cat breeds known for health problems?

my friend had 2 abby's and one died before 4 and the other is full of problems like bad teeth?

Was curious what cat breeds are known for having a lot of health problems vs cat breeds usually very healthy?

Its really scary there are so many breeds i dreamed of having and id love to adopt

For purebreds, I'd think it would depend on the breeder's lines and the amount of effort they put into ensuring they're passing on good health. Many backyard breeders don't put much care into long-term health. I think the individual breeder's efforts would matter more than the breed.

For random-bred cats, it's basically chance, since you don't know their background. But since sickly cats don't survive long on the streets, former strays are usually pretty hearty. Diet and vet care matter a lot too.

Here's a site with some basic info on each breed:

http://www.icatcare.org/advice/cat-breeds/

l have a Scottish Fold. He was a change-of-mind for me after already reserving a blue BSH. I saw pictures of the litter before his, fell in love with the colour, and reserved a kitten with straight ears from the next litter. Over time, the folded ears grew on me, and having first choice of the litter, l took Rhys.

Knowing what l do now, would l have bought a Fold? ln all honesty, no, l would not. l love Rhys to death, he's my perfect cat, but l don't support breeding cats (anything) that has such a huge chance at a shortened and pain-filled life, just by virtue of what they are (not talking about prevalence within breeds/lines).

Many 'pure bred' pedigree lines have associations with different health conditions and it is always wise to check this out before considering a pedigree.  However, sadly such information will never cover the many people / catteries who breed cats who do not give primary consideration to the current and long term health of the animals they breed from or sell on.  I agree with Willowy that the individual breeder's approach is far more important than the actual breed in most instances, and the thorough investigation in to a breeder and their cats prior to purchasing or obtaining a cat - pedigree or otherwise, is extremely important.  I think that many randomly bred cats raised by conscientious breeders will often have a stronger immune system, and as Willowy says, stray and feral cats will have had to survive in tough conditions so if their general health can be brought back to a good basic level they can be very healthy and hearty cats.  

If you want to take an initial overview of which pedigrees tend to be prone to which health conditions, and which pedigrees are not associated with health problems any more than other randomly bred cats then Wikepedia is one place you can start.  Looking at web sites for specific breed type associations is another good source of information.  Sometimes looking at the governing body and the pedigree associations are more up to date than generic sites such as Wikepedia as they will tell you if a breed has recently been experiencing issues and placed on observation e.g. due to a decreasing gene pool.

how do we know we are dealing with a good vs bad breeder?

It is very hard a lot of bad breeders are extremely good liars and come out with all kinds of rubbish that sounds believable. Lots of research before hand helps. Don't just buy a kitten from the first breeder you find. Ring around a few breeders for advice and a cat chat. All good breeders will be more interested in you and the kind of home you can offer one of their kittens rather than trying to get you to buy one. I would stay away from breeders with lots of litters at the same time. Good breeders breed quality not quantity.
Best advice is to use your instinct and common sense. If something does not feel or seem right it's because it's not, walk away ! Even if you don't know what it is that feels wrong just walk away. Don't buy a kitten just because you feel sorry for it or to get it out of an awful situation. Doing this just fuels the trade in poorly bred kittens, so no matter how hard it feels just walk away. These breeders rely on you feeling sorry for it and buying it. These kittens will most likely cause you years of heartbreak not to mention the cost of vet bills.

What happened with the one that died at 4 and what other health issues, does the other one have, besides bad teeth?

To the best of my knowledge, bad teeth, is not a genetic issue, to any breed, and any kitty can have bad teeth, it depends on the care given.

Maine Coons and Ragdolls are prone to HCM, as are Persians, who are also prone to PKD. Its not to say that every one will have or get it, it just means they are prone to is. At the same time, any unregistered kitty can have or develop HCM and/or PKD.

Many of the health issues I read about, on boards, are man made, the care, the diet, etc. 

I lost one to HCM, I also have others that are perfectly fine. I also have an unregistered one, that is a crystal kitty.      

It is worth looking to see if Canada / US have a register of breeders like GCCF do in the UK.  If they do you should be able to see which breeders are currently registered with them, but also (more importantly) those who are banned or have warnings / resctrictions and what they are for.  When I looked at the UK list I was shocked at the number and nature of offences including mis-representing type of cat being sold, insanitory or unacceptable conditions of animals kept on their premises, and financial indiscretions.

Have a look at the article Andrya has added the link for, and follow your gut feeling when you email / talk and visit any breeder you are interested in: GemsGem is spot on with the stuff about following your gut.  You want to deal with people you sense care about cats the way you do, and have the cat's best interests at heart.  Breeding cats is not a business people are in for the money unless they are in it for the wrong reasons and do not put their cats' and kittens' welfare first.

Whatever reasearch you do on health and genetic characteristics of any given breed, like FlintMcCullough says, there are no guarantees.  Some breeds have conditions they are known to be more prone to but not have them, some cats of specific breeds have no associated conditions currently but they may be being monitored, and some things just happen like they do with any animal or person.   Life and medicine / veterinary medicine are not an exact sciences.  You have to be able to trust the people you get your cat from: that if some health issue comes up they were not hiding anything from you, will share your concern, and will to support and improve the health and wellbeing of your cat if something comes up.  Not that they will pay your vet fees but that they will take things seriously and consider if there might be issues for their other cats or future kittens / breed as a whole.

Mouse became seriously ill with gum infections and mouth lesions a few months after I adopted him, and after his oral problems settled and we had an effective management routine he started to have other symptoms with runny eyes and coughing.  He was eventually diagnosed with feline herpes.  If I did not have a very positive ongoing relationship with his breeders, and see first hand their genuine concern for his welfare and approach to the potential implications Mouse's health issues had for their other cats, I would have  been a very angry person.  As it is, it strengthened my trust in how they undertake their business of breeding cats.  He is not sick because they are bad breeders or unethical, or because his breed is prone to health issues, but he has a health condition that sometimes makes him very unwell, just like any other cat might have that you adopt, regardless of the source.  The difference is that Mouse's breeders were concerned for him, felt badly I had bought a kitten with health issues from them, and wanted to get to the bottom of what was causing the problem so they could take any appropriate action to ensure their other cats and future kittens did not have similar issues.    

CFA Suspensions and Probations. 

http://www.cfainc.org/Portals/0/documents/org/disciplinary-suspensions.pdf

http://ca-catbreeders.info/location-OH.html

http://ca-catbreeders.info/cfa-suspensions.html

If one has an issue with a breeder or cattery, just do a search, for that breeder or cattery, something will come up. 

I have a possibility of adopting a 1 year old from a breeder. They had gotten the cat from another breeder to put in their breeding problem but then found out it had cataracts.
Does anyone know how severe this is or could be? What would you do?

kittycat4 said:

I have a possibility of adopting a 1 year old from a breeder. They had gotten the cat from another breeder to put in their breeding problem but then found out it had cataracts.
Does anyone know how severe this is or could be? What would you do?

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Its eye problems no?  Best you consult some knowleable vet. Preferably some whom is often cooperating with breeders.

But as being part of breeding programmes, the cat has probably insurance?  This should help you quite a lot.

He is worthless for the breeder, as they dont want to risk bad genes go to next generation, but as a pet he may very well be OK.   As long you can control the eye problem.

YOU dont need to bother about bad genes, as long as the cat is healthy, or at least, the problem is manageable and the cat doesnt suffers.