cats. But this not the face of a Maine Coon that wins cat show competitions as it does not fit the breed standard as accurately as the more moderate winners (see below).  In fact, the CFA standard is clear in that the cat should have a balanced appearance although this cat was not bred under the CFA breed standard as I understand it (see below).  Click here for more on the kind of MC which wins at shows . Maine Coon selectively breed to have an extreme face. Image in the public domain. And the Maine Coon is meant to be a large cat, the largest domestic cat b...
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Maine Coon Size - this is a huge one!

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  Enormous Maine Coon with a head bigger than the person holding him. Pic: in public domain. Maine Coon size is very important to both breeders of this cat and the public. I sometimes think that the public is more obsessed with Maine Coon size than the breeders are. The bigger the Maine Coon the better. There is a fascination about it and I confess that there is nothing much more impressive than a huge Maine Coon. They've been bred like this through selective breeding but please remember that they weren't always like this. The original Maine Coons were regular farm cats in the state of Maine in 19th-century and before. They were robust, rugged, medium-longhaired moggy cats but impressive nonetheless. Their impressiveness led to breeders deciding to breed them which in turn led to the breed being accepted by the cat associations and then to win cat shows and become perhaps one of the most famous breeds in the world. The breed standard for the Maine Coon as provided by e.g. Cat F...
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No part of a Maine Coon cat should be exaggerated

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It is interesting to read that the premier cat association, the CFA (Cat Fanciers' Association) - the cat association which really dictates (with TICA) how Maine Coons should look - makes it clear that no part of the cat should be exaggerated, and the cat should be "well-proportioned and balanced".  In other words, any form of extreme appearance such as a particularly heavy muzzle or particularly large ears with extra-long lynx tips are not going to be seen as advantageous in terms of winning cat shows or in terms of having an ideal appearance. As soon as I read that no part of a Maine Coon should be exaggerated, I immediately thought of the extremely large, extreme-bred Maine Coon cats that often come from Russia. These cats have very heavy muzzles.  Lion-faced Maine Coon with exaggerated features. Image in public domain now. In fact, their heads look like the heads of lions. I get the impression that breeders have selectively bred their cats over years to look like male...
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Comparison of a black smoke Maine Coon at 6 weeks and 6-years-of-age

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This is a cross-post as the image is so damned good. It is amazing because the cat is amazing. To put the same cat at different stages of their life in the same photograph is a nice idea especially with this Maine Coon (MC) who has an amazingly heavy face. It is so mightily masculine to be almost unbelievable. He has a priceless expression on his face too. Very serious compared to the innocence of his face when he was 6 weeks old. He looks a bit coy when 6 weeks old and a slightly grumpy middle-aged man when 6 years old. Comparison of a black smoke Maine Coon at 6-weeks and 6-years-of-age. Image in pubic domain. No doubt he is huge too. You get a clear sense of that in the image. There is a serious and less impressive side to this image. It's the backstory that people don't really want to read about and discuss or in fact do anything about: heart ( HCM ) and joint disease. The bigger and heavier the MCs are the more predisposed to heart disease they are. Here is the posts on...
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Eerie picture of a Maine Coon sitting like a human on a chest of drawers

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This is a slightly scary picture according to those who've seen it. One social media user said it was the devil and "If I walked into a room and saw that, I would assume some shit is about to go down". There is a ghostly stillness and sinister feeling about the image. 'Eerie' is a better description. This attractive cat appears to be completely at ease and comfortable sitting on top of a chest of bedroom drawers. The lighting from below (deliberate?) enhances the eerie effect. It seems possible that this is a photo-edited image but if so, it has been done with great skill. However, I don't think this is Photoshopped. Rethink: to be honest, the more I look at the picture, the more I feel that this is a photo-edited image. It is just too unnatural to be real. Although some domestic cats get themselves into some very strange positions. Maine Coon calmly sitting just like a human on a chest of drawers. Picture source unclear. Image deemed to be in the public d...
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Difference between Maine Coon and domestic long hair

