Cats with folded ears will definitely get sick. There is no saying that if they don’t get sick for half a year, they will never get sick. There are only priorities. The ear-folding gene of cats with folded ears is related to the cartilage growth of cats. It is a genetic defect. A bone disease that cannot be cured and causes cats to be very painful. If it is a purebred cat with folded ears, it usually develops around the age of two or three. The pain is intense when the disease occurs and can cause paralysis in severe cases. If it is an impure breeded cat with folded ears, it usually only develops after the age of six or the condition is relatively mild. If you have raised a kitten with folded ears, it is recommended to improve the cat’s nutrition and pay attention to supplementing chondroitin sulfate regularly.
1. What is a folded-eared cat
The folded ears of folded-eared cats are determined by an incomplete dominant gene that affects ear cartilage. This feature appears when folded-eared cats are about 3-4 weeks old. , is due to a defect in the ear cartilage that causes it to be unable to support the weight of the ear, so the ears will tip forward and fold downward. Folded-ear cats contain the folded-ear gene "Fd", which is a gene related to the growth of cat cartilage and contains this Gene, the cat's ears will appear "folded", and the ear cartilage cannot stand up. Although cats with folded ears look very distinctive, the gene for folded ears also means hidden health risks. Cats containing folded ear genes will have varying degrees of bone diseases, the most common ones being the limbs and tail. The bones will deteriorate over time. The cat continued to become deformed, and the cat was in great pain. From stiff movements to difficulty walking, the tail was thick and stiff and could not swing, and it was always accompanied by huge pain. This disease, also named "Scottish Fold Osteochondrodysplasia (SFOCD)", causes progressive curling of joints throughout the body.
2. Why do cats with folded ears become ill
Studies have shown that all cats containing folded ear genes will have folded ears, and the more folded ear genes they carry, the more likely they are to receive bone fractures. The greater the impact of achondroplasia, especially in cats with pure folded ear genes, arthritis (abnormal pain), difficulty walking, lameness and even disability will appear quickly. Hybrid cats with folded ears are less affected by osteochondrodysplasia. That is, similar to the subject, they will develop bone disease later, but they will definitely be affected and lead to joint disease. Therefore, preventing osteochondrodysplasia can only be achieved by not breeding any cats with congenital folded ears. Crossing with normal cats cannot change the fate of skeletal diseases in cats with folded ears.
Owners don’t have to worry too much. The most important thing about raising a cat is to eat good cat food.Point, don’t feed too much miscellaneous food. The more miscellaneous you feed, the more likely it is to cause problems, and it’s also easy to be picky about food. Do good cat hygiene every day and avoid eating old or spoiled food, which can cause gastrointestinal diseases. Pay attention to supplementing some chondroitin sulfate, and feed hair removal cream appropriately after moulting at the age of four months to prevent hair balls. Take a picture every year for a physical examination, just pay attention to the physical examination, don't worry too much
