Munchkin kitten help and health question

asdasmos · Mar 12, 2015

My first post copied here guys and I will jump right in. (sorry not sure where to better post it)

We know someone who has 2 munchkin cats that gave birth to the cat below. She is now 8 months and is/was quite ill. She however is now at the vet and being treated and recuperating. The reason she was not brought sooner was the owners were in the hospital for a few days because their son had to be hospitalized and the sickness started while they were spending time at the hospital.

The cat needs a home but I have a few concerns firstly. The pictures further below show the cat in better health so I was not concerned initially but when I saw the cat in person I was a little disturbed due to its ill health.

I am worried that this cat could potentially have some genetic issues, does anyone here have any knowledge regarding this? Or is the cat just very sick looking and will heal nicely?

Both parents are munchkins and another breeder said his limbs were a little large or body is small but shouldn't be an issue. I don't mind taking this cat in however I am worried that it could potentially have health problems in the future.

Can anyone help regarding this? I can provide more information as best as I can.

Thanks & Much appreciated

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denice · Mar 12, 2015

Wow there are definitely some genetic issues going on there. I am not a breeder, there are a few both active and former breeders here, hopefully they will see this and can answer better than I can. Have you shown the pictures and explained the situation as you know it to a vet. I know many vets don't have a lot of experience with the purebreds other than the more common ones like the Siamese but thay could also be a good resource. I am like you I would be concerned about chronic health issues and large vet bills. I would be fine with unusual appearance and what we see as disabilities.

Sarthur2 · Mar 12, 2015

That munchkin kitty is absolutely adorable! Especially sitting on her haunches! She looks like she needs loving - her little face has a sad expression! I can't help with advice on genetics or future health issues, but a vet should be able to advise you on that. Bless you for taking such good care of this kitty & giving it a good home!

asdasmos · Mar 12, 2015

Denice said:
Wow there are definitely some genetic issues going on there. I am not a breeder, there are a few both active and former breeders here, hopefully they will see this and can answer better than I can. Have you shown the pictures and explained the situation as you know it to a vet. I know many vets don't have a lot of experience with the purebreds other than the more common ones like the Siamese but thay could also be a good resource. I am like you I would be concerned about chronic health issues and large vet bills. I would be fine with unusual appearance and what we see as disabilities.

What specifically are you referring to regarding the genetic issues that you notice?

It is supposed to have short legs, but other than that, I am completely lost. Yes, I don't mind how it looks, I just share the same concerns about chronic health issues and large vet bills.

asdasmos · Mar 12, 2015

asdasmos said:
What specifically are you referring to regarding the genetic issues that you notice?

It is supposed to have short legs, but other than that, I am completely lost. Yes, I don't mind how it looks, I just share the same concerns about chronic health issues and large vet bills.

I should add that I can't take her to the vet until she has fully recovered.

catpack · Mar 12, 2015

What is the kitten currently recovering from? Is she currently at a different vet? I'm confused as to why you say you can't take her to the vet until she is fully recovered.

I would take the pictures you have and any vet records available to your vet and discuss possible issues.

I've seen 2 munchkin cats come into my vet clinic and neither sat on their haunches like this kitten does. So, I would be concerned about orthopedic issues related to the front legs. (I know munchkins are suppose to have shorter legs, I just haven't heard/seen them sit the way this kitten does, though maybe it is more common??)

asdasmos · Mar 12, 2015

CatPack said:
What is the kitten currently recovering from? Is she currently at a different vet? I'm confused as to why you say you can't take her to the vet until she is fully recovered.

I would take the pictures you have and any vet records available to your vet and discuss possible issues.

I've seen 2 munchkin cats come into my vet clinic and neither sat on their haunches like this kitten does. So, I would be concerned about orthopedic issues related to the front legs. (I know munchkins are suppose to have shorter legs, I just haven't heard/seen them sit the way this kitten does, though maybe it is more common??)

She is currently with the owner or the owner's vet so I wont be able to see her until she is fully recovered (travel & logistical issue). I was told that it was a cold/fever of sorts and her fur is damp due to the medicine being applied to the head/ear.

Okay noted, I will try that, thanks for the suggestion.

Apparently she does this from time to time, not always, so far that doesn't seem like a concern but you never know.

asdasmos · Mar 13, 2015

asdasmos said:
She is currently with the owner or the owner's vet so I wont be able to see her until she is fully recovered (travel & logistical issue). I was told that it was a cold/fever of sorts and her fur is damp due to the medicine being applied to the head/ear.

Okay noted, I will try that, thanks for the suggestion.

Apparently she does this from time to time, not always, so far that doesn't seem like a concern but you never know.

I went to the vet and unfortunately they cannot really tell me much until I bring the cat. So if there are any breeders or anyone who has any ideas, information/insight would be highly appreciated.

