Cardiac disorders - in particular prevalence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - in Maine Coon cats

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common heart disease in cats and is of particular importance in Maine Coon cats. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the occurrence of cardiac diseases in general, the prevalence of HCM in particular, and its correlations to age, sex, weight, and heart rate in Maine Coon cats in the German speaking area. One hundred fifty-nine client owned Maine Coon cats undergoing first-time cardiologic examination were recruited prospectively at three centers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland between 2012-2016. One hundred and four of these cats were echocardiographically grouped as healthy (Interventricular Septum (diastolic) - IVSd, Left Ventricular Posterior Wall (diastolic) - LVPWd <5 mm; n = 73), equivocal (IVSd, LVPWd 5-6 mm; n = 9) or HCM-positive (IVSd, LVPWd >= 6 mm, n = 22). Fifty-five of the 159 cats revealed other cardiac disorders and were therefore excluded from the HCM analysis population. A total of 22 cats were HCM-positive (22/104; 21.2 % and 22/159; 13.8 %). Their average age was 7.5 (+/- 1,0; 2.5-13.5) years and 63.6 % were male. Cats diagnosed with HCM did not differ in body weight (5.9 +/- 0.6 kg) or heart rate (189 +/- 8 bpm) compared to healthy or equivocal cats. The results of our study reveal a high prevalence of HCM in Maine Coon cats in the German-speaking area. That underscores the relevance of a cardiologic examination in this breed and its importance of echocardiographic screening prior to breeding.