Life Expectancy Of Maine Coon Cat

Maine coon cats are regarded as the state cat of Maine. There are several theories regarding the way in which this cat reached the shores of America. But as far as the history is concerned, many believe that these cats were first seen in the state of Maine in New England. It is regarded as the oldest cat in America. They are recognized by most cat organizations and also allowed to participate in shows.

These long haired felines come in most of the normal colors with patterns on them for their coat. The most common color and associated pattern is the brown tabby. The water resistant coat makes it easy for the owner since they do not get knotted. Grooming will be required when they shed their coat in spring fall. Most Maine coons have gold, green or a combination of these colors for their eye color.

While the average male weighs around 12 to 18 pounds, the female weighs around 10 to 14 pounds. This breed has a life-span of almost 9 to 15 years and can be longer if it is kept indoors.

The main characteristic of this breed is the rectangular shape and big boned structure. It has a bushy and long tail. The feet of the feline are usually white colored. This cat is muscular and has a heavy fur owing to the weather conditions it had to sustain in Maine. Despite its size, it is gentle, playful and quiet. They prefer following the owner than cuddle in their lap. Their voice is high pitched and they have a way of finding their way into all places.

Siamese Cat Traits

Siamese cats make good companions and pets and are gaining popularity in America as the most desired breed for cat lovers as pets. Many traits of this breed have changed over the last three hundred years of its existence but many of the traits are still intact.

This breed has a distinct appearance of the coat. It is usually light and has distinctive points of darker colors on the legs, face and tail. There are variations in the colors of the coat and the points, but the contrast between them still remain.

Originally, this breed had kink in the tail which occurred naturally. With selective breeding by breeders, this has become a rarity these days. The Cat Fanciers’ Association specifies that the breed should have a thin, long and pointed rail.

Siamese cats have special eyes which are blue in color, medium in size and shaped like almonds. The CFA regards presence of cross-eyes as a negative trait. Over the years, selective breeding has enabled removal of this adverse factor as well.

Their tubular body with their hips and shoulders in line give a graceful appearance to the cat. Their coat is short and very soft. This is shed sparingly on brushing.

The average life-span of most breeds of cats is about 12 to 16 years. This can be increased with proper care, inheritance of healthy genes and keeping the cat in-doors.

The Siamese cats have an average life-span of 15 to 20 years. Attempts are made continuously to increase it. This breed still has the longest life compared to most other breeds of cats.

Maine Coon Cat Health Problems

Maine coon cats are generally healthy and robust felines. But this breed comes with a few health problems which one should watch out for. Out of the many disorders that can affect cats, some of the diseases which are specific and common in this breed of Maine coons are attributed to early breeding. Knowledge of these diseases will assist one in choosing a breeder of cats with fewer problems.

They are affected by Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy which is actually enlargement of the heart. This can be prevented by carefully breeding healthy and hardy cats. They are very prone to dysplasia of the hip by heredity as well. The symptom for this disorder is trouble for the cat in moving about; waddling while walking or appearance of bowed shaped legs.

Polycystic kidney disorder is also another hereditary disease afflicting this breed. A cat with this disorder is more likely to pass it to the litter. In this condition, the cat suffers impairment in the functioning of the kidney causing troubles in the renal system.

Spinal muscular atropy which results in weakening of the muscles is another disorder which appears when the cat is between 12 to 16 weeks old. This will cause severe restriction in the mobility of the cat.

Gum and teeth infection are common which can be prevented by regular care and periodical visits to the vet. This feline has a thick coat which necessitates regular grooming to prevent knotting.

By gathering information on the diseases that can afflict this breed, one can take required caution well in time and enjoy the company of a healthy pet

Color Of Siamese Cat

The Siamese cats have a coat which usually comes in cream color with contrasting points. This is accepted world wide as the standard color of the breed. The patches are restricted to tail, nose, ears and paws. This color pattern is attributed to mutation of enzymes that are responsible for the production of melanin. These enzymes work well when the body temperature is normal and the surrounding temperature is cool. Their legs and face are pointed since these are well cooled by their sinuses.

Their blue eyes are a result of partial albinism genes. The blue coloration is due to the lack of or complete absence of the eye pigment which causes reflection of light from the retina appears blue.

Some of the traits of the different colored Siamese cats are:

Seal point: These came first to the US. The color of the coat is fawn or cream, eyes are dark blue, and the points, nose leather and paws are dark brown.

Lilac point: This is rare. The coat is pure white, eyes are blue, the points are lightly colored and the nose leather and the paws are lavender-pink in color.

Chocolate point: Like the lilac point, these were accepted by the CFA in 1950s. The contrast between the points and the coat becomes stronger with age. The coat is white or ivory, eyes are blue and points chocolate brown .The nose leather and paws are cinnamon-pink.

Blue point

Genetics Of Siamese Cat

The Siamese cats carry the genes called ‘Himalayan genes’ which is also found in other animals like mice and rabbits. Mutation in one of the chromosome, ‘C locus’ causes the partial albinism in the Siamese cats. When this recessive gene for color is in two doses, the blue color of the eyes of the Siamese breed will show up.

Eye-Color and color of the coat of the offspring will depend on the breeds that mate.

