Health; testing and issues
Hypertrophic Cardio Myopathy (HCM) and Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD)
All of our cats are HCM n/n DNA tested to be negative for the Ragdoll marker. The breeder of our foundation queen have worked with and tested their lines from the time they started back in 2009, and have never used a HCM carrier in their breeding program. We test our cats with the MyCatDNA kits from the Genoscooper laboratories in Helsinki for over 40 different genetic diseases, including HCM and PKD. You can see their public test results on their individual pages. You can also read more about HCM and PKD under the "links/FAQs" tab.
Dwarfism in Ragdolls
There are updated news on the dwarfism issue in ragdolls! This summer SLU announced that they have finally finished their research on the issue and that they will publish their end report sometime during fall 2020. They also announced the great news that a test to determine carriers will be available around the same time. This is beyond good news for the future of our beloved breed. Until the report is published and the test is available my previous opinion on the matter still stands, The following text was written before the summer of 2020 news were published.
We have fairly recently encountered a new health problem for ragdolls here in Scandinavia, namely dwarfism. Dwarfism exists in all breeds and can have a variety of reasons, but the type recently recognized in the ragdoll is a unique form that we know very little about. In addition to being smaller than other kittens, these dwarfs have several very distinct features, with extremely broad heads, small wide set ears, very dark blue eyes, and short, cobby legs and bodies. Dwarfism is also associated with a lot of other health problems, like thyroid and gastrointestinal issues. Unfortunately all of the known affected kittens have died at a very young age. At the moment we know about approximately 40 affected kittens, but there are probably many more unreported cases. The dwarfs have mainly been born in Sweden.
As of right now, we know very little about the genetics behind this particular form of dwarfism. However, all of the affected kittens have the same cat on both sides of the pedigree. The cat's name is Patriarca Gucci (pedigree), which is present in a lot of Swedish pedigrees. We know very little about the heredity of the dwarfism gene, but a number of factors seem to point towards a codominant hereditary pattern. Recent statistical finds show that the chance of getting a kitten with dwarfism is very high when mating two cats with Gucci in the pedigree. The Scandinavian Ragdoll Club has gathered some funds to start a research project to uncover more information about the dwarf gene and how it's inherited. The hope is to eventually get a DNA-test to reveal carriers and eliminate them from our breeding programs.
However, since we know so little about this gene right now, and it is such a recent issue, I have decided to completely exclude the lines from Patriarca Gucci in my cattery. These are very popular lines, especially in Sweden, as many of the cats are extremely typed and are often very successful at cat shows. As a fairly new and small breeder when the issue was known, I had the option to not introduce this line to my cattery without limiting my gene pool. There is an ongoing research program, but scientific research of this nature is very expensive and takes a long time. We do not know when or if we ever get a DNA-test to identify carriers of the dwarfism gene, or if a potential test will be affordable enough to be a viable alternative to breeders. This is why I'm not willing to take any chances and introduce any cats descending from Patriarca Gucci to my cattery. All of my matings and cats will thus be 100% Gucci-free, as health and animal welfare is my primary concern as a breeder. You can read more about dwarfism, the Scandinavian Ragdoll Club's "Project Dwarfism" and the recent statistical finds on the issue under our "links/FAQs" tab.
We have fairly recently encountered a new health problem for ragdolls here in Scandinavia, namely dwarfism. Dwarfism exists in all breeds and can have a variety of reasons, but the type recently recognized in the ragdoll is a unique form that we know very little about. In addition to being smaller than other kittens, these dwarfs have several very distinct features, with extremely broad heads, small wide set ears, very dark blue eyes, and short, cobby legs and bodies. Dwarfism is also associated with a lot of other health problems, like thyroid and gastrointestinal issues. Unfortunately all of the known affected kittens have died at a very young age. At the moment we know about approximately 40 affected kittens, but there are probably many more unreported cases. The dwarfs have mainly been born in Sweden.
