We here at Kender have always tried to be pro active in the health of our cats. We feed a meat based diet - not grain. We use filtered, but not distilled water. We use enrichment toys (other than 2 young boys running around the house) such as scratching tubes, posts, tunnels, puzzle's, DVD's , and of course good ole human interaction on a daily basis. But more than that we test our kitties. when you see an ad for a cat - any cat, what does it say? Felv/FIV free? Okay that's good that's a start - but that is ONLY a start. That is NOT the do all and end all. Every cat who comes from a showing cattery , or a purposeful bred situation darn well better be Felv/FIV free! That's just common sense! But there are other things as well. Some of the testing that can be done and should be done is HCM Ultrasound on cats over a year of age - and then DONE AGAIN on a regular basis until they are over 5 (some vets prefer 7) years of age! ANY cat can get HCM. It is not breed or gender specific. But it can be scanned for and if found, that animal can and should be eliminated from your gene pool.
Another test you can do through a simple cheek swab is for PKD1 . Now in theory no Siberian cat should EVER test positive for this form of the disease PKD. Why you ask? Simple - PKD1 is completely a dominant gene found in Persians and their respective offshoot breeds - Exotics, British Shorthairs and even some American Shorthairs, and some Scottish Folds (http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/services/pckd1.php) So Yes we do test for it. It gives our kitten families peace of mind - and it gives the other breeders we work with peace of mind as well. And while your specific kitten might NOT be tested for it - be assured their parents have been.
A relatively new test to the scene is for PK ( Erythrocyte Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency). Just available since 2012. Simply put this is an inherited anemia. 38 individual breeds were researched and the Siberian along with 10 other unrelated breeds, were found to carry it. So now we test. Its just that simple - we are slowly going thru our cattery and testing each individual cat we are using in breeding, or those we are placing into breeding situations. And so far to date - every single cat we have tested , has tested
N/N no copies of PK deficiency, cat is normal -
We hope when deciding whom to purchase a kitten from - you ask these simple questions
4. What kind of testing has been done on the parents and can we see proof?
No animal is perfect. YES every single animal will get sick at some point in time. These are NOT cookie cutter's. But my job, is to know my breed, know my cats and do the best I can.
Another test you can do through a simple cheek swab is for PKD1 . Now in theory no Siberian cat should EVER test positive for this form of the disease PKD. Why you ask? Simple - PKD1 is completely a dominant gene found in Persians and their respective offshoot breeds - Exotics, British Shorthairs and even some American Shorthairs, and some Scottish Folds (http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/services/pckd1.php) So Yes we do test for it. It gives our kitten families peace of mind - and it gives the other breeders we work with peace of mind as well. And while your specific kitten might NOT be tested for it - be assured their parents have been.
A relatively new test to the scene is for PK ( Erythrocyte Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency). Just available since 2012. Simply put this is an inherited anemia. 38 individual breeds were researched and the Siberian along with 10 other unrelated breeds, were found to carry it. So now we test. Its just that simple - we are slowly going thru our cattery and testing each individual cat we are using in breeding, or those we are placing into breeding situations. And so far to date - every single cat we have tested , has tested
N/N no copies of PK deficiency, cat is normal -
We hope when deciding whom to purchase a kitten from - you ask these simple questions
- Are the parents registered AND titled?
- What kind of environment do these kittens come from and have they been properly socialized?
4. What kind of testing has been done on the parents and can we see proof?
No animal is perfect. YES every single animal will get sick at some point in time. These are NOT cookie cutter's. But my job, is to know my breed, know my cats and do the best I can.
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