Thanks

denice · Mar 13, 2015

The thing that I was looking at was that, if they are recent pictures, she doesn't look like an 8 month old kitten. Usually at 8 months old a kitten looks more like a cat then a kitten. I really can't put my finger on it but the pictures of Munchkin cats that I have seen they look like cats, yes they have the little short legs, but other than that they look like cats. There just is something different much more small kitten like with her appearance then usually seen with an 8 month old kitten. Maybe it is the larger body that the breeder told you about that wouldn't be an issue making her look out of proportion.

chromium blues · Mar 13, 2015

Contact the CFA and see if they can point you in the direction of a reputable Munchkin breeder. If they can, contact them and see if you can send the photographs on for them to look at. Its also a good idea to ask them what sort of genetic afflictions a Munchkin may be prone to and have the little one screened if possible. Has it been SNAP tested? Have the parents been fixed yet?

mspurr · Mar 13, 2015

I would ask to be allowed to speak directly to the attending vet prior to homing the kitten to get as much info on the kitten's current health issues as possible, the breeders vet will or should be familiar with kittens health and health of breeders other cats and also contacting CFA for info on possible genetic health issues common to this breed, is the wet looking medication on the kitty's ears treatment for ringworm or earmites??

samus · Mar 15, 2015

A friend that bought a munchkin cat told me that when you breed two munchkins, the probability is that your kitten ratio will be 50% munchkins, 25% normal kittens, and 25% dead kittens. This sounds to me like the gene(s) that cause munchkin are a lethal recessive deletrious gene and cause negative health effects. That means each munchkin will have one copy of the "munchkin" gene and one copy of the "normal" gene, if a kitten gets two copies of "munchkin", some systems affected by the gene won't be able to function correctly. If a kitten's "normal" gene copy is also mutated in some way, it can't pick up the slack from the munchkin gene as well as the normal gene copy in a healthier munchkin could.

My friend with the munchkin was convinced by the breeder to take the munchkin's brother (the normal kitten from the litter with no munchkin gene) home too, so he has a munchkin and non munchkin sibling set to compare. The munchkin has always been more special needs than his brother. He has issues with cleaning his butt and covering his poop, after about two years he's at least learned to clean his butt and my friend doesn't have to wipe his butt after he poops... usually. And I don't know how exactly to measure cat intelligence, but the non munchkin brother has always been more active and playful, more interested in exploring, more sneaky, and less easy to trick (pretending to throw a toy, hiding something from him, etc). The munchkin recently ended up having some kidney issues that he had to be temporarily hospitalized for at only three years old. All this implies to me that the munchkin gene will make a cat less healthy in general.

But they can be sooooo cute!

asdasmos · Mar 15, 2015

Chromium Blues said:
Contact the CFA and see if they can point you in the direction of a reputable Munchkin breeder. If they can, contact them and see if you can send the photographs on for them to look at. Its also a good idea to ask them what sort of genetic afflictions a Munchkin may be prone to and have the little one screened if possible. Has it been SNAP tested? Have the parents been fixed yet?

I am not in north america and the regs are a little sketch here... but I will try

mspurr said:
I would ask to be allowed to speak directly to the attending vet prior to homing the kitten to get as much info on the kitten's current health issues as possible, the breeders vet will or should be familiar with kittens health and health of breeders other cats and also contacting CFA for info on possible genetic health issues common to this breed, is the wet looking medication on the kitty's ears treatment for ringworm or earmites??

Yes, as soon as I can I will visit the attending vet as that is pretty much the only thing I will be able to do.

samus said:
A friend that bought a munchkin cat told me that when you breed two munchkins, the probability is that your kitten ratio will be 50% munchkins, 25% normal kittens, and 25% dead kittens. This sounds to me like the gene(s) that cause munchkin are a lethal recessive deletrious gene and cause negative health effects. That means each munchkin will have one copy of the "munchkin" gene and one copy of the "normal" gene, if a kitten gets two copies of "munchkin", some systems affected by the gene won't be able to function correctly. If a kitten's "normal" gene copy is also mutated in some way, it can't pick up the slack from the munchkin gene as well as the normal gene copy in a healthier munchkin could.

My friend with the munchkin was convinced by the breeder to take the munchkin's brother (the normal kitten from the litter with no munchkin gene) home too, so he has a munchkin and non munchkin sibling set to compare. The munchkin has always been more special needs than his brother. He has issues with cleaning his butt and covering his poop, after about two years he's at least learned to clean his butt and my friend doesn't have to wipe his butt after he poops... usually. And I don't know how exactly to measure cat intelligence, but the non munchkin brother has always been more active and playful, more interested in exploring, more sneaky, and less easy to trick (pretending to throw a toy, hiding something from him, etc). The munchkin recently ended up having some kidney issues that he had to be temporarily hospitalized for at only three years old. All this implies to me that the munchkin gene will make a cat less healthy in general.

But they can be sooooo cute!

Yes, I have since read up about this. I am hoping this is just a temporary issue, as the cat looked pretty healthy before. I am aware there is a risk with all munchkins.

Assuming she recovers properly then I will go visit the vet to see what I can find out, but I have my doubts since I am not in country that is regulated well and the vet probably has not seen many of these cats before.

chromium blues · Mar 16, 2015

You don't have to be in North America to get information from the CFA. They should be able to help you out a bit with this, no matter where you are in the world.

Munchkin kitten help and health question

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