Cat owners and breeders especially must learn not only what to feed and how to groom their cats but how to type their cats as well (their feline blood type), as blood types can have an impact to our cats' health.
Although considered as having only one blood group system, cats have three serological blood types: types A, B and AB.
Unlike type A which is present in 94% to 99% of domestic cats, type AB is very rare, occurring below 1% in all domestic cats breeds in the United States.
Feline blood types are often described to have been associated with location. For example, in the United States, type B cats are usually found in the West Coast and northwest of the island. However, pedigreed cats are an exception. The rate of occurrence of the blood type among these cats does not differ geographically.
Siamese cats, which have an oriental blood, have type A blood. Other type A cat breeds are Ocicat, Oriental Shorthair cats, Burmese cats and Russian Blue cats. British Shorthair cats, Devon Rex and Cornish Rex are among the breeds that have been found to have frequent occurrence of type B blood.
Moreover, this type of blood has natural antibodies that can fight against another feline blood type. Type A cats, for example, have antibodies that are naturally designed to destroy type B blood. This also goes with type B blood although type A, in comparison with type B, has weaker anti-B antibodies. Type AB does not have antibodies.
This types are usually determined based on the presence of antibodies in the blood. This is done through blood tests. Also, feline blood types can be determined through detection of mutations in CMAH gene by blood samples.
The importance of knowing all these feline blood types goes in case of blood transfusion or in case or neonatal isoerytrolysis (NI) in newborn kittens, which results in wrong crossbreeding.
Incompatible blood transfusion may cause hemolytic anemia or breakdown of red blood cells, which may result to fatigue and shortness of breath or even death, in cats. In addition, incompatibility in blood transfusion can have anaphylactic reactions in the cat.
NI happens when a kitten is born from a crossbreed of type B queen and type A male cat. In this event, the kitten will suffer from hemolytic disease, which can lead to death. Symptoms of this disease are restlessness, brown coloration of the urine, gasping, necrosis of the tail tip, and icterus or yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes.
Although NI can be treated by transfusions, most kittens do not survive. As prevention is better than cure, breeders must find out their feline blood types before having their cats mate. Breeders can visit the nearest vet clinic.
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