Resumo
Background: Congenital defects and diseases have hereditary or acquired etiology that affects domestic and wildlife animals, and humans. These anomalies are usually isolated and their location and intensity determine the survival of affected animals. Congenital malformations in domestic cats are less frequent than in dogs. Although some racial groups of cats seem to present greater predisposition to develop certain types of congenital defects and / or hereditary diseases, such information is controversial and has been discussed in several reports. Some malformations are rare in cats and poorly reported in Brazil and when they occur, mostly, are not identified or the etiology is unknown. Case: This report describes the clinicopathological features of three newborn Persian kittens of the same dam. They were examined soon after birth because had multiple congenital malformations that involved the oral and nasal cavities, limbs, eyes, abdominal cavity and the vertebrae. The abnormalities were characterized by hyperextension in limbs and palatosquisis (Kittens 1, 2, and 3), unilateral and bilateral clinical anophthalmia (Kittens 1 and 3, respectively), unilateral cheiloschisis (Kittens 2), kyphosis, and abdominosquisis (1). At necropsy the Kitten 1 showed in the right eye socket rudiments of the eye covered with skin, and failure in the lining of the hard palate with bilateral hypoplasia of the soft palate. Microscopically, the microphthalmia was confirmed, and were observed dysplastic structures similar to the lens, retina and the ciliary body, and periocular glandular structures, as well as confirmed aplasia cutis in the hard palate with abrupt failure in the ectodermal and mesodermal tissues. Based on epidemiological findings, as well as the types of macroscopic and microscopic changes observed in this study, suggests hereditary component to the pathogenesis of these malformations. Discussion: The epidemiological and clinicopathological findings presented by the three Persian cats malformed suggested hereditary congenital abnormalities associated with high degree of inbreeding. Inbreeding corresponds to the crossing between individuals of the same family tree, it is reported in many species and allows unwanted remaining genes being passed on and increase the chances of defects and hereditary diseases in the offspring. Although many of these abnormalities are infrequent and many of them are rare in cats. Several reports point to possible etiologies associated with genetic defects and hereditary diseases in cats. However, there are many congenital abnormalities similar to those observed in this study developed after exposure to stressors during pregnancy, not observed in this work. In this study the association of multiple hereditary anomalies with changes occurring in the offspring are enhanced not only by the account of inbreeding in the cattery, but also by the data concerning the handling of animals, which ruled out the possibility of changes caused by medications or stress caused by the cat during pregnancy. Comparing the human species the chances of the conditions described in this report are inherited are high and can be seen as a consensus among most authors, that animals with these defects should not be introduced into breeding schemes. There are no reports of malformations similar to those observed in this study, occurring simultaneously in the feline species in Brazil. Because of possible hereditary etiology is recommended castration of animals which survive to the abnormalities.