This weekend I met two lovely Devon Rex cats, Mimi and her brother Rex.  They both have large ears, expressive eyes and the soft curly coat unique to this breed.  Both talked to me as they explored their new surroundings.  They never sat still which made getting a picture of them quite difficult!  Some describe their faces as looking very pixie like.  It is easy to fall in love with these bundles of energy.  Both Mimi and Rex are healthy and do not have the following or any health issues.  They made my day in clinics a real treat.

The Devon Rex breed is know to carry an autosomal recessive gene that causes severe disease.  Breeders look for it in young kittens by watching them in the litter box.  Healthy kittens will assume a standard squatting posture and hold it while they empty their bladders.  In affected kittens, their heads will drop while voiding until they contact the side of the litter box.  What is the name of this disease?  

      


Diagnosis:  Inherited Myopathy (Spasticity) of Devon Rex Cats

Cats affected with inherited myopathy suffer from generalized weakness that worsens with exercise.  They often hold their heads low and walk with an abnormal gait almost like they are drunk.  The smooth muscle of the esophagus is affected as is the skeletal muscle.  Many of these cats will die of laryngeal spasms after a piece of food becomes lodged in their windpipe or esophagus.  To prevent aspiration, feed cats in a vertical position to let  gravity help move the food down into the stomach.  As you can imagine, kittens with this condition have a poor prognosis.