OCULAR CONDITIONS
Inherited problems in cats - confirmed and suspected |
In general, inherited ophthalmic conditions in cats are uncommon. There have been occasional anecdotal reports of a variety of ocular conditions which may be hereditary, but these are mostly unproven (see other sections). Such conditions include eyelid agenesis (lack of eyelids), entropion (turned-in eyelids), nictitans gland protrusion (protrusion of the third eyelid), dermoid (piece of skin on the corneal), corneal sequestration (dense brown/black material in the usually clear part of the eye), persistent pupillary membrane remnants (tags of tissue in the eye attached to the lens), glaucoma (increased pressure in the eye), cataract (cloudiness of the lens), lens luxation, retinal dysplasia and retinal degeneration. However, recent studies looking at genetic markers for retinal degeneration have shown that some of these genetic defects may actually be common than previously realised. For example, a recent study has shown that up to 33% of North American and European Siamese-related cats also carry the rdAC-PRA gene (see Abyssinian and Somali sections). Siamese-related cats included Siamese, Colourpoint Shorthair, Oriental Shorthair, Balinese, Javanese and Ocicat breeds. Breeders of these breeds should be aware of the distinct possibility of seeing this condition in these breeds. Gene tests are now available for the rdAC-PRA defect, either from UC Davis (USA) or Laboklin (Germany).
Glaze MB (2005). Congenital and hereditary ocular abnormalities in cats. Clinical-Techniques-in-Small-Animal-Practice. 2005; 20(2): 74-82
Narfström K, David V, Jarret O, Beatty J, Barrs V, Wilkie D, O'Brien S, Menotti-Raymond M. Retinal degeneration in the Abyssinian and Somali cat (rdAc): correlation between genotype and phenotype and rdAc allele frequency in two continents. Vet Ophthalmol. 2009;12(5):285-91.
Menotti-Raymond M, David VA, Pflueger S, Roelke ME, Kehler J, O'Brien SJ, Narfström K. Widespread retinal degenerative disease mutation (rdAc) discovered among a large number of popular cat breeds. Vet J. 2009 Sep 9. [Epub ahead of print]
Updated May 2010
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