Blödningsbenägenhet hos bengalkatter

Sammanfattning: During the years 2005-2007 several cases of abnormal bleeding were seen after surgery in Bengal cats on veterinary clinics and animal hospitals in Sweden. In this study we have examined if the observed bleedings are due to an inherited defect of the coagulation cascade. Ten Bengal cats were tested for activated partial thromboplastin time (P-APT-time) and one-stage protrombin time (P-PK), and nine of these cats were tested for fibrinogen quantity (P-fibrinogen). Four of the tested cats had shown signs of an abnormal bleeding after surgery, and five of the cats were genetically related to these cats. One cat had a small bleeding wound at the internal base of the right auricle. None of the ten cats that were examined showed abnormal P-APT-time, P-PK or P-fibrinogen levels. This indicates that the abnormal bleeding is not due to a defect in the inner, outer or common pathway of the coagulation cascade. The cat that showed pathological bleeding from a small wound on the auricle was in addition tested for buccal mucosal bleeding time (BMBT) and platelet numbers. BMBT was significantly increased while the number of platelets was normal. This could indicate a platelet dysfunction or possibly von Willebrand's disease. A suggestion for further studies of bleeding disorders in the Bengal cat is that one should look into the primary haemostasis by testing BMBT and determine platelet numbers.