Our cats can also suffer from genetic defects even if they are not feasible to acquire Down syndrome. The following genetic disorders are often mistakenly diagnosed with Down syndrome:
1 Cerebral Hypoplasia
It is a genetic disorder of cats and dogs where the cerebellum does not completely mature during conception and after birth. Cats with this condition have a serious problem in walking and may look like a drunk feline. Also, the cats with this condition tend to bump and run into stuff unintentionally even if they have a clear sight of where they are going. They have wobbly and aimless knees and they have problematic motor mobility.
2 Klinefelter Syndrome
Veterinarians confirmed that this disorder can be found in cats. This disorder is present mainly to cats with color like those of the tortoise shell. This syndrome happens when cats’ sex chromosomes combination becomes XXY instead of XY for male or XX for female. Tricolor cats could not carry this disorder because they have different chromosome patterns. Cats with this condition are characterized to be too feminine. This could be because they are biologically supposed to be a female cat. This can stir confusion to their owners and to those will see them.
3 Distal Polyneuropathy
Cats who have this condition is sometimes referred to be suffering from Down syndrome. They have wobbly knees and they cannot stand or walk on their own. This condition is a degenerative one that mostly affects Birman cats. Experts say that it might come from the recessive genes inherited from the parents of the cats. They walk as if they are experiencing excruciating pain from an arthritic attack. This may seem that they are suffering from a serious nerve disease but they actually don’t.
4 Feline Dysautonomia
In this condition, cats are not the only race to have this genetic failure but also other animals. In this condition, a group of nerve cells of a cat starts to fail and age. Cats with this type of ailments usually have failing motor skills like those of a person experiencing cat with Down syndrome. They always fall and do not have the sense of direction. The feline may suffer diarrhea, constipation, physical deformities such as more than two eyelids, dilated pupils and irregular-sized pupils and tear secretion problems.
If Your Cat Has A Genetic Disorder, How Do You Handle It?
Research
If you have a cat, you need to make sure that you know all you cat about them. You need to understand the type of ailments they can deal with, the anatomy they have and ancestry. Things like this can provide you with all the info you need in regards to their health as a whole. Read as much as you can, study online, and you will get to find the information you need in no time.
Talk To The Vet
It is a good idea to talk with a vet in case if you see some of these issue. Your cat needs to go through a few tests as you do want to get a diagnostic that’s accurate and to the point. Once you identify the issue, you will be able to address it with accuracy and professionalism. That’s exactly what you want to have in the end, so remember that and you will not be disappointed!
Monitor The Cat Diet
You will have to focus on your cat’s food the best way you can. The reason is simple, a good diet and lifestyle can do wonders for your cat, so try to keep that in mind. You should also consider watching the behavior of your cat as this way you can see if something bad is happening and so on.
