American Wirehair: Breed, History, Personality traits, and Health

These cats have rounded faces and thick limbs covered in short, wiry hair. This breed is average in size and with affectionate personalities and makes a loving pet. 

This cat is small to average and has short hair with many colors and solid color patterns. They are good with children, seniors, dogs, and other cats. They can be affectionate and make for a good lap cat. This cat has a life span of 10 – 16 years.

With short hair or heavier coats, very little hands-on care is needed from their owners. Normal maintenance like nail, ear, and dental care will be required.

They are also intelligent and independent. They’re happy to be alone if you live a busy life. 

They love both interactive and self-play. This breed will adapt perfectly to whatever house routine and lifestyle you have. 

This breed is an ideal house pet; they get along well with pets and their human companions. With plenty of love to give, this breed will fit right into a large or small family with children of any age. 

This is a good breed for first-time pet owners who may have any type of lifestyle and home. 
American Wirehairs aren’t a noisy cat breed; if you live in an apartment, you won’t need to worry about their meowing being heard. 

They are brilliant and adept hunters; bird watching and pest control are valuable perks to having this cat as a pet. 

Because of their intelligence, they are easy to train and play with and extremely friendly demeanor toward humans, other pets, and even strangers. They make a loveable lap cat that will make any person adore them.

They are ambiverts, so they can tolerate being alone and enjoy lots of attention as well. Not only that, but they have a high prey drive and double as pest-control, should you need it. 

This cat has similar needs to any other cat breed. 

They have a high potential for weight gain, but their most significant risk includes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and hip dysplasia. This is likely due to them being a newly mutated breed. 

Origin

United States

Health

Dr. Adedapo Adisa:

Native to upstate New York, a purely American cat breed. American wirehair cat breed is a mutant breed with the distinctive appearance of a wiry coat, giving the cat a springy appearance. 

Despite being athletic, with an average lifespan of between 8-16 years, the American wirehair cat enjoys quiet time. 

Like the American shorthair, the American wirehair cats are also known for their hunting abilities, especially insects.

Because of their resemblances with the American shorthair cats and being bred together at some point, the American wirehair cats have inherited a few health conditions. However, they still have a good health status.

One inherited medical condition that American wirehair cats are known to have is Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a health issue that affects the smooth muscle that forms the walls of the heart. 

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the American wirehair cat is characterized by the thickening of the heart’s muscular walls (hypertrophy), especially the part of the heart that is responsible for pumping out blood (Left ventricles). 

The cause of Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the American wirehair cat is still unknown; however, it is believed to be a result of genetic mutation.

The thickening (Hypertrophy) of walls of the left ventricles prevents it from relaxing adequately, thus affecting the corresponding upper section (left atrium) to increase in size in the American wirehair cats.

The resulting effect on the left atrium leads to a severe condition known as congestive heart failure and clot-forming in the left atrium, leading to sudden death.

Although this cat breed may present with no symptoms, common signs to watch out for in American wirehair cats having hypertrophic cardiomyopathy includes;

●    Cardiac murmurs (sound heard from the heart as blood flows through).
●    Irregular heart rhythms
●    Difficulty in breathing or rapid breathing.
●    Excessive panting
●    In severe cases, there could be partial lameness or paralysis due to clots formed occluding some blood vessels.

One important diagnostic technique used to diagnose hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the American wirehair cat breed would be echocardiography. This is simply evaluating the heart by taking an ultrasound of the heart. 

Other diagnostic approaches include screening out high blood pressure, checking for blood thyroid levels, and electrocardiogram (ECG) to evaluate the heart rhythms.

It is best to make sure your cat is properly checked by a Veterinarian if any of these symptoms have been noticed. This is Because early detection can still salvage the health conditions.

Medications may be prescribed to help control the heart’s activities and rhythm. Some tablets might also be given to prevent clots and thin the blood a little, while your veterinarian may also prescribe diuretics to reduce the fluid build-up.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the American cat breed tends to be a health condition that slowly progresses, some cats that show the serious progression of symptoms have fewer chances of surviving. 

It is important to routinely check the health of the American wirehair cat, and if hypertension cardiomyopathy has been diagnosed, the cat should be removed from any breeding programs.