Nutrition

It is a great concern to me to inform about the nutrition of our cats appropriate for carnivores. In the past years I fed many animals and relied on recommendations of the industry and their nutritionists. Up to two years ago I did not consider that the nutrition of my animals could be inappropriate for carnivores. The occurrence of illnesses with unknown causes, problems with coat structure and digestion led me to concern myself with the nutrition and the food ingredients. I do not wish to pick a quarrel but fact is that cats live of 90% meat and only 10% cereal, fur and bones. Did you ever see that cats in zoos are fed dry food or canned food? I am not only talking about tigers, lions etc, but also small cats are fed with fresh meat, chicks, rabbits. Dry food is comparable to our breakfast cereal. Would you prefer to eat it without any kind of liquid?

Please take the time to study my nutrition plan and the links I recommend.

Our breeding cats are tested on HCM / HD and PKD

Although Maine Coon cats are a robust and natural race they are not completely free of hereditary diseases. Not even the ordinary household pet cat is entirely immune against them. It is my aim to breed with absolutely healthy animals only, so that the race of the Maine Coon remains what it has always been: a robust and resilient natural cat that is not easily beaten. I am of course aware that neither HCM nor PKD-tests are 100% reliable. Nevertheless I have my casts tested annually (apart from HD-screening) with ultrasound without anaesthesia at the university hospital in Zurich. Should one of my cats show symptoms of these diseases it would detected at an early stage and I would be able to react immediately. I could never account for not having done the best possible for the health of my cats and their kittens!

HCM

HCM means "Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy" and is the most common heart disease of cats. It is a heart muscle disease in which the left ventricle and the walls of the left ventricle become abnormally thickened. The size of the left lumen is decreased and therefore obstructs the outflow of blood from the left ventricle to the aorta and finally to the lung. At present the best test-method is the ultrasound (with colour flow doppler) combined with ECG. However you have to be aware that the best and most expensive ultrasound fails unless the examining veterinary is very experienced in using it and so you really need a top-level diagnostician!!

PKD

PKD stands for "Polycystic Kidney Disease" and is an inherited kidney disease that starts with numerous cysts. With age they start growing and therefore enlarge the kidney and reduce its ability to function properly. This disease finally results in kidney failure and is often found with Persian and Exotic cats. But since there are also cases from other races even other animal species known, in my opinion it is wise to have my cats tested on this disease as well. The only possibility to diagnose it is with ultrasound tests and needs experienced personnel and proper equipment. The frequency of the transducer has to be 7.5 to 10 MHz, the higher the frequency, the better details.

The problem with the above tests is that they are not 100% reliable. In case of HCM this means that a cat tested negative at the age of 1.5 years is not definitely free of HCM. It is possible that symptoms appear at an age of 3 years only. Furthermore not every cardiomyopathy is the inherited form of HCM. With PKD it is more or less the same the tests are not 100% reliable as not every kidney cyst necessarily means your cat has PKD. Furthermore the test results “PKD negative” are only valid at the time of the test.

HD

HD means "Hip Dysplasia" and has originally been considered a canine-specific health issue. This disease results from an improper fit of the femoral head into the hip socket. The problem with HD is that animals carrying this gene do not necessarily have to show signs of the disease – it is assumed to be inherited polygenic and therefore only animals with multiple gene pairs responsible for HD will show. The disease can only be diagnosed by radiographing but the veterinary has to examine the animal exactly according to instructions. Due to a lack of experience most veterinaries are not able to interpret the evaluation results correctly they are only able to make a rough diagnosis such as “HD positive” or “definitely HD negative”. So for more information or for a more specific diagnosis there is an organisation in the states the OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals). Radiographs that are sent there will be targeted independently by three different veterinaries and will be rated "Excellent" "Good", "Fair", "Mild", "Moderate" or "Severe". Cats with results beyond “Fair” should not be used for breeding purposes. Please note that the university hospital in Zurich also has a lot of experience in diagnosing HD.

Results are rated according to the following scale:

A: good, no evidence of HD

B: fair, not quite perfect but no HD

C 1: mildest form of HD

C 2: mild form of HD, not recommended for breeding

D: moderate HD, excluded from breeding

E: severe HD, excluded from breeding

Results from animals from the age of 24 months can be considered definite