Arabian Mau screening has 3 targets and they interact: gum disease, indoor weight gain and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The mouth is checked at 6 months and scored every 6 months after that, weight is a monthly number with a calorie target, and the echo starts at 12 months. Year 1 costs 350 to 700 dollars, which is 2,520 to 5,040 yuan at 7.2, and most of it is the dental visit, not the heart.
The mouth at 6 months, not at the first smell
Gum disease is the earliest measurable problem in this line, and it is staged, not guessed. Lift the lip at the 6 month visit and score the gum line on both sides from 0 to 4: 0 is a thin pink margin, 1 is a red line with no swelling, 2 is redness with 1 to 2 mm of swelling, 3 bleeds when touched, 4 shows ulceration or recession. Stage 1 and 2 respond to brushing; stage 3 needs a scale and polish under anaesthetic; stage 4 needs a radiograph and a plan for extractions. Ask for full mouth dental X-rays at the same appointment from age 2, because resorptive lesions and bone loss between roots cannot be seen from the outside. A cat that eats dry food in 1 quick burst, then leaves the room to chew on one side, is showing you pain, not fussiness.
Weight: the number that moves the other 2 risks
An indoor cat that was lean at 1 year is often 1.5 kg heavier at 5, and that gain is what makes the mouth and the heart worse. Weigh monthly on the same scale and score body condition out of 9; 5 is the target, 7 and above is the point where a plan starts. Feed to a calculated number, not a scoop: resting energy requirement is about 70 times body weight in kilograms to the power of 0.75, which is roughly 234 kcal for a 5 kg cat, and a loss plan feeds 80 percent of that, near 187 kcal, with a target of 0.5 to 1 percent of body weight lost per week. Weigh the food on a kitchen scale in grams, because a cup of dry food varies by 20 to 30 percent between brands. A plateau after 4 weeks usually means a second food source, not a broken metabolism.
HCM: the echo at 12 months
HCM is the reason the calendar starts at 12 months rather than at 7 years. Most cardiologists use the same cut-offs across breeds: wall thickness under 5.0 mm is normal, 5.0 to 5.9 mm earns a recheck in 6 months, 6.0 mm or more meets the usual definition and needs a plan inside the week. The left atrium to aorta ratio above 1.5 is the second flag, above 1.7 changes the plan within 7 days. Pay 220 to 450 dollars (1,580 to 3,240 yuan), ask for wall thickness, LA/Ao and any systolic anterior motion in writing, and repeat every 12 months; after 3 clean scans the interval can go to 24 months. Breeders of Mau-type cats should treat a murmur at 6 months as a reason to move the echo forward, not to wait for 12. Prescription heart drugs such as beta blockers, calcium channel blockers and diuretics are vet decisions, by vet prescription only.
The 2 quiet tests: urine and X-ray
Urine once a year from age 2, with specific gravity, protein and sediment, 30 to 60 dollars (220 to 430 yuan). Add a chemistry panel and a T4 from age 8, 80 to 160 dollars (580 to 1,150 yuan), because an older cat that loses weight is not automatically a cat that needs less food. An abdominal X-ray at 120 to 300 dollars (860 to 2,160 yuan) is worth it once if the cat has had 2 bouts of bladder signs in a year, since stones and a thick bladder wall look different on film. On DNA: no variant is validated for this breed, so a test is a question for the lab rather than a result. If the cat's origin is unclear, the breed quiz is the cheaper first step, and the Egyptian Mau plan shows how a close Mau line handles the same 3 targets.
4 signals you can check at home
Breathing: count chest movements for 30 seconds in deep sleep, twice a week, with 30 breaths a minute as the ceiling and 40 as the reason to call. Weight: monthly, and a 5 percent gain in 8 weeks is a plan, not a note. Chewing: watch 1 meal a week and note head tilt, dropped kibble or a pause on one side. Grooming: a cat that stops washing its lower back is either in pain or too heavy to reach, and both are findings.
Call within these hours
| What you see | Call within | Why the clock is short |
|---|---|---|
| Open-mouth breathing at rest, or 40 breaths a minute | 0 to 1 hour | fluid in the lungs with a failing heart |
| Back legs cold or dragging | 0 hours, emergency | a clot in the aorta, minutes matter |
| Swelling under 1 eye with drooling | 6 to 12 hours | a tooth root abscess can drain into the face |
| Jaw held open, cannot close the mouth | 4 to 6 hours | jaw fracture or dislocation |
| No food for 24 hours plus hiding | 24 hours | fatty liver risk after 48 to 72 hours |
What it costs, in 2 currencies
| Item | When | USD | CNY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual visit with oral exam and score | 6 months, then yearly | 60 to 120 | 430 to 860 |
| Dental X-ray, scale and polish | from 2 years, every 12 to 24 months | 400 to 900 | 2,880 to 6,480 |
| Extraction, per tooth | as needed | 80 to 250 | 580 to 1,800 |
| Echo | 12 months, then yearly | 220 to 450 | 1,580 to 3,240 |
| Chemistry, T4 and urinalysis | from 8 years, yearly | 80 to 160 | 580 to 1,150 |
Yuan values hold 1 dollar at 7.2. The dental visit is the largest single line, so book it in the same month as the echo and pay 1 anaesthetic instead of 2.
5 steps for this month
- Lift the lip and score both sides 0 to 4; photograph the worst side.
- Weigh the cat and calculate the daily grams for 234 kcal per 5 kg.
- Book the 12 month echo and the dental X-ray in 1 anaesthetic slot.
- Start the sleep breathing log: 30 seconds, twice a week, ceiling 30.
- Watch 1 meal and note which side the cat chews on.
Nothing here diagnoses. HCM needs an echo, gum disease needs a probe and a radiograph, and obesity needs a measured weight rather than an impression. The evidence base deserves a plain statement: published breed-specific figures for the Arabian Mau are limited, so this plan borrows the HCM cut-offs used across breeds and ordinary feline dental and nutrition practice. A 12 month baseline is the part that pays off, because it is taken while the cat still looks well.
Terms mentioned in this article
Frequently asked
How fast should an overweight cat lose weight?
About 0.5 to 1 percent of body weight per week, which is 25 to 50 g a week for a 5 kg cat, at roughly 80 percent of the resting energy requirement. Faster loss in a cat risks muscle loss and hepatic lipidosis, so weigh weekly and stop cutting calories once the drop passes 1 percent.
Is a heart murmur at 6 months worth an echo?
Yes, and earlier than the 12 month calendar date. A murmur in a kitten or young adult can come from a congenital defect or from early HCM, and the echo answers both in 20 minutes. Wall thickness under 5.0 mm and an LA/Ao under 1.5 mean you can go back to the yearly schedule.
Do I need dental X-rays if the teeth look clean?
Yes, from age 2. Clean crowns say nothing about the roots, and resorptive lesions plus bone loss between roots are only visible on film. The radiograph is the reason for the anaesthetic, not the polish, and it decides whether a tooth is saved or extracted.