Successful treatment with recombinant human GH in a kitten with suspected congenital hyposomatotropism

Hyposomatotropism is an extremely rare disease in cats. It is associated with stunted growth, and a severely decreased life expectancy is suspected based on the very few cases that have been reported in this species. To date, no treatment has been recommended in cats.

A 4-month-old female British Longhair was presented for stunted growth without any other clinical signs reported. All other causes of growth retardation were excluded, and persistently low circulating insulin growth factor-1 levels were documented, leading to a diagnosis of presumed isolated GH-deficiency. This cat was subcutaneously treated with recombinant human GH (rhGH) for 20 weeks. At the time of treatment discontinuation, the cat had reached the weight of its littermates. No treatment adverse effects were observed. Serum IGF-1 levels were measured 5 months after treatment discontinuation and were within the reference range.

This case report describes the successful treatment of a presumed GH-deficient cat with rhGH without adverse effects. rhGH might be a reasonable treatment option in GH-deficient cats, considering the grave prognosis associated with this disease in the few cases described.