Familial cutaneous asthenia in a population of mixed-breed domestic cats - a case report

Cutaneous asthenia, or Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, is a rare disease of domestic animals, especially cats, that culminates in hyperextensibility and fragility of the skin in addition to possible ligament laxity. It is a hereditary disease of the connective tissue that occurs with inadequate synthesis of collagen along with alterations in the formation of collagen fibers, associated with mutations in the genes that encode collagen or the enzymes responsible for its organization. The objective of this article is to report a case of hereditary cutaneous asthenia in a domestic cat, of undefined breed, and in the respective litter of four kittens. The mother cat suffered from an extensive and sudden skin lesion located in the dorsolumbar region. The animal received a definitive diagnosis of cutaneous asthenia through histopathological evaluation and use of Masson's trichrome staining, followed by application of tilapia fish skin for the management and treatment of the wound.