Russian Blue Cat

Health Issues Of Russian Blue Cats

The Russian Blue Cat Breed has no specific health problems related to the Russian Blue. It is a genetically sound breed, mainly due to it being a naturally occurring breed. Brushing the coat is not essential, but is a nice addition to the weekly routine of other grooming, such as brushing the teeth.

Heart Diseases

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)

All breeds of cat, including the Russian Blues, can develop heart problems, specifically Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM). In the condition of HCM, the muscle walls of the heart thicken causing a decline in cardiac function. While there is no cure, heart disease can be managed with medication and dietary changes. This is a very common issue found in cats both purebred and mixed.

Heart Murmers

Innocent heart murmurs are so common that most cats are likely to have one at some time. Innocent murmurs may disappear and then reappear. When a cat’s heart rate changes, such as during excitement or fear, these innocent murmurs may become louder or softer. This still doesn’t signal that the murmur is cause for concern.

Heart murmur can have causes that aren't due to underlying disease. Examples include turbulence resulting in a flow murmur or thickening of the aortic valve that occurs with aging.

DNA Test For Breeders

Optimal Selection™ DNA Health Testing provides cat breeders with the most comprehensive health tests of its kind. We’ve taken the latest scientific research on cat population genetics and developed a simple and easy at–home swab test that screens for multiple diseases and traits while also evaluating genetic diversity. This kind of testing can provide advantages over traditional techniques such as pedigree analysis and help breeders to develop proactive, sustainable breeding programs to weed out unwanted health problems.

• Results for over 40 genetic diseases (health issues), were reported in terms of known relevance to the specific breed evaluated.
• Testing for 20+ traits including coat colors, coat types, and morphology.
• Testing for blood type
• Genetic diversity information for the tested cat, and the overall breed population.
• Continuously updated research and breed information based on new discoveries
• Optimal Selection™ DNA service for cats is a genome-wide genetic analysis that gives information on several inherited characteristics. All received DNA test results are reported online to your user account in the secured Optimal Selection™ database.