Abyssinian — questions to ask before paying a deposit
A responsible breeder will have these readily available. Deflection is a red flag.
Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA rdAc, CEP290)can shorten life or cause chronic painCommon in this breed
An inherited late-onset retinal disease: affected kittens see normally at birth, but photoreceptor degeneration begins around seven months of age and most cats are blind by three to five years old. There is no treatment, so a breeding cat's genotype is the only way to know a kitten's risk before it is sold. A 2022 screen of over 11,000 cats found it in 18 of 167 Abyssinians, about one in nine (one of them with two copies).
Ask to see: UC Davis VGL PRA rdAc (CEP290) DNA test result, on both parents
UC Davis VGL — PRA rdAc (CEP290) test (https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/pra-rdac) · Menotti-Raymond et al. 2009, The Veterinary Journal (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2009.08.010) · Menotti-Raymond et al. 2007, Journal of Heredity (https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esm019) · Anderson et al. 2022, PLOS Genetics (Table 2, Abyssinian row) (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1009804) · OMIA — Retinal degeneration II (cat) (https://omia.org/OMIA001244/9685/)
Erythrocyte pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiencycan shorten life or cause chronic painCommon in this breed
An inherited haemolytic anaemia caused by low activity of the pyruvate kinase enzyme in red blood cells. Onset and severity are variable — some cats have intermittent lethargy and weight loss, others become jaundiced — so a clear DNA result is the only way to rule it out before breeding. It is common in the breed: 52 of 497 Abyssinians whose samples were sent for other tests carried it in a 2012 study, about one in ten, and a 2022 screen found it in 9 of 163.
Ask to see: UC Davis VGL PK deficiency DNA test result, on both parents
UC Davis VGL — PK deficiency test (https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/pk-deficiency-cat) · Grahn et al. 2012, BMC Veterinary Research (https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-6148-8-207) · Anderson et al. 2022, PLOS Genetics (Table 2, Abyssinian row) (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1009804) · OMIA — Pyruvate kinase deficiency of erythrocyte (cat) (https://omia.org/OMIA000844/9685/)
Renal amyloidosiscan shorten life or cause chronic pain
A kidney disease in which insoluble protein deposits build up in the kidneys, usually appearing in young adults and sometimes progressing to kidney failure within a year of diagnosis. It is well documented as prevalent specifically in this breed, but despite extensive study the mode of inheritance has not been established, so there is no DNA test.
Ask to see: No DNA test exists — ask for the breeding line's known family history of kidney disease, and recent urinalysis/kidney bloodwork on the parents
Cat Fanciers' Association — Genetic Disorders (https://cfa.org/genetic-disorders/)
Patellar luxation
A dislocating kneecap that produces a bow-legged or knock-kneed gait and can worsen over the cat's first one to two years. Abyssinians are named as one of the breeds with rising reported incidence, alongside Devon Rex and Chartreux.
Ask to see: No DNA test exists — ask for a veterinary orthopaedic exam (kneecap palpation) on both parents
Cat Fanciers' Association — Genetic Disorders (https://cfa.org/genetic-disorders/)
Protruding sternum
An outward or inward bend in the lower chest bone. It is seen mostly in oriental-bodied breeds but is also documented, less often, in Abyssinians. Outward protrusion is typically harmless; an inward one can press on the chest cavity and needs veterinary assessment.
Ask to see: No DNA test exists — ask for a veterinary chest exam noting sternum conformation, on both parents
Cat Fanciers' Association — Genetic Disorders (https://cfa.org/genetic-disorders/)
Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA Rdy, CRX)can shorten life or cause chronic painVery rare in this breed
A separate and more aggressive inherited blindness in the same breed: the light-sensing cells never develop properly, already abnormal under the microscope at 22 days old, and changes can be seen at the back of the eye at 8 to 12 weeks. It is inherited as a dominant trait, so a single copy of the mutation causes disease, unlike the rdAc form. It has been described only in a single family, descended from one Abyssinian, from which a research colony was bred, and a large screen of cat breeds found the mutation in no other breed.
Ask to see: UC Davis VGL PRA Rdy (CRX) DNA test result, on both parents
UC Davis VGL — PRA Rdy (CRX) test (https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/pra-rdy) · Curtis et al. 1987, Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3804643/) · Menotti-Raymond et al. 2010, Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.09-4261) · Narfström et al. 2011, Journal of Ophthalmology (https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/906943) · OMIA — Retinal atrophy - Rod-cone dysplasia, CRX related (cat) (https://omia.org/OMIA000881/9685/)