AcirreKatz
Where bald is beautiful!
Raised in our home and ready for yours!
Exclusively Showing and Breeding Sphynx
National & International Champion Bloodlines
AcirreKatz Sphynx and Moonkatz Lykoi
Granbury 76048
ph: 8179374634
Acirreka
Ninja Kitty
Valor
HCM
HCM is a Heart disease that can affect people and animals including cats. Many purebred cats are known to have a higher incidents of HCM including Sphynx. This is why it is important to study pedigees so you can selectively breed, screen Sphynx ever year until at least age 8 and remove any cats and their offspring from breeding programs in-orderto reduce the number of cats that are affecedt by this horrble disease and of course to get the HCM positive cats the treatment they need so they don't silently suffer.
Even with those efforts HCM can so show up as there are various components to this disease therfore I recommend to everyone and require my clients to scan their Sphynx around one year of age and every year after that for HCM with a Board Certified Cardiologist not just a regular Veterinarian.
Read our personal stories below to get perspective of why we are so passionate and insistent on HCM scanning.
Ninja Kitty-our first HCM Sphynx:
Pictured below is Ninja Kitty with his owner and my dear friend Kristal at his first cat show where he excelled. Sadly this was his only cat show with Kristal. In all respects Ninja was a happy "healthy" Kitty with bright show career ahead of him and a great asset to Kristal's breeding program.
Unfortunetly when Ninja had his routine HCM screening and tragedy struck!
Ninja was HCM positive. Lucky for Ninja it is only a mild case for now not requiring medication. Because Kristal is a responsible breeder (and my trusted friend) we knew he couldn't be used for breeding risk passing HCM to
his offspring, grand-offspring etc. She promptly neutered him and found him a loving home where he will spend the rest of his days as a pet.
Valor
Before reading Valor's story please watch the video with sound on, afterwards please read his story. Copy and paste link for video.
https://www.facebook.com/1551587678/posts/10209592811727743/?d=n
This is the hardest to write and it has taken me 4.5 years to bring myself to share this story as it hurt so deeply. Above is my first born Tayton, who took 13 years to have, but that is a different story, this story is about Tayton and Valor. Tayton was born 3 mos after Valor. Valor always wanted to be with Tayton, they were instant bestfriends.
Their first year flew by and at just over age one Valor went in for his first of many heart scans in the Cardiology department at Texas A&M. Heartache struck, Valor was HCM positive.
We were devastated beyond belief. Not because of what this meant for our Sphynx breeding program, but because of the relationship Valor and Tayton had that was like none I had ever seen before, a bond and innocent genuine love that was undeniable.
We were asked to participate in a research program that involved Valor taking medication and more trips to A&M than I could count for ultrasounds on his heart to see if it had any positive effects on his heart, unfortunately there was no change for Valor and within 6 months his heart got worse and now needed traditional heart medications to try and slow the progression and prevent blood clots. 
We were asked to participate in a research program that involed Valor takeing medication and more trips to A&M than I could count for ultrasounds on his heart to see if it had any positive effects on his heart, unforortunately there was no change for Valor and within 6 months his heart got worse and now needed traditonal heart medictions to try and slow the progression and prevent blood clots. 
Another 6 months went by and we could see Valor was less playful and slept more; at his next Cardiology appointment we only had more bad news, Valor was in full-blown Congestive Heart Failure. We chose to give him supportive care and keep him comfortable. He was tired of oral medication and had started fighting us over it, so we were grateful to be able to get Lasix as an injectable with the smallest needle. We started daily injections of the Lasix to keep the fluid off his heart which other wise made it very hard for him to breathe. The great thing about the injectable is we were able to adjust his dosage easily. 
