American Shorthair — FDA Adverse Event Profile

American Shorthair Pet Health Insights

Across the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine adverse event database, American Shorthair accounts for 411 submitted reports and currently ranks #151 by report volume within the cat population. Of those reports, 31 involved a death outcome — a 750.0% case-fatality figure calculated directly from the underlying FDA records rather than from external mortality studies. The mean age at time of reporting is 7.1 years, with an average recorded body weight of 5.2 kg (11.5 lbs). These figures reflect the voluntary reporting pool only and should be read alongside breed popularity, veterinary access, and owner awareness — all of which shape how many events ever reach the FDA.

The most frequently reported clinical signs for American Shorthair are Vomiting (64 reports), Lack of efficacy (ectoparasite) - flea (42 reports), Emesis (30 reports), together capturing a substantial share of the top-reaction traffic seen in this breed's record. On the product side, Spinosad appears in 59 reports and is the single most-referenced drug, followed by Selamectin (49) and Fluralaner Spot-On Solution (43). Counts like these surface which therapeutic classes dominate the reporting stream — useful context when comparing reactions across breeds of the same cat species.

Outcome coding on the 371 reports with a recorded status is dominated by Outcome Unknown (32.3% of coded outcomes). Annual submission volume ranges from 2,010 to 2,025 reports across the 16 years on file, indicating the reporting trend is shaped as much by awareness cycles as by underlying clinical events. Because FDA adverse event reports describe correlation rather than causation, these numbers are most useful as a signal of where to ask further questions with a veterinarian — not as a standalone risk score for any individual cat.