Progressive retinal atrophy, late-onset (PRA-rdAc)
Serious
No breeder is on record here yet. Portugal’s FIFe member club pages this breed but no member has registered under it.
Medium-sized, elegant cat with long ticked coat and bushy tail. Longhaired version of the Abyssinian.
Developed from longhaired kittens appearing in Abyssinian litters. First bred intentionally in the 1960s. Named for Somalia, neighbor to Abyssinia (Ethiopia). Called 'fox cat' for its bushy tail.
Generally described as mischievous, tenacious, intelligent, affectionate, gentle, interactive, loyal and active.
That is the breed in general, not a promise about one animal. Ask the breeder what their own line is like, and meet the parents before you decide.
Breed reference from The Cat API.
Drawn from sources, not opinion: The Cat API; UC Davis VGL — PK deficiency test; FIFe breed standard. An empty column means we hold nothing for that side, not that there is nothing to say.
The Somali standard is published by the FIFe (Fédération Internationale Féline), the international federation of pedigree-cat clubs, and it is what show judges apply. This section sums up what it says about coat and colour. It does not assess any one animal: use it to know what to ask the breeder.
Extremely fine and very dense.
Texture very soft to the touch.
Medium length, except on the shoulders, where it can be a little shorter.
Shortened from FIFe standard SOM — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source. FIFe lists this standard’s last modification as 2016. Text read on 31 Aug 2026.
The colour varieties FIFe recognises for this breed are listed, with their EMS codes, in the table at the end of its standard. FIFe describes each colour group in the General Part of its standards.
The colours and patterns the standard admits, and what it prefers, discourages or disqualifies in each. An accepted colour says nothing about health. Quotations from the FIFe are in English, as the standard publishes them; the headings are ours.
Known hereditary risks for the Somali breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
2 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Found in more than about one in twenty of the breed's dogs screened, or described as common in the sources.
Breed-level information from The Cat API. It describes the Somali in general; any individual animal can differ.
An inherited, untreatable form of blindness. Affected kittens have normal vision at birth; in the first studies sight degenerated from around seven months old and most cats were fully blind by three to five years, but later work found much more variation in when it starts and how fast it progresses. A 2022 screen of over 11,000 cats found 6 of 47 Somalis carrying one copy, about one in eight, though that is a small screen.
What to ask for
PRA-rdAc (CEP290) DNA test on both parents, showing an N/N (clear) result
An inherited haemolytic anaemia, documented in Somali and its parent breed Abyssinian, causing intermittent lethargy, weakness, jaundice and weight loss with unpredictable onset and severity. In a 2012 study of samples sent for other tests, 14 of 227 Somalis carried it, about one in sixteen, and a 2022 screen found 2 of 45.
What to ask for
PK deficiency DNA test on both parents, showing an N/N (clear) result
An inherited, untreatable form of blindness. Affected kittens have normal vision at birth; in the first studies sight degenerated from around seven months old and most cats were fully blind by three to five years, but later work found much more variation in when it starts and how fast it progresses. A 2022 screen of over 11,000 cats found 6 of 47 Somalis carrying one copy, about one in eight, though that is a small screen.
What to ask for
PRA-rdAc (CEP290) DNA test on both parents, showing an N/N (clear) result
An inherited haemolytic anaemia, documented in Somali and its parent breed Abyssinian, causing intermittent lethargy, weakness, jaundice and weight loss with unpredictable onset and severity. In a 2012 study of samples sent for other tests, 14 of 227 Somalis carried it, about one in sixteen, and a 2022 screen found 2 of 45.
What to ask for
PK deficiency DNA test on both parents, showing an N/N (clear) result