Your Maine Coon Guide

Aficamten for the treatment of HCM in the Maine Coon and other cats. Image: MikeB A study - referred to at the end of the article - concludes with the words below in testing a new drug called aficamten  for the treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in cats of which the Maine Coon is perhaps the best known cat breed to suffer from this inherited disease. "A single dose of aficamten significantly decreased LV systolic function and improved LVOTO, both of which are harmful aspects of this disease process that contribute to the pathogenesis." The sentence above describes the effects of this medication called aficamten on a condition that causes abnormal function in the left ventricle of the heart which is how HCM is manifested in cats and people. The left ventricle becomes enlarged and malfunctions. Here's a breakdown: A single dose of aficamten significantly decreased LV systolic function: Aficamten reduces the pumping ability of the left ventricle (LV) to a noticea...

Maine Coon with Dali whiskers If your veterinarian diagnoses your Maine Coon with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), the next steps typically involve the steps below. This information comes from veterinarian websites such as Langford Vets and UC Davis. Genetic Testing : To confirm the presence of the mutation associated with HCM in Maine Coons, a genetic test may be recommended . Management and Monitoring : There is no cure for HCM, but treatments can help improve your cat’s quality of life. This usually includes medication to control symptoms and prevent disease progression. Regular follow-ups with echocardiograms to monitor heart function are also important Lifestyle Adjustments : Depending on the severity, your vet might suggest changes in diet or activity levels to reduce stress on the heart. Breeding Advice : If your Maine Coon is part of a breeding program, it’s recommended to remove them from it to prevent passing on the gene. It’s essential to work closely with your vet to est...

Maine Coon cat caregivers who are really switched on and concerned about their cat's health might want to know a little bit more about diabetes mellitus which can affect domestic cats including the Maine Coon cat. It is not a disease which is directly inherited but which is the result of a lifestyle in much the same way that it affects humans. It is rare. Dry cat food Notwithstanding that statement, some cats are probably genetically predisposed to getting Type II diabetes. One well-known veterinarian who wrote a book called YOUR CAT, Elizabeth M Hodgkins DVM, believe that being overweight in cat is not a cause of diabetes mellitus. She argues that a cat contracting Type II diabetes and being overweight has a common cause; a root cause. And that cause, she believes, is dry cat food which is high in carbohydrates. She believes cats on dry cat food are predispose to hypoglycaemia and she has treated diabetic cats with wet cat food and nothing else and they have entered into remission...

NEWS AND COMMENT: This comes from the UK, specifically the town of Exning, Suffolk. A lady who lives there, Julie Boucher, has a beautiful tabby Maine Coon cat called Kanji. He weighs 7.5 kg which is about 16 pounds. Kanji. Photo: Julie Boucher One day he became seriously unwell. It said that he "managed to return home". This clearly implies that he was allowed outside to roam around freely, unsupervised. That's okay if you are okay with it but some people would disagree with allowing a large Maine Coon cat outside unsupervised and it's been proved true in this instance. As mentioned Kanji became mysteriously ill. They checked him and couldn't find anything wrong with him. Boucher took him to the vet who checked him over and they couldn't find anything wrong with him either. A few days later he was more poorly and Boucher thought that he might be dying. She rushed back to the veterinarian who re-inspected him and decided to operate and they found a pellet insi...

I have been digging around Google Scholar studies as I like to do sometimes! I was looking for some more information about Maine Coon cats and bumped into a study published on August 21, 2020 which investigated an inherited disease which results in an increased tendency to bleed.  The disease is called 'dysfibrinogenaemia' and it causes 'afibrinogenaemic haemorrhage', which had been previously reported in a Maine Coon cat. The scientists in this study concluded that:  "Dysfibrinogenaemia was identified in clinical cases and their healthy relatives, suggesting that this may represent a hereditary condition of Maine Coon cats. Clinicians should be aware of the increased potential for non-haemostasis in this cat breed and consider assessing clotting function before (elective) surgery." My interpretation of that statement is that some Maine Coon cats might inherit this disease which can cause increased bleeding which, in turn, would interest Maine Coon cat breeder...

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...

Lexie. Picture: Express. I've written about slipped capital femoral epiphysis before and about its prevalence in the Maine Coon cat breed and you can read those articles by clicking on links below if you wish. Interestingly I bumped into a recent article online on the Express newspaper online in which a veterinarian accepted a female Maine Coon cat patient with bilateral slipped capital femoral epiphysis and he said that it was the first time he had seen a female patient with that disease affecting both hind limbs in 30 years of being a veterinarian. Obviously it's a very rare condition when it's bilateral and it concerns the female Maine Coon. Maine Coons are 12 times more likely to develop "slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) How prevalent is slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) in Maine Coon cats ? The owner was unaware of what the health problem might have been. As it happens, the cat's owner and the cats became part of a Channel 4 television programme...

