[Progressive retinal atrophy in Abyssinian and Somali cats in the Netherlands (1981-2001)]

From 1981 to 2001, 248 Abyssinian and 127 Somali cats in the Netherlands were examined for hereditary eye disease. Distinct ophthalmoscopic signs consistent with hereditary progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) were observed in 11 Abyssinian cats, and subtle signs in 3 Abyssinian cats. A familial relationship was detected in 13 out of 14 of these cats, which supports a hereditary basis to the condition. Distinct funduscopic signs of retinal degeneration were observed at a median age of 4 years. One cat with advanced retinal degeneration was only 7 months old, whereas the remaining 10 cats were between 2 and 12 years old at the time of diagnosis. These differences in the age of onset are suggestive of at least two types of PRA occurring in Abyssinian cats in the Netherlands: a dysplastic, early-onset and a late-onset retinal degeneration. A large-scale and systematic examination programme for hereditary eye disease will be necessary to assess the incidence of PRA in the Dutch population of Abyssinian and Somali cats as a whole, and to provide a basis for a preventive breeding programme.