Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Male cat with hemophilia A causing intermittent lameness
By Beetz, Sabine et al.·Published in Tierarztliche Praxis. Ausgabe K, Kleintiere/Heimtiere·2024·Klein- und Heimtierklinik, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: [Hemophilia A in a male cat with intermittent lameness].
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 3-month-old male domestic shorthair cat was brought in for intermittent lameness in his right front leg, along with fever and loss of appetite. Despite treatment with a common pain medication, his symptoms persisted, and tests showed he had a bleeding disorder called hemophilia A, which is caused by a deficiency in a blood clotting factor. The cat was treated with medications to manage his pain and bleeding, and after a few years, he showed very few signs of bleeding issues. He has been living a normal life since then, with only minor bleeding during a routine procedure.
People also search for: cat lameness treatment · hemophilia A in cats · cat bleeding disorder symptoms · domestic shorthair cat health issues
Abstract
A 3-month-old domestic shorthair tomcat born on a farm was unsuccessfully treated with meloxicam for alternating lameness, fever and inappetence. On presentation, there was lameness (grade 2/4) of the right forelimb with mild swelling of the soft tissue. Rectal temperature was 39.9°C, a moderate anemia developed. Inadequate bleeding occurred during arthrocentesis performed on suspicion of polyarthritis. Coagulation tests revealed an isolated prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). Activity of factor VIII was 5% (reference range: 70-125%), of factor IX 55% (80-130%), and of factor XII 73% (50-140%).In a genetic study, exons and adjacent intron sequences of the feline F8-gene were sequenced and compared with the reference (ENSFCAT000078256.1). While no non-synonymous variants were found in coding sequences, intron 19 revealed the variant c.6073+2 T>C. This variant likely results in splice site alteration, atypical splicing, and thus an altered mRNA for FVIII.The patient was treated symptomatically (metamizole, buprenorphine, tranexamic acid) and clinical signs improved. Chemical castration with a GnRH implant was performed at 8 and 18 months of age, whereby minor bleeding at the implantation site occurred after the second implantation. After 3.5 years, the cat lives nearly without clinical signs of bleeding.aPTT prolongation with normal PT indicated a factor deficiency. Determination of factor activity led to the diagnosis of hemophilia A. Genetic testing detected a splice variant in the F8-gene.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39447565/