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The difference between a Maine Coon cat and a domestic longhaired cat comes down to the fact that the former has been artificially bred (selective breeding) whereas the latter has usually procreated according to natural selection. Natural selection is random breeding and therefore the domestic longhair is a random-bred cat whereas, selective breeding produces a purebred, pedigree cat registered with a cat association.  Difference between Maine Coon and domestic long hair. Infographic by MikeB. And because each individual Maine Coon cat is registered with a cat association, if they are in genuine Maine Coon, their appearance should comply with the association's breed standard . The breed standard tells breeders what their Maine Coon cats should look like in order that they can win cat show competitions if they want to enter their cat into these competitions. And so, as the appearance of Maine Coon cats is moulded to the guidance of a breed standard (see a section below from the...
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Black smoke Maine Coon Richie with a black face and diamond eyes

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Black smoke Maine Coon Richie with a black face and diamond eyes. Photo: Instagram. OMG, this is a Maine Coon with an amazing face. His full name is "Richie du Mont d’Even". I think he has a black smoke coat which has created this black face with the assistance of other genes (polygenetic influence?) and ears with piercing, diamond eyes. This is a very special cat. Richie looked very interesting but relatively plain as a kitten. Image: Instagram. His paws are balls of fluff. He has a mane that goes over his head like a halo. He's angelic and other-worldly. The lynx tips on the end of his ears are smoky grey which makes them stand out. They are a bit like the opposite to the black lynx tips of the wild caracal.  He lives in France with his human: Adriana Piraino. He was born on 7th November 2020. He is still very young. They say Maine Coons reach adulthood at around the age of 4. He is going to be enormous as well. Richie with Adriana. Photo: Instagram Richie was bred b...
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Tortoiseshell Maine Coon with split-face

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Maine Coon with "split face". Photo: Screenshot. This is a very impressive Maine Coon. As you can see she is a tortoiseshell and as you probably know almost all tortoiseshell and calico cats are female. There are a few male tortoiseshell cats (and this might be one of them). Their sex is caused by a genetic aberration because the genetics of tortoiseshell cats dictates that they are almost always female. About one in 3000 are male as I recall. Also, it is not that unusual to see this extreme pattern on the face which creates the appearance of a "split-face". This is not what is called a "chimera" but a normal variation of the tortoiseshell pattern. Sometimes you do see what some people call "two-faced" cats with this sort of face due to a sharply defined pattern down the middle of the face. But the genetics behind that is different to this normal tortoiseshell variation. This is a particularly extraordinary looking Maine Coon cat. Not all Maine C...
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2 top Russian Maine Coon cat breeders which ship internationally

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I am writing this from the West; specifically, near London, UK. There will be quite a few people living in the West who'd like to adopt a Maine Coon cat and they would like to adopt one from a Russian breeder because they do have a certain style.  I sense, although I don't have hard evidence to support this feeling, that the top Russian breeders of Maine Coon cats might be superior to breeders from other countries.  I am putting aside Putin's invasion of Ukraine when writing this article. Some people might object to dealing in anyway with a Russian business on account of that barbaric and illegal invasion. We should remember that Russia has quite a strong cat fancy. They like their cats and they love their purebred cats particularly the Maine Coon. It is in fact a cat breed which is quite naturally suited to the Russian way of life and climate. There's lots of space in Russia with a relatively low population and therefore there are going to be houses with large grounds ...
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Average lifespan of Maine Coon cat

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How long do Maine Coon cats live for? What's the average lifespan? Do they live shorter lives than the average random-bred family cat? These are difficult questions to answer accurately. In fact, I don't think we can answer them accurately because nobody has been counting. Nobody has a database or carried out a full-blown survey and therefore you will read anecdotal evidence i.e. statements by breeders or people who think they know the answer and these answers get repeated on the Internet. I am not sure that they are accurate. Picture of a Maine Coon who looks like a middle-aged man. Photo: Pinterest. My research indicates that people believe that Maine Coon cats live between about 10 and 15 years old. Some may live longer than that and some may live shorter lives. One well-known Maine Coon, Rubble, lived for 31 years and was at one time the oldest domestic cat in the world. But there will always be exceptions and this article is about the mean or the average although these ...
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