As of right now, we know very little about the genetics behind this particular form of dwarfism. However, all of the affected kittens have the same cat on both sides of the pedigree. The cat's name is Patriarca Gucci (pedigree), which is present in a lot of Swedish pedigrees. We know very little about the heredity of the dwarfism gene, but a number of factors seem to point towards a codominant hereditary pattern. Recent statistical finds show that the chance of getting a kitten with dwarfism is very high when mating two cats with Gucci in the pedigree. The Scandinavian Ragdoll Club has gathered some funds to start a research project to uncover more information about the dwarf gene and how it's inherited. The hope is to eventually get a DNA-test to reveal carriers and eliminate them from our breeding programs.
However, since we know so little about this gene right now, and it is such a recent issue, I have decided to completely exclude the lines from Patriarca Gucci in my cattery. These are very popular lines, especially in Sweden, as many of the cats are extremely typed and are often very successful at cat shows. As a fairly new and small breeder when the issue was known, I had the option to not introduce this line to my cattery without limiting my gene pool. There is an ongoing research program, but scientific research of this nature is very expensive and takes a long time. We do not know when or if we ever get a DNA-test to identify carriers of the dwarfism gene, or if a potential test will be affordable enough to be a viable alternative to breeders. This is why I'm not willing to take any chances and introduce any cats descending from Patriarca Gucci to my cattery. All of my matings and cats will thus be 100% Gucci-free, as health and animal welfare is my primary concern as a breeder. You can read more about dwarfism, the Scandinavian Ragdoll Club's "Project Dwarfism" and the recent statistical finds on the issue under our "links/FAQs" tab.
One kidney and one uterine horn in ragdolls
A few years ago, we started seeing ragdolls being born with only one kidney. Females with this condition also have one uterine horn. The females have both ovaries, but because one of the horns is missing, the second ovary is often stuck on the ligament tissue in the abdomen, and can be very hard to find for the veterinarian who is spaying the cat. If the second ovary isn't found during surgery, the cat will keep going into heat even though a hysterectomy has been performed, and a second surgery is necessary. Luckily, a cat can live a long and healthy life even with only one kidney, though they may need some extra supervision in regards to their health. Still, this is a condition we must do anything in our power to prevent from being spread.
This condition is still very much a mystery, and the recourses needed to do scientific research sadly hasn't been available. That means that we don't know where the issue comes from, what causes it, and how it's inherited, and that we don't have a DNA-test to screen our cats. As of April 2022, the only means we have of preventing to pass this condition on to our offspring is to ultrasound every potential breeding cat to make sure that both kidneys are there and healthy, and to spay or neuter any cat with abnormalities. The kidneys are quite easy to feel on newborn kittens, so I palpate all of my kittens before they are a day old. However, feeling a newborn kitten isn't enough to make sure that the kidneys are healthy, so we have started to ultrasound every one of our youngsters before mating them. The health of our beloved dolls is so important, and if any of our cats display an abnormality, they will be spayed or neutered, regardless of how beautiful they are. Hopefully we will find a way to DNA-test in the future, but it doesn't seem likely to happen any time soon, so in the meantime, every responsible breeder needs to scan their breeding cats.
This condition is still very much a mystery, and the recourses needed to do scientific research sadly hasn't been available. That means that we don't know where the issue comes from, what causes it, and how it's inherited, and that we don't have a DNA-test to screen our cats. As of April 2022, the only means we have of preventing to pass this condition on to our offspring is to ultrasound every potential breeding cat to make sure that both kidneys are there and healthy, and to spay or neuter any cat with abnormalities. The kidneys are quite easy to feel on newborn kittens, so I palpate all of my kittens before they are a day old. However, feeling a newborn kitten isn't enough to make sure that the kidneys are healthy, so we have started to ultrasound every one of our youngsters before mating them. The health of our beloved dolls is so important, and if any of our cats display an abnormality, they will be spayed or neutered, regardless of how beautiful they are. Hopefully we will find a way to DNA-test in the future, but it doesn't seem likely to happen any time soon, so in the meantime, every responsible breeder needs to scan their breeding cats.