Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pathological bleeding problems in Maine Coon cats explained
By O'Halloran, Conor et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2020·Hospital for Small Animals, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Investigation of pathological haemorrhage in Maine Coon cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A Maine Coon cat with bleeding issues was found to have a hereditary condition that affects blood clotting. This condition, called dysfibrinogenaemia, was also present in the cat's healthy siblings, indicating it could be passed down in the family. Blood tests showed that these cats had lower levels of fibrinogen, a protein important for blood clotting, which could lead to problems during surgery. It's important for veterinarians to check the clotting ability of Maine Coons before any elective surgeries to prevent complications.
People also search for: Maine Coon cat bleeding problems · cat surgery risks · hereditary blood clotting issues in cats
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Afibrinogenaemic haemorrhage was previously reported in a Maine Coon cat. Two littermates subsequently died from surgical non-haemostasis, suggesting a hereditable coagulopathy. METHODS: We prospectively recruited cats which were: a) Maine Coons with pathological haemorrhage (group 1, n=8), b) healthy familial relatives of group 1 (group 2, n=13) and c) healthy Maine Coons unrelated to groups 1 and 2 (group 3, n=12). Coagulation tests: prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time and thrombin clotting time (TCT) were performed on citrated plasma along with quantification of fibrinogen. Routine haematological examination was performed on EDTA-anticoagulated blood collected contemporaneously. RESULTS: Thirty-three blood samples were analysed. Fibrinogen concentrations were significantly reduced in groups 1 (P<0.01) and 2 (P<0.01) compared with group 3. Similarly, TCT was found to be significantly extended in group 1 (P<0.01) and group 2 (P=0.02) with respect to group 3. CONCLUSIONS: Dysfibrinogenaemia was identified in clinical cases and their healthy relatives, suggesting that this may represent a hereditary condition of Maine Coon cats. Clinicians should be aware of the increased potential for non-haemostasis in this cat breed and consider assessing clotting function before (elective) surgery.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32826346/