A Calm Look at Maine Coon HCM Testing With DNA and Echo
Maine Coon HCM testing means a DNA test, a heart ultrasound, or both. Here is what each can and can’t tell you before you book either.
Table of Contents
Maine Coon HCM: which test do you actually need?
A Maine Coon can have HCM (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy), a thickened heart wall, and look healthy. Two tests exist, and neither alone clears the heart.
Start here: is your cat unwell right now?
🚨 Go to a Vet Now If: your cat breathes with its mouth open or struggles to breathe, suddenly can’t use its back legs, or collapses. Call an emergency clinic on the way.
Kitten buyers: read the DNA section. Owners of adult cats: read the echocardiogram section. Our Maine Coon size, cost and health guide covers the wider picture.
ℹ️ Vet Note: This explains what two heart tests can and can’t show. It isn’t a diagnosis, and no normal result clears a cat’s heart. For other heart worries, call your veterinarian.
Heart signs that need an emergency vet now
Many cats with HCM look healthy until a crisis.
🚨 Go to a Vet Now If:
- back legs suddenly weak, painful or cold
- fast, hard or open-mouth breathing
- collapse
Back legs suddenly weak, cold or painful
A blood clot can block flow to the back legs (a saddle thrombus). Tufts’ guide to sudden rear-leg weakness in cats calls it an emergency: seek care immediately.
Fast, hard or open-mouth breathing, or collapse
Cornell’s overview of feline cardiomyopathy names rapid or labored breathing and sudden paralysis as emergencies. A resting rate above about 35 breaths a minute suggests heart failure.
✅ Do This: Call the clinic ahead. Say it’s a Maine Coon, what you see, and any DNA or echo result. Give no medication unless told to.
What the Maine Coon HCM DNA test can and can’t tell you
What the cheek swab checks
UC Davis’s Maine Coon HCM test page says it detects only the A31P mutation in the MYBPC3 gene.
Does a negative result mean no HCM?
No. HCM also occurs in Maine Coons without A31P, so a negative result lowers one risk but doesn’t clear the heart.
One copy or two?
📊 Tested / Sourced: Agree: two copies carry the highest risk, about 18 times higher, with sudden death possible by about age 4 (UC Davis). Differ: one copy. UC Davis reports about 1.8 times the risk; a 2024 multi-lab study (Boeykens et al.) found no clear added risk.
What an echocardiogram shows that DNA can’t
An echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) is the gold standard for diagnosing HCM, according to Cornell. A stethoscope or blood test only flags a cat for a scan.
What a heart ultrasound measures
International Cat Care says it shows heart size, wall thickness and contractility, and most cats need no sedation.
Why one normal scan isn’t a lifetime pass
A scan shows the heart on the day. In the original Maine Coon colony study, affected cats usually showed no HCM before about 6 months. That is why breeding cats get an annual echo.
🐾 Life-Stage Note: A very young scan can’t clear a kitten. Temporary thickening after severe stress can mimic HCM (Cornell).
Maine Coon HCM: DNA test vs echo, side by side
| DNA test | Echocardiogram | |
|---|---|---|
| Checks | One mutation (A31P) | The heart on the day |
| Good at | Inherited risk | Showing the heart now |
| Misses | HCM without A31P | HCM that develops later |
| How often | Once | Repeated over time |
Sources: UC Davis; Cornell; International Cat Care.
Do you need both?
A 2025 cardiology review by Joshua Stern, DVM, PhD, says Maine Coons should be gene tested, and DNA-positive cats start yearly blood-test or echo screening at 2 to 3 years. Your vet sets the timing.
When to test a Maine Coon, and what it costs
| Life stage | What guidance describes |
|---|---|
| Kitten (to 1) | A very early scan can’t clear a cat; ask for both parents’ results |
| Young adult (1–6) | Yearly exam; DNA-positive cats, yearly blood test or echo from 2–3 |
| Mature (7–10) | Yearly exam; vet rules out lookalikes |
| Senior (10+) | Yearly at least, more often if older (International Cat Care) |
—
Buying a kitten? Ask for both parents’ results, and see what to check before paying for a kitten.
What your vet or cardiologist will check
Listening isn’t enough
At least one in three cats with HCM has no murmur, the Merck Veterinary Manual’s cat-owner entry says, so a quiet heart doesn’t clear a cat.
Other causes and the blood test
The vet rules out lookalikes such as an overactive thyroid and high blood pressure. An NT-pro BNP blood test can flag cats for a scan, but Cornell says it can’t diagnose HCM.
✅ Do This: Bring the DNA certificate, past scan reports, and a log of resting breaths. For the longer view, see what the lifespan numbers do and don’t show.
Maine Coon HCM testing: quick answers
1. Does a negative DNA test mean my Maine Coon won’t get HCM?
No. The test checks one mutation (A31P), and HCM also occurs without it. Ask about a heart scan.
2. Do I need both a DNA test and an echo?
They answer different questions: DNA shows inherited risk, an echo shows the heart now. Ask your vet which fits your cat’s age.
3. What is the most accurate test for HCM in cats?
An echocardiogram is the gold standard, per Cornell. Blood tests and murmurs only flag cats for a scan.
4. At what age should a Maine Coon have a heart scan?
Ask your vet. One cardiology review says DNA-positive cats begin yearly screening at 2 to 3 years.
5. How much does a Maine Coon HCM DNA test cost?
UC Davis charged $47 per test on Oct 10, 2026, with results in at least 15 business days.
6. How much does a cat echocardiogram cost?
Prices vary by clinic, and we found no reliable published figure. Ask for a written estimate.
7. Can a vet hear HCM with a stethoscope?
Not reliably. At least one in three HCM cats has no murmur, so a scan is the real check.
8. Can a normal echo turn abnormal later?
Yes. HCM can appear later, so one normal scan isn’t a guarantee. Ask your vet about rechecks.
Your next step with your Maine Coon’s heart
The DNA test checks one mutation, the echo checks the heart today, and neither alone clears your Maine Coon. Ask your vet which to book and when. If your cat breathes hard, can’t use its back legs, or collapses, go to an emergency vet.
