Peterbald screening is a skin, mouth and temperature job before it is a heart job. The plan starts at 4 months, adds a cardiac echo at 12 months and a urinalysis at 14 months, and puts a number on the 2 problems owners most often miss: grease trapped in skin folds and teeth that never formed. Evidence for the breed is limited and published data is thin, so treat every line below as a monitoring schedule, not a risk score, and keep your own trend line. Three years of one cat's records beat any breed average.
What the first 14 months should contain
Four visits carry the whole early plan. At 4 months the vet checks every fold for moisture and redness, counts the teeth, and swabs any fold that smells. At 6 to 7 months, dental X-rays settle how many teeth actually formed, because a mouth that looks complete can hide 2 to 6 missing teeth under the gum. At 12 months a cardiac ultrasound measures wall thickness and the left atrium to aorta ratio (LA/Ao). At 14 months a urinalysis with urine specific gravity (USG) closes the baseline. No DNA test predicts this coat or HCM well enough to replace those exams, so the gene test worth ordering once is blood type, kept on file for a future transfusion. If all 4 come back normal, the cat moves onto a 12-month loop.
Skin folds: count them, then keep them dry
More folds mean more surface for sebum and yeast. Count the visible folds (neck 2 to 4, chin 1 to 2, legs 1 to 3) and photograph them on the same day each month, so a new crease reads as a change and not as a memory. Wipe with saline or a chlorhexidine wipe every 48 to 72 hours, dry the fold completely, and bathe every 7 to 10 days with an antiseptic or antifungal shampoo; that shampoo class is by veterinary prescription, and the label sets the contact time, usually 5 to 10 minutes. Between baths, a fold still damp 2 hours after cleaning is the earliest sign of trouble. Cytology from a tape strip or swab separates yeast from bacteria. Without it, owners spend 3 to 6 weeks treating the wrong organism.
The mouth: 26 teeth, then 30
A kitten has 26 deciduous teeth, an adult cat 30, and in this breed both counts often come up short. Count at 4 months, count again at 7 months, and write the number in the record. X-rays at 7 months show retained roots, malformed crowns and teeth that never erupted. A malformed incisor that causes no gum trauma is watched; one that traps food or rubs the palate is extracted under anesthesia. From age 2, a professional cleaning every 12 months with full-mouth X-rays every 24 months is the usual schedule. Brushing 5 to 7 times a week with an enzyme paste is the only home step with a real effect. Gums that bleed on 3 or more days in a row need a dental appointment within 2 weeks, not a new toothbrush.
Cold, draughts and the 39.4 C line
With little coat, the cat loses heat quickly and the upper airway pays for it. Hold rooms at 20 to 24 C, block floor-level draughts, and offer a heated bed at 26 to 28 C surface temperature that the cat can leave whenever it wants. Normal rectal temperature is 38.1 to 39.2 C. Two readings of 39.4 C or higher taken 4 hours apart mean a visit the same day; 40.0 C means now. A nail or wire scratch is usually 1 to 3 mm wide: clean with saline twice a day for 3 days and outline the edge with a pen, because infection shows up as 2 mm of spreading redness in 24 hours. Sneezing alone for 2 days is common. Sneezing with coloured nasal discharge for 3 days, or any open-mouth breathing, is not.
The 12-month loop, priced in 2 currencies
| Age | Skin and mouth | Echo | Urine | Cost USD | Cost CNY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 months | fold check, 26-tooth count | 0 | 0 | 95 | 684 |
| 7 months | 30-tooth count, dental X-ray | 0 | 0 | 180 | 1,296 |
| 12 months | fold cytology if dirty | 1 | 0 | 320 | 2,304 |
| 14 months | 0 | 0 | 1, USG and sediment | 140 | 1,008 |
| 2 to 6 years | dental cleaning every 12 months | 1 per year | 1 per year | 480 | 3,456 |
| 7 years and up | cleaning every 9 to 12 months | 1 per year | 2 per year, plus blood pressure | 620 | 4,464 |
Echo values that change the plan: septal thickness under 5.0 mm is normal, 5.0 to 5.9 mm earns a recheck in 6 months, and 6.0 mm or more is the usual definition of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). An LA/Ao over 1.5 pulls the next scan forward to 6 months, and over 1.7 the cardiologist wants the cat seen inside a week. USG between 1.035 and 1.060 is a normal concentrated sample. A reading under 1.020 on a cat that has had no water for 12 hours is a kidney flag and gets a recheck in 4 weeks.
Four signals to log at home
Once a week, in under 5 minutes: (1) a grease film on the bedding where the cat slept, visible within 3 days of a bath; (2) any fold that is red, warm, or carries a scab wider than 2 mm; (3) dropped food, chewing on 1 side, or bad breath that returns within 4 weeks of a cleaning; (4) 3 or more sneezes a day for 2 days, or a temperature of 39.4 C or above. Write the date and take a photo. Two or more of these inside the same 7 days deserves a call even when each one looks minor on its own.
When it cannot wait: the hours table
| Window | What you see | Temp C | Call within |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 2 hours | open-mouth breathing, blue gums | any | 0, drive now |
| 2 to 6 hours | no urine in 12 hours, or straining with no result | 38.1 to 39.2 | 6 hours |
| 6 to 12 hours | fold hot, spreading redness over 2 mm | 39.4 or higher | 12 hours |
| 12 to 24 hours | refusing food, 1-sided chewing, drooling | 38.5 to 39.4 | 24 hours |
| 24 to 72 hours | sneezing with coloured discharge for 3 days | under 38.1 | 72 hours |
Anti-itch steroids, antibiotics and antifungal drugs all sit behind the same gate: category only, by veterinary prescription, never from a shelf. A cat that stops eating for 24 hours is a separate emergency in this breed, because low body fat leaves little reserve.
Five steps for this week
1) Book the 4-month visit and ask for a written tooth count. 2) Photograph the folds today and set a monthly reminder. 3) Buy saline, wipes and a 0.1 C thermometer. 4) Put the 12-month echo and 14-month urinalysis in the calendar now. 5) Note the 2 numbers that trigger a call: 39.4 C and 12 hours without urine. For how the same calendar differs in a breed with a heavier heart history, compare the Turkish Van screening plan and the Tonkinese plan; if you are still choosing a breed, the breed quiz lists what each one screens for.
Terms mentioned in this article
Frequently asked
How often should a Peterbald's skin folds be cleaned?
Wipe every 48 to 72 hours with saline or a chlorhexidine wipe and dry the fold completely, then bathe every 7 to 10 days with an antiseptic or antifungal shampoo by veterinary prescription. Any fold still damp 2 hours after cleaning, or a scab wider than 2 mm, needs a cytology swab rather than a stronger shampoo.
Is a missing tooth in a Peterbald an emergency?
Usually not. Count teeth at 4 months and again at 7 months, and take dental X-rays at 7 months to see whether teeth are missing, retained or malformed. A malformed tooth that traps food or rubs the palate is extracted under anesthesia; one that causes no gum trauma is watched at the 12-month cleaning.
What temperature means a same-day vet visit?
Normal rectal temperature is 38.1 to 39.2 C. Two readings of 39.4 C or higher taken 4 hours apart mean a visit the same day, and 40.0 C means go now. Open-mouth breathing or blue gums is an immediate drive regardless of the thermometer.