This progressive retinal atrophy is an inherited, rare form of early-onset blindness seen in Abyssinian and Somali cats. Affected cats have retarded development and degeneration of photoreceptor cells, which leads to blindness by 7 weeks of age.
This progressive retinal atrophy is an inherited late-onset blindness condition seen in Abyssinian, Somali, and some Ocicat and other breeds. Affected cats have normal vision at birth that slowly degenerates to blindness.
Four mutations that produce long-haired coats in domestic cats have been identified in a single gene. Three of the mutations are fairly breed specific, while the fourth is present in all long-haired cat breeds and crossbreds.
Dilute is an autosomal recessive trait that causes clumping and uneven distribution of pigment granules in the hair shaft, producing dilution of all coat colors.
Cats with colored 'points' have genetic mutations associated with temperature-sensitive pigment production. Pigment production is reduced in warmer areas of the body, leading to darker pigmentation in the cat's cooler extremities (paws, ears, etc.)
The agouti signaling protein interacts with the melanocortin 1 receptor to switch between black and red pigments, creating a banding pattern in individual hairs. Mutations in the agouti signaling protein gene (ASIP) prevent this switch from occurring, resulting in hairs of uniform color.
Erythrocyte pyruvate kinase deficiency (PK deficiency) is an inherited hemolytic anemia caused by insufficient activity of its namesake regulatory enzyme.
