American Curl Longhair Cat health: the Common Diseases of this breed
What are the common diseases of the American Curl Longhair? Let’s find out everything there is to know about the health of this cat breed.
Taking care of the health of your four-legged friend is the first way to ensure that his life is long and peaceful. For this reason, it is essential to know what are the common diseases of the American Curl Longhair, to understand how to prevent their onset or promptly identify and promote a rapid recovery of our furry cat.
Common diseases of the American Curl Longhair
The longhaired American is a robust and generally healthy cat. Its average life span is between 13 and 15 years.
In addition to being long-lived, American Curl Longhair specimens are not predisposed to the onset of common hereditary diseases.
The reason lies both in the recent origins of the breed and in the varied genetic makeup. This does not mean, however, that these cats are free from diseases that can commonly affect domestic cats. These include:
Skin disorders
Otitis
Feline leukemia
Parasitic infestations
Skin disorders
Among the common diseases in cats, which even the American Curl Longhair may have, are pathologies that affect the cat’s skin.
The most common skin disorders are:
Dermatitis;
Acne;
Alopecia;
The logs
The causes that determine the onset of skin diseases are varied: they range from feeding and cleaning the hair to parasitic infestations and fungi.
In this case, therefore, prevention is everything: it is essential to take care of the hygiene of our four-legged friend, protecting him with pesticides and feeding him with balanced and nutritious feed.
Finally, at the first sign of skin redness, hair loss and discomfort, it is advisable to go to the veterinarian, to intervene promptly, avoiding that the situation can worsen.
Otitis
Given the particular shape of the ears of this cat, otitis is one of the common diseases of the American Curl Longhair.
This is inflammation of the epithelium that covers the pinna or ear canal. The main symptoms of this pathology include:
Temporary hearing loss
Pain and itching
Leakage of dark, smelly secretions
Swollen and red ears.
In this case, it is essential to promptly contact the veterinarian, who will prescribe a specific treatment, aimed at resolving the primary cause that led to the onset of the disease.
To prevent otitis, maximum attention should be paid to cleaning the ears of your four-legged friend. In fact, they must be inspected and cleaned regularly with the aid of special products, but never using common cotton buds!
Feline leukemia
Unfortunately, to date leukemia is one of the most common diseases in cats, from which the American Curl Longhair is certainly not exempt.
It is a very contagious pathology, which affects the cat’s immune system, proving a high mortality.
The FelV virus is transmitted through blood, saliva and secretions. Even an infected cat can infect her kittens.
The disease most commonly affects cats that live outdoors, in contact with numerous other specimens.
For this, prevention is essential. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to neuter or sterilize the animal, as well as subject it to the appropriate vaccine.
Parasitic infestations
Finally, parasitic infestations close our list of common diseases in American Curl Longhair.
With this expression we mean both external infestations, by fleas and ticks, and internal, by intestinal worms.
Also this time, preventive intervention is strongly recommended, to avoid the onset of pathologies associated with the presence of parasites, such as dermatitis or nutritional deficiencies.
For this, it will be necessary to deworm the cat periodically, especially if it lives outdoors, and choose the pesticide that we prefer most, including sprays, vials and collars.
