Cross Breeds

Is there a cancer link in Maine Coon Cats. A friend has lost 3 now and all to the same kind of cancer.?

Us it a problem of that particular breed? She is afraid to get another Maine Coon because of this. I think all three were somehow related but all had the same father but different mothers. I do not know the actual type of cancer but it was mentioned at one point by her vet that it was spread from cat to cat.

Public Comments

1. It's a problem with that breeder. She should look for a different breeder.
2. was it leukemia? because that is contageous between cats....
3. Maine Coons are generally long lived. Mine lived 22 yrs. When you run into this, there are two possibilities.. One is that it is the same line, and that the fault is in the genetics. If she bought all three from the same line, then they can of course share traits that are bad. That is the problem with purebreds, they often share as much negative baggage as positive traits. Next... she needs to examine where she lives and she could be living in a contaminated environment. Small animals succumb to the effects of environmental toxins much more quickly.. which means it could be in her water or her home.
4. Is that person buying from the same breeder? It is a genetic thing, clearly a bad trait goes through that family of cats. OR (Although highly doubted) it is the environment around them. This is highly unlikely because chemicals around would not instantly cause cancer, but raise chances. Which wouldn't cause them all to get cancer. So I'm sure it's a genetic problem within that family of cats.
5. If it spread from cat to cat, then it's feline leukemia or feline aids and it's not really a cancer. It all started with the first unvaccinated sick cat... They are both viral diseases; very contagious to other cats.