Maine Coon breeders can take several steps to minimise the incidence of inherited diseases such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), hip dysplasia and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). In my view, the quality of a Maine Coon cat breeder depends on how energetically they adopt the following strategies which I don't claim is a complete list. As a purchaser of a Maine Coon kitten I'd ask some pertinent questions when meeting the breeder as to how they deal with these aspects of their operation. Genetic testing: the competent and committed Maine Coon breeder will engage in genetic testing. They will in fact prioritise it to identify carriers of specific diseases. They want to know if there foundation cats are free of inherited diseases. If they carry the genetic mutations which create these diseases. And there are DNA tests available for the three diseases mentioned above. These are the major inherited diseases. Breeders will select breeding pairs that are free from these genetic mu...

Perhaps like almost everybody else, I struggle with checking my cat's gums at the rear of his mouth. In fact, I've never actually done it specifically to check that area. I have noticed the health of his mouth in general terms because I can see inside his mouth from time to time particularly when he yawns but that's a cursory glance and it's not that accurate. Checking a cat's gums at the back. Image: The Veterinary Nurse. Link to The Veterinary Nurse website . How to perform a conscious all examination of a cat and what to look for. What they mean is that the cat is conscious and not under a general anaesthetic. We know that domestic cats including Maine Coon cats will eventually have oral health problems. Calculus and plaque builds up on the borderline between gums and teeth. This is a mixture of food waste and bacteria and it causes gum inflammation which is also called gingivitis. And gum disease is called periodontal disease. How do we, as cat owners, get to ch...

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...

Pretty Maine Coon with lion cut. Image in the public domain. Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General said this about global warming: "The only surprise is the speed of the change. Climate change is here. It is terrifying. And it is just the beginning. The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived." Relative to America, air conditioning is quite unusual in most of Europe. The Washington Post recently reported that only 20% of European homes have air conditioning, and it's rare to find it in schools or offices. I've argued that in some American states such as Texas it would be unfair to have a Maine Coon as it'd be too hot . There are many Maine Coon cats in Europe. And further, July is "virtually certain" to be the hottest month on record globally by a significant margin, the United Nations and a European science agency have said. July's first 23 days averaged a record 16.95°C globally. You might have read about the wil...

Maine Coon was breathing heavily one day and he was euthanised the next due to sudden sign of heart disease. Maine Coon was put down one day after the first signs of heart disease emerged. Image: Instagram account of northstarvintage. RELATED ARTICLE: Mavacamten is slated as a possible new drug for HCM in Maine Coon cats  - always seek vet advice about these sorts of stories. This story on Instagram shocked me a little. I and many others know that Maine Coons are predisposed to heart disease through inheritance. It is part of the breed sadly. It should not be. It is down to bad breeding. Anyway, a Maine Coon owner posted a glorious picture of their ever so shaggy Maine Coon (never seen a Maine Coon so shaggy) with the following poignant words: Yesterday we learned the hard way that Maine Coon Cats are prone to heart disease. Junior started breathing heavily and what I thought would be a quick and easy trip to the vet became a heartbreaking afternoon as his chest was filled with flu...

This is 'Floyd' a Heckin' Chonker Maine Coon cat at Alicia Pet Care Center. Image: screenshot. This is 'Floyd' a Heckin' Chonker Maine Coon cat at Alicia Pet Care Center. The funny phrase 'Heckin Chonker' was made up by someone at the vet clinic I believe. That's where the video comes from. Floyd weighs 28 pounds. He looks a little bit overweight which is why they described him as a Heckin' Chonker!  Above is a screenshot from the video which emphasis his enormous size. It is fun to see a domestic cat this big at the vets. It must be like treating a medium-sized dog.  One important point to make is that all the large Maine Coons I've seen in videos have behaved impeccably when handled. Not a murmur of dissent from them. They seem to accept it all and take it in their stride. We don't know why Floyd is at the vet but it is possibly to do with his hip joints but I am guessing as he might be entirely fit and well.  RELATED: Why do Maine C...

NEWS AND VIEWS - ENGLAND: The title is bad enough but, on my judgement, the kitten wasn't a Maine Coon in any case. This was a multi-scam: a very unhealthy kitten was sold to a woman who bought her for her autistic 10-year-old son, Bryn Stutley, and the kitten was not a Maine Coon cat as described by the scammy seller. Note : this is a good instructional story for would be Maine Coon adopters. A very important lesson actually. The scammers are a former police officer, Amy Byrne and Harry Angell. I feel compelled to make a comment. It is ironic that the scammer is a former police officer. That tells me that the police service in the UK is employing the wrong sort of applicants to be police officers. In fact, this has been admitted by the Metropolitan Police chief but that is another topic. The kitten was named Lokie by the purchaser who is Yolanda, 45. She bought the kitten from a seller called 'Semeena' as reported by the Mail Online.  The seller assured Yolanda that the ki...

