$50 AUD (Approximately $45 USD / 33 EUR)

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in Maine Coon cats is caused by a large deletion in chromosome A1 that eliminates two genes.

SMA is inherited in an autosomal recessive fashion. Affected kittens, having two copies of the deletion, will have inherited a deletion from both parents.

Carriers of the SMA deletion (carrying only one copy) show no signs of the disease. If two carriers mate then by probability, approximately 25% of kittens will have SMA.

A simple DNA test to identify the SMA deletion is now available for Maine Coons. A simple cheek swab can be sent to our laboratory to identify whether a cat is either affected or a carrier.

The test can be performed on cats of any age, so long as you can obtain a reliable sample.

• Request for free DNA collection sample kit
• View sample collection procedure