Epidemiology and clinical presentation of feline presumed hereditary or breed-related ocular diseases in France: retrospective study of 129 cats

Abstract

Objectives This study aimed to describe the epidemiology and clinical presentation of presumed hereditary or presumed breed-related ocular diseases in a population of cats in France. Methods Medical records from between September 2013 and August 2017 were reviewed to identify cats with at least one presumed hereditary or breed-related ocular disease. Cats with concurrent, or a history of, ocular or systemic infectious diseases were excluded. Signalment, history and clinical findings were recorded. Results Of the 1161 cats that presented to our institution during the study period, 129 were diagnosed with at least one presumed hereditary or presumed breed-related ocular disease (11.1%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 9.3–12.9). Five ocular abnormalities had a prevalence of >1%: entropion, corneal sequestration, persistent pupillary membrane, cataract and retinal dysplasia. The prevalence of entropion was 2.2% (95% CI 1.3–3.0), with Persians ( P = 0.03), Maine Coons ( P <0.01) and male cats ( P <0.01) being over-represented. The prevalence of corneal sequestration was 2.4% (95% CI 1.5–3.3), with Persians ( P <0.01) and Exotic Shorthairs ( P = 0.02) being over-represented. Persistent pupillary membranes and cataracts had the same prevalence of 2.3% (95% CI 1.5–3.2), with no particular sex or breed significantly over-represented. Retinal dysplasia had a prevalence of 1.6% (95% CI 0.8–2.3) and Persian cats were over-represented ( P = 0.04). Anterior segment dysgenesis had a low prevalence (0.9%, 95% CI 0.4–1.5), with all affected cats being domestic shorthairs and this breed therefore was over-represented ( P = 0.04). Conclusions and relevance In a French population of cats, presumed hereditary or breed-related ocular diseases accounted for 11.1% of all ocular diseases. Cataracts, corneal sequestration, persistent pupillary membrane, entropion and retinal dysplasia were the most common conditions. Statistical breed over-representation was observed for entropion, corneal sequestration and retinal dysplasia. We recommend that more systematic screening of feline species is conducted.