Highlander Care Calendar: Curled Ears, Knees, Heart

A Highlander is a big cat with two unusual features that both need maintenance: ears that curl back, which narrows the canal, and a short tail that comes with the same cartilage family of genes. Add a frame that reaches 9 kg and a reputation for jumping, and the year becomes about ears, knees, weight and a heart listen.

What the year protects

Four things. Ears, because the curl reduces airflow and traps wax, and infections in a curled canal are easy to miss until they smell. Knees, because patellar luxation turns up in heavy athletic cats and shows as a skip rather than a limp. Heart, because HCM is reported in the breed. Weight, because a 9 kg cat carrying 800 g extra loads every joint it lands on.

The year at a glance

Period	Health tasks	Coat, ears and home
January-February	Weigh; watch for skipping on a hind leg in cold weather	Weekly ear-fold check; nails trimmed; warm beds
March-April	Annual exam with heart listen and knee palpation	Brush weekly (twice for longhair); wash bedding
May-June	Parasite dose; vaccine dates; dental check	Secure garden run checked for gaps; harness fitted
July-August	Heat: play at dawn and dusk; water twice daily	Shade on the run; no jumping from height onto hot pavement
September-October	Autumn weight check; knee recheck if there was a skip	Brush twice weekly; clear fur from shelves
November-December	Year-end weigh; echo if a murmur was heard	Weekly ears; check the fold for wax and debris

Ears: the curl costs airflow

A curled ear looks open but the canal is bent, so wax and debris collect where you cannot see them. Check the fold weekly, lift the ear and look into the canal rather than at it, and clean with a vet-approved cleaner on a cotton pad — never a cotton swab down the canal. Brown discharge, a yeasty smell, head shaking or scratching at the ear means an infection, and curled canals need a vet's otoscope rather than a home guess.

Do not pluck hair from the canal unless your vet asks; the hair is part of the ear's defense. In humid months, dry the ear after any swim or bath, because a warm damp bent canal is the ideal place for a yeast overgrowth.

Knees: the skip, not the limp

Patellar luxation means the kneecap slips out of its groove, and in a heavy cat it usually shows as a skip: three steps normal, one hop, then normal again. Grades run 1 to 4 — grade 1 slips only on handling, grade 4 is permanently out and needs surgery. Ask for knee palpation at every annual exam from 12 months, and keep a 10-second video of any skip so the vet can grade it rather than guess.

Weight is the treatment. Every 500 g off a 9 kg cat reduces the load through the knee by roughly the same amount the joint carries per step, and a lean cat with grade 1-2 luxation often never needs an operation. Non-slip rugs on hard floors and a low-entry litter box reduce the slips that pop the kneecap out.

Heart: listen, then count

HCM is reported in the breed, so ask for auscultation yearly and book an echocardiogram within 4-6 weeks if a murmur turns up; breeding cats should be scanned at 12 months and again at 18-24 months. At home, count breaths while the cat is asleep: under 30 per minute is normal, a sustained 30-40 is a check, and over 40 or open-mouth breathing at rest is an emergency.

Weight on a large frame

The breed runs 4.5-9.1 kg with males at 15-20 lb, and a large frame hides 800 g the way a coffee table hides a book. Weigh monthly on a scale that goes to 15 kg — a kitchen scale will not do — and use body condition, not the breed standard: ribs felt under light pressure, a waist visible from above, a belly that tucks up. Feed measured meals twice a day, roughly 45-55 kcal per kg of ideal weight, and keep treats under 10 percent.

A growing Highlander kitten should gain steadily rather than in bursts; weigh weekly until 12 months and plot it, because a big-frame kitten that stops gaining at 6 months needs a vet visit rather than more food.

Nails, toes and the extra ones

Trim nails every 3-4 weeks, and count the toes first — Highlanders can be polydactyl, and an extra toe means an extra nail that curls into the pad if it is missed. Look at the underside of every paw, trim the dewclaws, and check the pads for splits after a summer of hot pavement. A cat that suddenly stops using a scratching post may have an ingrown nail, not a behavior problem.

Coat, height and the house

Brush weekly for the shorthair, twice weekly for the longhair, and expect a heavier shed in March-April and September-October. These are athletic jumpers, so give them vertical territory: a 180 cm cat tree, wall shelves at 1.2 m and 2 m, and a scratching post they can stand against at full stretch. A bored Highlander opens doors and rearranges shelves; a secure garden run of 3 x 3 m with a roof, or harness walks, uses the energy safely.

Five mistakes worth avoiding

• Cleaning only the visible part of a curled ear and calling it done.
• Treating a skip as a quirk instead of a kneecap that needs grading.
• Letting a 9 kg cat carry an extra kilo "because he is a big breed".
• Missing the fifth nail on a polydactyl paw until it grows into the pad.
• Skipping the annual listen because the cat is young and athletic.

When to call the vet

A hind leg held up for more than a few minutes, or a skip that becomes constant. Ear discharge, head tilt or loss of balance. Sleeping respiratory rate over 40, or open-mouth breathing. Not eating for 24 hours. A nail that has curled into the pad, or a paw that is swollen. Weight up 5 percent in three months.

1. Check both ear folds every Sunday and dry them after any bath.
2. Weigh monthly on a 15 kg scale and log it.
3. Film any skip; ask for knee palpation at the annual exam.
4. Count toes, then trim every 3-4 weeks.

Frequently asked