Pierre: A Tail with a happy ending
Pierre has finally found his forever family and yesterday saw the vet for his final healthcheck prior to adoption.
Due to catastrophic breeding, whilst with us Pierre had to have specialist surgery to enable him to breathe easier.
Before Pierre was adopted we discussed with the new owner the complications persians often face.
These include :
- Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) – a condition where cysts, present in the kidneys from birth, gradually increase in size until the kidney cannot function normally, resulting in kidney failure. A genetic test is available for this disease.
- Progressive retinal atrophy – a genetic eye problem which causes progressive blindness. Genetic tests are available to check for the disease.
- Hip dysplasia – an abnormality of the hip joints. It causes lameness in the hind legs and can make walking difficult. Cats with hip dysplasia are more likely to get osteoarthritis.
- Brachycephalic airway syndrome – Because of their short, flatter face, Persian cats struggle to breathe properly. Many get short of breath quickly and suffer from inflammation and swelling in their airways. Brachycephalic airway syndrome is common in these cats – this is where affected cats have difficulty breathing due to a very narrow external opening of the nose (stenotic nares), narrow nasal passages or nasopharynx, and/or due to a relatively long soft palate – in some cases the breathing difficulties can be severe
- Primary seborrhoea – causes scaling and greasy skin which can affect the whole body.
- Dermatophytosis (ringworm) – Persian cats are very susceptible to this fungal condition, which causes itching, fur loss and crusting and scaling of the skin. It can be transmitted to people.
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy – a condition where the volume of blood that the heart pumps with each contraction is reduced. This can cause fainting, tiredness and other signs of heart disease.
- Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) – this infectious condition is usually fatal. Persian cats are more likely to develop this than non-pedigree cats.
- Cryptorchidism – one or both of the testicles stays in the body rather than descending into the scrotum. This makes the testicle(s) more likely to develop cancer.
- Coat care – Persians’ coats are prone to matts and tangles so they need to be combed daily to prevent knots – getting them used to grooming at an early age means you will be able to groom them easily throughout their lives.
We really hope that Pierre isnt inflicted with many complications throughout his life.
