Many people often ask:
"It has grown from a small pet to a large one, yet it can still be so vicious that it even bites its owner."
"What's the explanation for his chronic illness and low resistance?"
"Why do animals like humans live so long, but I, who am not sick or in pain, have such a short life?"
In fact, all of the above are likely to be caused by inbreeding, resulting in health, behavior, and immune system problems. Why does inbreeding cause more health problems?
All of this can be attributed to genetic diseases, such as polycystic kidney disease (PKD), which is an autosomal dominant inherited disease (AD-PKD). As long as animals have this gene (PKD1), they are destined to develop the disease even if they do not have a carrier. If one parent has PKD1, there is a 50% chance that the offspring will also have PKD1. If both parents have PKD1, the chance of passing this gene to the next generation will jump to at least 70%. PKD is common in Persian cats or cats with Persian ancestry, Exotic Shorthair cats and British Shorthair cats. About 38% of Persian cats, or 6% of cats in the world, have PKD1.
There are two diagnostic methods in current medicine:
1: Genetic testing (100% accurate, can be performed when the animal is three or four months old, but not many countries have this technology.)
2: Ultrasonic examination (if the animal is ten months old and an experienced veterinarian is doing the examination, the accuracy can reach 95%). As the age increases, the water cysts in the kidneys will continue to grow larger and more numerous, and the number of normal kidney cells will gradually decrease. The kidneys will become abnormally large, and finally affect kidney function and lead to chronic renal failure. Sometimes in addition to the kidneys, the liver may also have cysts. Most cats with the disease will begin to show symptoms when they are five to eight years old (average seven years old): such as frequent urination, thirst, weight loss, loss of appetite, vomiting, drowsiness, general weakness, etc.
In the private breeding model in Hong Kong, cats that have not yet developed the disease are often used to breed the next generation. Generation after generation, PKD1 will be passed on endlessly, making every cat unavoidable and suffering from this genetic disease throughout their lives. Of course, you can't expect those so-called "owners" (actually cold-blooded breeders) to be willing to spend money to treat the small animals.
Next time you visit a pet store or buy a pet through home breeding, the "future child" you see is likely to have AD PKD. Cherish the little life and be a responsible owner. Support adoption, this is the right way for a civilized society.
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