The weeks and months continued to pass and I could see that his physical condition was starting to deteriorate, his muscle mass was dwindling, his personality was still very loving to us, but he had little tolerance for the cats who wanted to play with him. He was now have difficulty maintaining his body temperature and needed constant exterior. The fluid build up around his heart became harder and harder to control, his breathing became labored and his Lasix dosage seemed to need to be increased often to try and keep him comfortable. I knew Valor's time was limited, my heart broke for my son and for Valor. I tried to prepare my son on his level that Valor would someday soon go to heaven and we had to be kind and let go when it was his time as his heart was wearing out. We even took him to the Veterinarian to have euthanized. Our wonderful Vet looked him over and asked a very important question "Does Valor still make effort to be with the family?" My answer was yes, so since he still wanted to be with us we brought him back home. 
Three weeks later, August 8, 2016 Valor developed what is called a saddle thrombosis which is common in HCM cats; we found Valor in the litter box cold, paralyzed and still breathing. I no longer remember every detail, but I bawled. We wrapped him in a blanket, got the litter out of his mouth and eyes, then Tayton said his goodbyes and gave him kisses. We rushed him to our local Vet office and I never left his side. His blood pressure was so low they had to stick him 6 time to get a needle in to euthanize him. We choose to have him cremated and bring ashes home a weeks later. We Valor came home a couple weeks later and I cried some more, Tayton saw and said "Don't cry Mama, Valor is ok, he's in heaven." 
The last few pictures of Valor and the video of Valor and Tayton were taken during his last 3 weeks. I love all the animals I have a relationship with, but some have a very special spot in my heart and when they are gone it leaves a painful scar for life.
Ninja and Valor are at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to what happens to HCM cats; there is varying degrees between the two, but none of it is good, so if I have to explain why it is important to scan Sphynx for HCM with a Cardio Vet or why it is important to get a Sphynx from someone who scans and scans their Sphynx yearly to at least 8 years of age, then you are heartless and don't need a Sphynx.
Detail information on HCM
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy ("HCM") is a disease of the myocardium (the muscle of the heart) in which a portion of the myocardium is hypertrophied (thickened) without any obvious cause. It is perhaps most well known as a leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young athletes. A cardiomyopathy is a primary disease that affects the muscle of the heart. With hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the sarcomeres (contractile elements) in the heart increase in size, which results in the thickening of the heart muscle.
Feline HCM:
Feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common heart disease in cats; the disease process and genetics are believed to be similar to the disease in humans.[
It is characterized by an abnormally thickened (hypertrophic) myocardium, the muscle that forms the heart wall.
Because of its increased thickness, the myocardium becomes stiffer and does not distend enough to allow complete, so a lower blood volume will be pumped into circulation after each heart beat eventually, the upper heart chambers (atria) dilate in response to the increased pressure in the lower chambers (ventricles).
Initially, the affected cat does not present any noticeable symptoms (compensatory phase). However, with time, the pressure may also increase in the left atrium and, subsequently, in the vessels that carry blood from the lungs to the left atrium. These vessels become engorged with blood and, eventually, fluid will leak from the vessels into the lungs (pulmonary edema) or chest cavity (pleural effusion).
If fluid starts building up in the lungs or chest cavity, the cat starts breathing with difficulty and at a faster rate (usually more than 40-50 breaths per minute). This symptomatic phase of the disease is called “congestive heart failure” or simply CHF.
While medication is not commonly given to cats with HCM that have no clinical signs, it has been shown that an ACE inhibitor is beneficial when heart failure is present (at which time a diuretic is most beneficial). Diltiazem generally produces no demonstrable benefit and Atenolol is commonly administered when systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve is present.
Unfortunately, death can occur without any other signs present making the disease a difficult and sometimes a deadly one.
While there is no cure for HCM, early detection and regular echocardiograms are key to trying to ward off life-threatening problems.
Possible complications of severe HCM
Thromboembolic disease (TED) is relatively common of Feline HCM. The etiology remains a little uncertain, but it is thought that ischemic damage to the hypertrophied left ventricular myocardium facilitates thrombus formation and subsequent embolism. Classically the embolus lodges at the iliac bifurcation of the aorta, occluding either one or both of the common iliac arteries. Clinically this presents as a cat with complete loss of function in one or both hind limbs. The hindlimbs are cold, and the cat is in considerable pain. This pain derives from the exaggerated inflammatory response to the embolus at the point of impact, and the inflammatory mediators released generally have a vasoconstrictor effect further exacerbating the problem.
