Bengal Cat Health Issues
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These are the most common health concerns in Bengal cat breeds.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
HCM is the most common cardiac disease in cats. It's a condition where the heart walls thicken and the heart doesn't work as well.
There's no known preventable cause of HCM. In most cases, it's a genetic condition, so it can happen anytime at any age.
Severe symptoms of HCM include lethargy, difficulty breathing, and mouth breathing.
Unfortunately, there's no cure for HCM and in most cases it results in an early death, however if caught soon enough, with daily medication it can result in a long full life for your cat.
Two HCM negative parents can occasionally produce an HCM positive kitten. HCM is something that can show up many years down the road, or it can happen early on in life. Since Bengals are a fairly new breed they haven't been able to develop a blood test to see if they will get HCM as they have with some other breeds.
Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA)
PRA is the deterioration of your cat's retinas. PRA typically happens later in life and starts by affecting your cat's night vision.
When PRA affects your Bengal's night vision, they may be clumsy in dim light, nervous at night, or avoid darkness. PRA causes their eyes to reflect light and their pupils to dilate more.
Cats with PRA tend to go blind after 1 to 2 years. There's currently no prevention or treatment for PRA.
Our cats are all tested for this health problem and cannot produce kittens that are positive for this disease.
Erythrocyte pyruvate kinase deficiency (PK deficiency)
PK deficiency is a genetic condition that causes anemia.
PK deficiency can show up at different ages and in different ways. Symptoms of a PK deficiency and anemia include:
- Lethargy
- Weakness
- Weight loss
- Abdominal enlargement
There's no treatment or cure for PK deficiency.
Our cats are all tested for this health problem and cannot produce kittens that are positive for this disease.
Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions on adopting one of our most beautiful Bengal kittens.
- Pawtopia Bengal Cat Breeder in Ontario, Canada.