Maine coon kittens Quebec

Maine Coon Health Issues

The typical Maine Coon lifespan is around 13 years, which is on the shorter end of the average cat life expectancy. And because they’re prone to inheriting certain diseases from their parents, Savageau recommends purchasing health insurance when you bring home a Maine Coon kitten.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common form of heart disease in cats.

Many cats don’t show symptoms in the early stages of the disease. But as it progresses, cats may go into  heart failure and show symptoms including shortness of breath, coughing, and lethargy.

Fortunately, there are a few approaches to getting ahead of the disease:

• At-home feline DNA tests. HCM is a heart disease that, genetically, presents different across breeds. “Maine Coons can have a mutation in two genes that can cause this disease,” Savageau explains. At-home DNA tests may have the technology to test for these mutations before your cat shows clinical signs.

• Preventative care. The gold standard of preventive medicine for Maine Coon cats is to have an annual echocardiogram (heart ultrasound), Savageau says. It’s also useful to ask your Maine Coon breeder if HCM runs in your cat’s lines.