Are Norwegian Forest Cats healthy?
Thousands of years of development has made the Norwegian Forest Cat a sturdy, mostly very healthy breed. However, like any cat, they may develop certain health conditions, including:
- Hip dysplasia: Norwegian Forest Cats can suffer from hip dysplasia. This condition occurs when the hip joint grows abnormally or is misshapen. The abnormal shape prevents the joints and sockets from adequately meeting one another, resulting in rubbing and grinding instead of sliding smoothly. Over time, the rubbing from dysplasia can cause a variety of issues such as pain, lameness, and secondary osteoarthritis. Surgery can be done to fix the joint if diagnosed before the onset of arthritis.
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM): HCM is an abnormal thickening of the left ventricle of the heart that leads to improper blood flow. It is the most common cause of heart disease in cats and can result in sudden death.
- Glycogen storage disease type IV: This is an inherited condition that causes an error in how the body stores glycogen (sugar) in the cells. Eventually abnormal levels of glycogen will accumulate in the muscles, liver and neurons and lead to organ dysfunction.