Treatment of TED is variable - typically very low doses of aspirin may be prescribed (aspirin however is extremely toxic to cats and should only be prescribed and administered by a veterinary surgeon). Plavix is also another widely used drug that may or may not prevent clot formation in HCM cats. The FATCAT study at Purdue University is addressing the efficacy of aspirin vs. Plavix for the prevention of a second clot in cats that have already experienced a clot. Thrombolytic agents (e.g., tissue plasminogen activators) have been used successfully, but their cost is usually prohibitively high in veterinary medicine. Despite the relative efficacy of treatment, the prognosis for cats with TED is poor as they are likely to have significant HCM already, and a recurrent bout of TED is very likely. For this reason unfortunately euthanasia is often considered in TED cats.
How you can Help!
Please HCM scan your cat, it may prolong your cats life it will help me keep the strong bloodlines breeding that do not have HCM showing up in them and will help eliminate the continued breeding of week bloodlines that do have HCM showing.
Additional HCM articles
http://www.petside.com/condition/cat/hypertrophic-cardiomyopathy-feline
http://www.ivis.org/proceedings/navc/2007/SAE/065.asp?LA=1
http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/Pages/06_Meurs_final.pdf
http://mysite.verizon.net/jachinitz/hcm/hcmbr1008.pdf
HCM is a Heart disease that can affect people and animals including cats. Many purebred cats are known to have a higher incidents of HCM including Sphynx. This is why it is important to study pedigees so you can selectively breed, screen Sphynx ever year until at least age 8 and remove any cats and their offspring from breeding programs to reduce the number of cats that are affect by this horrble disease and to get the HCM positive cats the treatment they need so they don't silently suffer.
Even with those efforts HCM can so show up as there are various components to this disease.
I recommend to everyone and require my clients to scan their Sphynx around one year of age and every year after that for HCM with a Board Certified Cardiologist not just a regular Veterinarian.
Please read our personal stories below to get perspective of why we are so passionate and insistent on HCM scanning.
HCM is a Heart disease that can affect people and animals including cats. Many purebred cats are known to have a higher incidents of HCM including Sphynx. This is why it is important to study pedigees so you can selectively breed, screen Sphynx ever year until at least age 8 and remove any cats and their offspring from breeding programs to reduce the number of cats that are affect by this horrble disease and to get the HCM positive cats the treatment they need so they don't silently suffer.
Even with those efforts HCM can so show up as there are various components to this disease.
I recommend to everyone and require my clients to scan their Sphynx around one year of age and every year after that for HCM with a Board Certified Cardiologist not just a regular Veterinarian.
Please read our personal stories below to get perspective of why we are so passionate and insistent on HCM scanning.
HCM is a Heart disease that can affect people and animals including cats. Many purebred cats are known to have a higher incidents of HCM including Sphynx. This is why it is important to study pedigees so you can selectively breed, screen Sphynx ever year until at least age 8 and remove any cats and their offspring from breeding programs to reduce the number of cats that are affect by this horrble disease and to get the HCM positive cats the treatment they need so they don't silently suffer.
Even with those efforts HCM can so show up as there are various components to this disease.
I recommend to everyone and require my clients to scan their Sphynx around one year of age and every year after that for HCM with a Board Certified Cardiologist not just a regular Veterinarian.
HCM is a Heart disease that can affect people and animals including cats. Many purebred cats are known to have a higher incidents of HCM including Sphynx. This is why it is important to study pedigees so you can selectively breed, screen Sphynx ever year until at least age 8 and remove any cats and their offspring from breeding programs to reduce the number of cats that are affect by this horrble disease and to get the HCM positive cats the treatment they need so they don't silently suffer.
AcirreKatz Sphynx and Moonkatz Lykoi
Granbury 76048
ph: 8179374634
Acirreka