Search Results

Howdy ho, This was my first time doing one of these forums and I was surprised to find others would answer the questions - which were often correct.  Yes, one of the big purposes for promoting specific breeds is that you do have personaility traits that are more predictable in a breed cat than...

Howdy, I have seen some of the Lycoi cats and a very interesting presentation.  I hope to work with them as we move along with our studies on different fur traits in cats.  Our lab found the Devon Rex, Sphynx, Selkirk Rex and Cornish Rex mutations.  Many new breeds caused by a new DNA variant...

Hello, There is published work that the CEP290 mutation is more prevalent in Siamese that thought.  To be safe, I would test your breeding stock.  The cats tested were in Europe and the USA, I do not think they would all fall under the wedge head category.  For testing see:  www.vgl.ucdavis.edu

Howdy, There are genes in the cat that cause white spotting and all white but the random spots on the chest and belly may have a genetic component or may not.  This is the area where you have midline closure in the developing embryo.  If the cells that make color do not make it to the middle -...

Howdy, There are many reasons for low birth weight in kittens, not sure why they are getting smaller with subsequent breedings.  This is more of a health than genetics question. If the cats are a breed, inbreeding would affect all the kittens - but perhaps in different ways, not in a trend.  I...

Howdy, Yes, as mentioned, there are probably many cats that cause low allergy response.  Cornish or Sphynx are not hypoallergenic - they just produce less hair.  The hair transports the allergen. We know the genes that cause the hair mutations in Cornish and Sphynx, cat specific allergen is...

Howdy ho Cat Lovers, More on white cats.  By the way, you can test you white cat for the recessive albino mutation at:  www.vgl.ucdavis.edu White cats are often deaf, but very little is documented about cats being deaf in only one ear.  More common perhaps if the cat had odd-eyes - one yellow...

Howdy, There is a genetic test that can help answer this.  With a simple buccal swab - if that cat has British Shorthair parents, the test can tell!!  www.vgl.ucdavis.edu

Howdy, Our lab has done some analyses of the allergen gene and did not find anything conclusive - for now.  I do think that some cats may produce less allergen and perhaps these cats are more common in the Siberian breed.  Never heard this for the Russian Blues, but, I bet if we payed...

Howdy, Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is what we call a complex disease.  We know that the environment and the genetics of the person both interplay and contribute to having the condition.  Environment can be stress and also poor diet.  Cats now eat a lot of commercial diets, which many are...

Howdy ho, If from the same sac, one presumes the same placenta and hence triplets.  The placenta is different in cats as compared to humans (discoid) , cats are inside their placenta (zonary), like a pig-in-a-blanket.  With genetics and a few buccal swabs from each cat, we could a DNA profile...

Howdy - More likely both cats were carriers - so could have been any old color.  But maybe, since this is so rare, we have a group of barn cats that have this DNA variant and perhaps some others are brown too!  Let's see if she holds her color!

Howdy, Sorry for the delay.  Brown came come in different ways in cats.  True Brown is due to mutations at the gene called tyrosine-related protein (TRYP1).  Cats have the normal black (B), a chocolate brown (b) and a light brown (cinnamon) mutation (bl).  This is vary rare and as mentioned...

Howdy, Well, I am not a veterinarian, so I can't comment to the health aspects.  But, any kitty, new or old should have a yearly veterinary examination to see how things are going.  Remember, cats hide their health concerns very well and they don't tell us often when something is wrong...

Yep - that was us - working with NatGeo!  We knock on everyone's door for funding and support!  Hoping to find support from this list!!

Howdy ho Cat Lovers, There are different ways to contribute to the 99 Lives cat project.  To sequence a cat, we need 6 mls of EDTA blood or if gonads (testis /ovaries) - which ever it has to spare!  Plus, that $8,000! But also, we can examine the genetics of populations in the future too - a...

Howdy ho Cat Lovers, My own cat never holds her tail up straight, while the other one does.  Some of tail carriage is a learned behavior, most is hard wired though and some cats are different.  Would need that allusive picture to see if it was a "ting tail" or something else!

Howdy ho Cat Lovers, Extra toes, polydactyla, is a dominant trait in cats.  We know the gene (SHH - Sonic hedgehog) and mutations.  Two mutations are common to Great Britain and one is common to the USA - known as the Hemingway mutation.  The descendant cats of Hemingway's are polydactyla and...

Howdy ho Cat Lovers, There is a mutation that is recessive - need a copy from mom and dad - that is albino white.  This is extremely rare and likely only in breeds.  Your kitty is most likely dominant white - one copy of one gene masks all the other colors since the cat does not have the right...

Howdy ho Cat Lovers, Yes - the 99 Lives Cat Genome Sequencing Project is out to sequence over 99 cats for the public, including cat, good.  For us to figure out what all the bad, health damaging mutations are in our cats, then we need to first figure out what is normal, good or just background...