Blood Group

Blood group incompatibility between mother and kittens can lead to poisoning of the kittens (neonatal erythrolysis)

Symptoms
Neonatal erythrolysis is related to incompatibility of the kitten with its mother's milk. This phenomenon is mainly observed in Blood group A kittens when the mother is blood group B. When the mother produces milk, the anti-A antibodies in the mother's colostrum will pass into the bloodstream of the blood group A kitten and can cause neonatal erythrolysis in kittens. The symptoms are as follows: red urine, jaundice, necrosis of the extremities of paws, ears and tail, potentially fatal anaemia in the kitten.

Gene involved
CMAH

Mutation tested
c.268T>A ; c.179G>T ;
c.1322delT ; c.364C>T

Transmission mode : Autosomal recessive
Age of onset : From birth

Publication : Kehl et al. (2018). Molecular characterization of blood type A, B, and C (AB) in domestic cats and a CMAH genotyping scheme.