A video showing two kittens fainting due to the genetic condition known as myotonia congenita has ‘gone viral’, much the same as the video of fainting goats did a few years ago.
What is Myotonia Congenita?
Myotonia congenita is a disorder that prevents the normal relaxation of the muscles. In humans, myotonia congenita affects approximately 1 in 100,000 people worldwide, but is more common in northern Scandinavian people. In humans, the disorder can affect any of the skeletal muscles, even face muscles, but most commonly affects the leg muscles.
Fainting Kittens
Myotonia congenita in cats is an inherited disorder, which causes the muscles to contract making the cat fall over. The YouTube video shows the kittens walking around their living room, and then lurching forward and ‘fainting’, sometimes falling into furniture. This occurs usually at the sound of a noise or when they get startled, then the kittens stiffen and fall over, remaining that way for up to one minute. After this time, the kittens return to normal movement and behavior.
While at first viewers may think the video is cute, often this turns to distress when they see how frequently this fainting occurs in the video; however, the kittens walk normally and are healthy and normal in every other way, except for the fact that they cannot run or jump. Myotonia congenita in cats is extremely rare, is also rare in dogs and is seen fairly often in goats, which is why it is also called fainting goat syndrome.
Fainting Goat Syndrome
Goats with myotonia congenita respond in the same way as the kittens do. When startled, the goats stiffen and fall over. In goats however, they are only affected for approximately 10-15 seconds. After that time, the goats will walk with some stiffness in the legs for a short time (the back legs in particular), before returning to normal.
The condition in goats has been traced back to the 1800s with a farm worker from Marshall County in Tennessee who owned four goats that fainted. Though myotonia congenita is known as goat fainting syndrome, the goats don’t actually pass out or faint. They stiffen and fall over but they are totally aware of what is going on around them. It is also said that the condition does not affect the health or lifespan of the goats.
For references or further information on the fainting kittens or to watch the video, visit The Sydney Morning Herald, or for more information about fainting goat syndrome visit The International Fainting Goat Association. The full version of the fainting kittens video can be seen at YouTube.
Nov 2010 - Sometime after this article was published, both kittens suffered from fatal seizures.
Roberta Goli - Roberta has a Bachelor of Science Degree (Zoology), has worked with animals for over 10 years and enjoys writing short stories and flash ...
