 What????
Hepatic Amyloidosis affects Siamese and Oriental cats with devastating consequences. Many cats are mis-diagnosed as there are very few references to this particular form; most references to Amyloidosis are concerned with the Renal version in connection with the Abyssinian cat. This is not a "new" disease but has been documented at least coloquially by breeders, for around 30 years. It may well explain why some siamese or oriental cats simply "drop dead" at around 2-3 years old.
I am not a vet or a scientist but I do have many years experience in breeding, and sadly in nursing amyloid sufferers. The descriptions I offer here are my own based upon my own experiences.
How serious is this???
Well, it kills and it is not curable so it's pretty serious! My own feeling is that it is fairly widespread and if my cats have had it then others have too - afterall, we mainly share the same base bloodlines of the country we live in.
Yes, it is frightening and it will make you re-evaluate your breeding programs as I have done but we cannot live in denial of this and now we have a real chance to make something happen. No one is to blame - and this is not what this project is about. It IS about trying to help the breed that we know and love so deeply.
What does it look like???
Affected cats are frequently "a bit under the weather" rather than very poorly in the first instance. Pale gums and ears are a common sign, as is a slight jaundice. Often blood work will reveal a high white cell count and low red cell count - often at first thought to be signs of a cancer. Cats can also vomit a frothy fluid which shows signs of blood. The cat may "recover" thanks to the regenerative nature of the liver and there may be periods of peaks and troughs in the cats' short life. For those of us who have had to nurse such cats, IV Fluid therapy helps tremendously as this assists the liver in its partial recovery. I try never to expose the cat to stress (mental or physical) and never vaccinate a cat who I suspect to be a sufferer. In my own experience, the problem usually follows a short period of illness (not necessarily serious) or some other challenge to the immune system.
Cats usually succumb to haemorrhage from the liver, often literally "dropping dead" in front of their owners. This is extremely distressing and often leads to the owner stricken with grief not requesting a post mortem. If post mortem is performed, then the abdominal cavity is blood filled and on inspection the liver will have often almost completely disintegrated under the sheer number of amyloid cysts. I have actually heard of vets who though in the first instance that the cat had been involved in a traffic accident.
What can I do???
Dr. Leslie Lyons of U C Davis has very kindly offered to make some initial investigations into Hepatic Amyloidosis with a view to identifying a gene marker; if this can be found then perhaps there will one day be a reliable test which will make it possible to screen our cats and lessen the impact on the breed.
All we ask is that owners of suspected (or diagnosed) cats take a DNA sample from their cat and send it to Dr. Lyons. All we need to get going are samples from just 30 individuals worldwide - that is really not very many to start a really important research project.
If you have had affected cats that are no longer with you and you have their offspring/siblings/ancestors then please submit that DNA as well with a pedigree which identifies the affected cat.
Collecting DNA samples is very simple and to see a video of how to do this please go to: http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/PHR/LyonsDen/Protocolsframe.html
(p.s. although this mentions cytology brushes, you can also use of cotton buds (any brand is OK).
All samples are sent in absolute confidence; the only people who will know whose samples they are are the lab staff and they are professionally bound to confidentiality. However, the cats must be named individually (pedigree names and numbers) in order to possibly establish (or disprove) an hereditary link. Under no circumstances will this information, nor test results, be disclosed to anyone other than the cat's owner. The site author has no access to this information.
All that Dr. Lyons requires at this stage is:
(a) a DNA swab - use a cytology brush or cotton bud to wipe the inside front gum of the cat and seal in an envelope; send two samples.
(b) at least a 5 generation pedigree for the individual - breed and registration numbers are essential in order to track individuals
Mark the envelope containing the swabs with the cat's name and breed/colour and send it and the pedigree to:
Prof L A Lyons, PhD - Hepatic Amyloidosis Project
1114 Tupper Hall
Population Health & Reproduction School of Veterinary Medicine University of California, Davis One Shields Avenue Davis, CA 95616 Please, please help us if you can.
We only need 30 DNA samples...it really is a very small thing to ask.
If you would like any further information on this project, please contact me at sarah@landican.co.uk All information which you supply to me personally I will guarantee to keep confidential.
Please also consider assisting in the
Cat Phenotype and Health Information Registry (Cat PHIR).
"The overall goal of Cat PHIR is to provide investigators with “links” to cats with traits and diseases of interest. Cat PHIR is a non-profit, voluntary, feline database project for mixed and fancy cat breeds. There are no costs associated with sample submission. Funding for Cat PHIR is through the The National Institute of Health – National Center for Research Resources (NIH-NCRR RR016094)" http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/lyons/catphir.php is the page where you can read more about this research project and learn how you can assist in this valuable research.
Other references to this disease can be found at:
Merck Veterinary Manual http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/23637.htm
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