Welcome to The Cat Genetics Expert Forum

[Anne]

I'm thrilled to announce a new expert forum!

We have the honor and privilege of having one of the leading feline genetics experts in the world host this forum. Professor Leslie Lyons will be here starting on Monday to answer your questions about cat genetics.

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about Prof. Lyons' huge contribution to the field of cat genetics:

In 2002, Dr. Lyons made international headlines by analyzing the DNA  of the world's first cloned cat, a kitten named Cc:, and confirming that it was indeed a true clone, a genetic copy of its mother.

Dr. Lyons has helped develop DNA tests for polycystic kidney disease  (PKD), an inherited condition that shortens the life of cats by causing them to suffer kidney  cysts. Previous tests for this condition involved ultrasound  and were not very accurate, unlike the DNA test devised by Dr. Lyons. Approximately one third of all Persian cats  carried the PKD gene at one time, but because of ultrasound testing and the newer, more accurate DNA tests, these PKD-carrier cats are gradually being identified and removed from the feline gene pool by spaying and neutering.

A DNA test for feline coat color carriers and feline parentage has also been developed by Dr. Lyons, and is being offered to cat breeders, like the PKD test, so that they can determine whether cats they have bred have correct pedigrees, and whether these cats carry colorpoints, Burmese Colour Restriction, long hair, colour dilution or rare coat colors, such as chocolate and cinnamon.

One of Dr. Lyons' current projects is identification of the genes that cause head defect, a lethal deformity in American Burmese cats. She is also working on identifying genes that cause Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), which causes affected kittens to become blind at the age of approximately two months.

You can read more about her work on her websites - 

http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/Catgenetics/

http://felinegenetics.missouri.edu/

Please do take a few minutes to read through these fascinating resources and see how you can help further the research in feline genetics by donating funds and/or contributing samples of your cat's DNA.

Prof. Leslie Lyons will be joining us tomorrow (Monday) to answer your questions. Please do join me in offering her a big warm TCS welcome in this thread!

Welcome Prof. Lyons! 

Have a question for Prof. Lyons? Please start a separate thread for that.

 

[karrecat]

Welcome to TCS, Professor Lyons! 

 We look forward to meeting you and learning more about the field of cat genetics.

 

[jcat]

, Dr. Lyons! We're looking forward to learning more about a fascinating subject.

 

[mservant]

   Welcome to The Cat Site.

   Looking forward to your contributions here.  Thank you for joining us. 

  

 

[katocats]

Hello and welcome to The Cat Site

        do you have any cats of your own.

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[doreet]

hi!I have a question about purebred Burmese cats. You probably know about them, they look similar to Siamese.my Burmese is about three years old, and I got her as an adult. From somebody who could no longer keep her. She has certain personality characteristics, and I want to find out how much of it is genetically based as her being a very purebred Burmese cat. I know that purebred animals can sometimes have different personalities or characteristics, that your average old alleycat mixed up won't have. I love Siamese cat that's what I was aiming for, but I love my Burmese cat. However, she is very shy, she's smart, she's very hi Strung. She seems to have a personality besides beingshy, that she's kind of very defensive, and if she doesn't want to be petted she will swipe but claw at you, or gently bite you, without putting her teeth in. So she likes to be alone a lot, not be handled, and she has her own particular personality.

but I love her anyway I like her.since I have had her, she seems to accept me a lot more, sleep right next to me, and she is jealous of my computer. I wonder how many other cats get jealous of their owners computers, and bother them when they're on it! Haw Haw. But I'd like to know how much the effect of genetics in a purebred Burmese, affects her personality and behavior. How can I find this out? For one thing, I suspect that as somebody told me, purebred cats are different personality wise then something that was mixed in an alley. My sister has alley cats, and they're very fun and playful, and they're not shy; in their affectionate.

Okay, thanks for letting me send you this e-mail.sincerely, Doreet in Eugene Oregon

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• doreet
• Nov 29, 2013