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Showing posts from November, 2022

Glycogen Storage Disease Type IV in Norwegian Forest Cats

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Norwegian Forest cats are known to be predisposed to developing Glycogen Storage Disease Type IV as it is a genetically inherited disease passed down from their parents. As I understand it, if both parents carry the genetic mutation which causes the disease, the offspring have a 25% chance of being affected. If one parent doesn't have the disease but the other is a carrier the resultant offspring will not be affected but will have a 50% chance of being a carrier. Healthy NFC kittens. Image credit as stated. The disease affects other animals such as horses. In horses, the frequency of the diseases 8.3% in Quarter Horses and 7.1% in Paint Horses. I could not find the level of prevalence of this disease in Norwegian Forest Cats. However, it is a known inherited disease as mentioned. Another term for Glycogen Storage Disease Type IV is "glycogen branching enzyme deficiency". This is because the affected individuals lack the enzyme necessary to store glycogen in its branched f

'Pans Truls' the ORIGINAL Norwegian Forest tomcat born 1st of May 1973

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Pans Truls (Pan's Truls) is the original Norwegian Forest tomcat from which the breed standard was written, and it still applies today. I find that interesting. It is the first time that I have seen a photograph of the foundation cat of an entire cat breed. It should remind us of how the Norwegian Forest Cat (NFC) should look. Here he is. Pans Truls the original Norwegian Forest Cats born 1st of May 1973. The photo is in the public domain (certain). Breeders can sometimes wander from the breed standard. Pans Truls is the target. The quality of the photo is poor. I have enlarged it slightly. It is actually a photograph of a print of a photograph. This accounts for the poor quality. Pans Truls was a brown tabby and white. He had a very copious coat. Look how full it is. A Google Scholar abstract (summary) tells us a bit about this handsome tomcat who was so crucial in the creation of the NFC.   Below is a re-writing of that summary (further summarised!): "This passage (the abstr