When a Siamese cat with ‘cs ’genes is crossed with a Burmese cat with ‘cb’ genes, the offspring ,Tonkinese will have both the dominant genes and have a mink colored fur. This gene is found to be sensitive to the heat in the atmosphere. Cooler the place, darker will be the color. This explains the dark color on the legs, face and tail of this breed. The fur on the stomach area will be lighter. This also explains the white coloration of the kitten with the warmth in the womb of the mother. The color of the Siamese changes with the climate. Darker color will appear in the winters as compared to summer.

The Himalayan gene in seal point Siamese restricts the pigment controlling the black coloration in the cat from getting expressed fully. Breeders are also working hard in removing out the disorder of ‘Strabismus’ from this breed.

Siamese Cat

There are many theories regarding the origin of the Siamese cats. Since its physical appearance is close to that of the cat goddess of Egypt, many believe that Siamese cats originated in Egypt. But this is not proven.

Their name gives a clue to Siamese having its origin in the kingdom of ‘Siam’ which is today’s Thailand. Its ancestors are believed to be from this kingdom. The records available relating to the period of the 1600s confirms their existence. They were expensive and owned by the noblemen and royalty. They were also given a special place in the temples and palaces since they were regarded as spiritual guardians.

A cat used to be chosen to house the soul of the dead. These cats used to be pampered and taken care of by the priests of the temple. Good upkeep of the cat meant bringing good luck in the after-life of the departed soul.

They also worked as watch-cats making noise on spotting strangers. Tales from the places and temples from these times also narrates the way in which these cats got cross-eyes and kinked tail.

Diabetes in Cats or (Feline Diabetes Mellitus)

Diabetes in cats or (Feline Diabetes mellitus) sorry to say is common in older cats, and is especially common in cats that are fed dry food diets. There was a study in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery in 2006, that reported a high-protein, low-carb diets are as or more effective than insulin at causing remission of diabetes in cats. Now to me, changing your cats diet would be something to consider. I am no vet by any means or a nutritionist but since most dry cat food is high in carbs and deficient in high-quality protein, it makes sense that a lifetime of eating dry food could cause diabetes in middle-aged and older cats.

If your cat is showing any of these signs you should have him/her checked out by your vet for feline diabetes.

Signs to look for:

· Thirstier than usual

· Urinating frequently

· Hungry all the time but is also losing weight

· Unusually sweet-smelling breath

· Lethargy

· Muscle weakness

· Dehydration

· Poor coat condition

· Urinary tract infections

Diabetes mellitus is the result of not enough insulin that is being released from the pancreas, or there can be an abnormal release of insulin together with an inadequate response of the body's cells to the insulin. So no matter how much your cat may eat he/she will lose weight.

If diagnosed early it possible to get the blood glucose levels under control and put your cat's diabetes in remission. That means they might not need to be on insulin or other kinds of medications. On the other hand, if not knowing that your cat has been diabetic for a long period of time the insulin that is being released from the pancreas or has an irregular release of insulin together with an inadequate response of their bodies cells could mean that their pancreas just may be worn out and unable to secrete insulin. There are insulin injections that can control glucose levels and there are also oral hypoglycemia medications which some cats may do better with, so ask your veterinarian about that.

It is also important that cats with diabetes needs to have the right nutrition and being on the "recommend commercial" or "prescription" diets for diabetic cats that a lot of veterinarians prescribe is unfortunate. These foods on average contain a small amount of rendered protein and a large amount of fiber and carbs. When a cats diet is deficient of protein it forces their body to metabolize their muscles, which then leads to muscle loss.

The sad part is that a lot of cats are just getting commercial cat food and not even high quality food at that, so if that is what you are doing at least try adding some canned cat food that is grain and potato free. You want to cut down on the carbohydrates like, corn, wheat, rice, and in particular, soy as much as possible. Dogs and cats don't need carbohydrates, yet if you read the pet foods labels you will see that they are full of grains or other starches because they are cheap filler ingredients.

Bottom line to help prevent diabetes in your cat give a balanced, species-appropriate diet. Okay let's face it a lot of the pet food companies are not really creating a nourishing diet for pets despite what you see in their TV commercials. Their focal point is on making money, unfortunately that is at your pet's expense. A lot of pet foods on the market contain unsuitable ingredients such as rendered, low-quality protein, corn, soy, wheat and rice. These ingredients can contribute to inflammation, diabetes, obesity, and other diseases such as cancer and kidney failure in pets.

There are some Vets that are not educated enough to give you unbiased advice on pet nutrition. Most of the courses that are offered at the U.S. Veterinary Schools are taught by a rep of a major pet food company. Of course they also get perks from these reps to help with their business so they are not going to cut off their nose to spite their face, if you know what I mean.

So what would be the best diet for our pets? Many would say a homemade diet and that is probably right but let's face in today's world many people don't have the time or know how to prepare homemade food for their pet's no matter how much we love them.

So they will choose commercial pet food and in doing that, one should read the label carefully to avoid carbohydrates and toxic preservatives and make sure it is human-grade ingredients and species appropriate. The quality and freshness of ingredients are important for your pet's food, so you need to know how to choose the right food.

Just because the package says healthy on the bag doesn't mean it's true, so do your homework.