Depending on whether the operation is bilateral (both hips), the exact nature of the operation and the quality of the veterinary surgeon, surgery to rectify hip dysplasia (both hips replaced) may cost upwards of around $20,000. Lesser operations in the in US costing $1,500 to $3,000 per hip is the norm As I understand it, the alternative to a surgical treatment for advanced hip dysplasia is a lifetime of pain-relieving medications and supplements which has a way of adding up financially. Maine Coon hip replacement surgery is very expensive. Image: MikeB Pet insurance was discussed in The Sunday Times today. The authors mention the £24,000 cost of a full hip replacement for a dog in the UK. This is not dissimilar to the cost of the same operation on humans. You'll definitely need health insurance for that  unless you are very well off. Or a second mortgage on your house. You know why I have mentioned the exorbitant cost of pet hip replacement. It's because a lot big dogs and b...

You might have bumped into Ben the Vet on the internet . He is on TikTok giving his opinion as a British veterinarian about dogs and cats. The advice he gives is, of course, based on the knowledge he has gained as a veterinarian. He sees cats and dogs from a health perspective first and foremost. He also has his own non-medical preferences. My attitude on cats and dogs mirrors Ben's attitude. It is as if he is speaking for me. Of course, I am pleased about that. He stresses that they are his personal views. However, they are worth listening to because he is a very sensible person firstly and secondly the health of a dog or cat breed or random-bred cat is the most important criteria for choosing a pet. The next most important thing is behavior (character) and thirdly appearance. This is the exact reverse order of what actually happens for real. Never mind. The video explains the reason why he'd adopt a moggie - a random-bred or mixed-breed - cat. This means by implication he wo...

Social media users are asking the question how to keep their Maine Coon clean? And what they are referring to is not keeping the whole cat clean because they can do that for themselves by and large. What they are referring to is poop stuck to their cat's backside. This appears to be a problem with Maine Coon cats. It is certainly not uncommon . There are several things that can be tried to alleviate if not eliminate the problem. Please read on. There are some useful links to information about litter trays/boxes and substrate which may help. This Maine Coon has difficulty in keeping his butt clean. Image: Reddit.com. The owner asks how he/she can keep him/her clean. Interesting aspect of the question Normally domestic cats are fastidious about keeping themselves clean including their bottoms. If they can't it can only be because the problem overwhelms them and they need intervention. Initial question It seems to me that you have to ask yourself an initial question. It is my Main...

Maine Coon cats and arthritis. Image: MikeB One website dedicated to the Maine Coon cat tells us that the breed can be affected by the following forms of arthritis based on vet advice: Immune-mediated arthritis  - this is arthritis caused by joint inflammation which in turn has been caused by the cat's immune system going wrong. I will presume that it is an auto-immune disease leading to various symptoms one of which is arthritis. Septic arthritis  - this is arthritis caused by a bacterial infection and the toxins produced by the bacteria which enter the joint cavity via the bloodstream. Osteoarthritis  - this is also known as degenerative joint disease arthritis. Cancerous arthritis  - this apparently is the results of synovial cell sarcomas. These are tumours of the synovial cells in the joint. This is a malignant tumour which can spread to the cat's lungs in 25% of the cases. That looks terribly bad. And it may be painting an overly negative picture of this breed....

Image: MikeB The words of the title come from social media. It is written in the first person. I'll recite the story in the third person. This is a story about a woman who lives with two Maine Coon cats. One is a female tortoiseshell who has 'catitude'. I think you know what I mean by that. Tortoiseshell cats are known to have a certain personality which is independent-minded. They know their own mind and will do their own thing. It is a slightly obstreperous attitude but I think a very nice one as well. And the other Maine Coon cat that this woman lives with is a male. If he gets too close to his female 'friend' (love) she attacks him but he never fights back. He just sits up on his hind legs with his front legs up in the air as if about to box. He is a sweet boy in the long tradition of sweet boy Maine Coons! And I think he loves and accepts her cantankerous personality. He may even like her character. On one occasion the woman was leaving her home to take the fem...

We know that Maine Coon cats are predisposed through inheritance to develop hip dysplasia. It is a major problem with this breed. However, there is another but slightly different hip disease called Perthes disease. It is also called 'Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease'. It is a hereditary disease and it affects humans as well. It affects children.  Maine Coon broke his hip twice in 2 weeks. They are susceptible to Perthes disease. This is the cat. Sad. I hope he improves after surgery. Image: Reddit.com. If the blood supply is cut off to the hip joint which describes what happens in Perthes disease, the head of the femur which goes into the socket of the hip degenerates and the bone dies as does the surrounding cartilage. The joint can't function anymore because of the misshapen femoral head and this is, as mentioned, Perthes disease. Like I said, it is very similar to hip dysplasia. As I understand it, they are to different diseases however but the symptoms are going to be similar...