Somali — questions to ask before paying a deposit
A responsible breeder will have these readily available. Deflection is a red flag.
Erythrocyte pyruvate kinase deficiency (PK deficiency)can shorten life or cause chronic painCommon in this breed
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.
Ask to see: PK deficiency DNA test on both parents, showing an N/N (clear) result
UC Davis VGL — PK deficiency test (https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/pk-deficiency-cat) · Grahn et al. 2012, BMC Veterinary Research (Tables 3 and 4, Somali rows) (https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-6148-8-207) · Anderson et al. 2022, PLOS Genetics (S4 Table, Somali row) (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1009804) · Mansfield & Clark 2005, Australian Veterinary Journal (https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-0813.2005.tb13298.x) · van Geffen et al. 2008, Journal of Small Animal Practice (https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-5827.2008.00568.x) · Kohn & Fumi 2008, Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfms.2007.09.006) · OMIA — Pyruvate kinase deficiency of erythrocyte (cat) (https://omia.org/OMIA000844/9685/)
Progressive retinal atrophy, late-onset (PRA-rdAc)can shorten life or cause chronic painCommon in this breed
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.
Ask to see: PRA-rdAc (CEP290) DNA test on both parents, showing an N/N (clear) result
UC Davis VGL — PRA-rdAc test (https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/pra-rdac) · Narfström et al. 2009, Veterinary Ophthalmology (https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1463-5224.2009.00710.x) · Menotti-Raymond et al. 2010, The Veterinary Journal (Table 1, Abyssinian/Somali rows) (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2009.08.010) · Anderson et al. 2022, PLOS Genetics (S4 Table, Somali row) (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1009804) · OMIA — Retinal degeneration II (cat) (https://omia.org/OMIA001244/9685/)