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. 2019 Sep 17;9(1):12952.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-49317-4.

Persian cats under first opinion veterinary care in the UK: demography, mortality and disorders

Dan G O'Neill  1 , Charlotte Romans  2 , Dave C Brodbelt  2 , David B Church  3 , Petra Černá  4   5 , Danièlle A Gunn-Moore  5
Affiliations

Persian cats under first opinion veterinary care in the UK: demography, mortality and disorders

Dan G O'Neill et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Persian cats are a popular cat breed worldwide, and especially in the US, Europe and Asia. This study aimed to describe the demography, common disorders and mortality in Persians under general practice veterinary care in 2013 in the UK. The study population of 285,547 cats overall included 3235 (1.1%) Persians. Mean adult Persian bodyweight was 3.9 kg (SD 0.9) and median age was 7.0 years (IQR 3.3-11.6). At least one disorder was recorded in 2099 (64.9%) Persians. The most common specific disorders were haircoat disorders (411, 12.7%), periodontal disease (365, 11.3%), overgrown nails (234, 7.2%), and ocular discharge (188, 5.8%). The most common disorder groups were dermatological (578, 17.9%), ophthalmological (496, 15.3%) and dental (397, 12.3%). Median longevity was 13.5 years (IQR 9.9-16.0). The most common grouped causes of death were renal disease (102, 23.4%), neoplasia (37, 8.5%) and mass-associated disorder (35, 8.0%). This is the first study to use general practice data to examine the overall health of Persian cats. With haircoat, ocular and dental disorders being the predominant disorders identified, this study highlights the need for increased owner awareness to manage and prevent the typical health problems associated with this breed's phenotype.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Age pyramid for female and male Persian cats attending UK general-care veterinary clinics participating in the VetCompass Programme. (Females n = 1569, Males n = 1609).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Bodyweight growth curves overlaid with a cross medians line plot for female and male Persian cats attending UK general-care veterinary clinics participating in the VetCompass Programme. (Females n = 909, Males n = 951).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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