Kitten with abnormal sternum

[eilcon]

Just wondering if anyone has run across a situation like this before.

The rescue I used to volunteer with (and still help out ocassionally) has a gorgeous, sweet 10-week-old kitten, named Anya in their care. When some potential adopters recently came to meet Anya, they discovered a small lump on her chest area. Anya was taken to the vet for a chest xray, which revealed she has an abnormal sternum. The bone protrudes, appearing as a lump. The vet isn't sure of Anya's prognosis. She hasn't come across a situation like this before. At this point, the vet can't tell if Anya's heart is larger than normal, but she confirm there's no murmur.

Since Anya's longterm health is in question for now, she'll be pulled from the adoption list. The plan is to let her grow for 2-3 months, then have her reevaluated.

Any insights would be appreciated. Also, please send vibes for this sweet baby girl. Thanks!

 

[mews2much]

Could it be fcks? My Oreo has that and its mostly gone now. (http://www.thecatsite.com/Health/90/...itten-FCK.html) I took her because of her problem. Her Sister had it bad and is alot better now also. If a Kitten makes it to 3 Months they should live.

 

[tamara petersen]

Hello, sorry I'm new to this site. I was wondering if your kittens lump is hard? Almost like a bone?

 

[8whiskers]

Hi there!

When I adopted my sweet girl Shyla, she was 4 months old and listed as a "special needs" kitty. Why? She has an allergy to the injectable kind of anesthesia and....she has an inverted sternum.

The rescue people said it was no cause for concern, it caused no health problems, but they had to list her as special needs to make sure potential adopters knew of the condition.

She is now 7, and it has never caused her any issues. There's just a more prominent bump in the center of her chest. She's has other issues (like a chronic sinus problem we've yet to heal) and she's a complete klutz, but none of that is caused by her inverted sternum.

From my experience, your kitty should not have any issues, provided the vet gives her a clean bill of health.

Although you can't see her inverted sternum in the photo, you can see she's a happy, healthy 7 year old! :-)

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• 8whiskers
• Dec 19, 2013

 

[maewkaew]

What sort of lump ?    Do you mean the kitten has a prominent manubrium?  ( The manubrium is the upper end of the sternum, it's in the center of the upper chest,  sticks out like the tip of an arrowhead  or even a bit like a hook?   It is especially noticeable in some kittens & adolescents particularly those with a slender build;   and usually becomes less noticeable after they get a bit older and fill out with more muscle. 

If that's what it is,  I don't think it's  a big deal.    This would not be the same thing as pectus excavatum (an inverted sternum)  which IS a problem.   Here is a link showing what that is. http://www.questor-cp.co.uk/think/what.htm

What  can also be more risky is having something abnormal  on the other end of the sternum -- the xyphoid process at the lower end of the sternum, so it's more on the underside of the cat.  That actually is not usually a major health issue either when it is protruding except if it's hardened that way it could be more easily fractured in play--  but if it is sticking INward  it could be jutting into vital organs. 

 Even though a protruding xyphoid process is it itself not a risk,  it is a disqualification for showing because a cat could pass on a tendency to abnormalities with the xyphoid process  

Here are some illustrations from CFA,  at left showing the manubrium being curved down & protruding. ( It can be protruding without being curved like this though)   and at right,  showing a xiphoid process of the sternum sticking out.

 

manubrium.jpg

• maewkaew
• Dec 19, 2013

: 

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• maewkaew
• Dec 19, 2013

  This is also mentioned in the GCCF List of Defects      It is in a section starting on page 10, below an illustration showing where the manubrium and xyphoid process are.   The section tells about the deviation of the xyphoid ,   then on page 11 in the last paragraph in the section,  it tells about the manubrium.  

"The front end of the sternum (manubrium) may sometimes be rather prominent. This is usually more

noticeable in kittens or in cats which have not yet muscled up and is not in itself a defect. However,

in some cats, the front end of the sternum may be abnormally wide, flattened, concave,or even come to a

pronounced point, none of which are normal."

I have a cat with a prominent manubrium that was quite apparent when he was younger.   Here he is at 4 months;  you can actually see it in this photo.   This is the only photo where it shows that much.   He's now almost 3 years old and it has certainly never caused any health problem.   

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• maewkaew
• Dec 19, 2013

 

[tamara petersen]

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• tamara petersen
• Dec 27, 2013

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• tamara petersen
• Dec 27, 2013

I'm so sorry about the quality of the photo,  but what do you think this is? I know it must be hard to tell just from this. but it feels like a bit of cartliage it disapears sometimes depending on the way she's laying. and it also hooks towards her face.

 

[jennyr]

Tamara, just to let you know that the original post is5 years old, so you are unlikely to get an answer to your original question, But I will not edit it as the thread is being answered by others and I hope you get some good information. Just to add my bit - I had a friend with a cat with this syndrome and he lived to be 22!

 

[tamara petersen]

i should have guessed. thank you. 
I've been trying to find out what it is for over a year! even my vet has no idea. 

but thank you. 

 

[cprcheetah]

 
i should have guessed. thank you. 
I've been trying to find out what it is for over a year! even my vet has no idea. 

but thank you. 

MaewKaew has shown pictures which describe it.  It is technically called a xyphoid cartilage abnormality or Fixed Deviation of the Xyphoid Process.  I had a weimaraner who had this condition it turned out that he had a Diaphragmatic Hernia, he had to have surgery.

 

[christine0402]

Hello,

What all/most of you are describing (the big, hard lump on the chest right before the belly that feels like a bone/rib) is called a fractured xenoid bone. My very active and high-jumping 1yr 4mo old cat was just diagnosed with it yesterday. The xenoid bone is the very tip of the sternum. My cat is a crazy jumping monkeycat and we suspect that he fell during one of his leaps and broke it. It sticks out quite prominently and scared me half to death when it suddenly appeared yesterday. My vet thought at first that it was a rib that had separated from the cartilage around his sternum, but the x-rays showed it was a broken xenoid bone instead. Either way, there is no treatment for it and it does not cause any harm to the cat. My vet said that the defect will be there for the rest of his life and will eventually form its own "joint" of sorts, I guess as the cartilage and tissue forms around it. There is no impact to his quality of life or anything like that. My cat is much more calm today than usual, as I think he is sore and scared from his trauma, but I have no doubt that he'll be back to his normal crazy self in a few days.

I hope this information is helpful to you! My vet said he had never seen this type of injury in 12+ years and he had to consult his radiology books and a surgeon for diagnosis.

Christine