Genetic Research Traces Cat Lineage
 New research published in the journal Genomics shows that some breed distinctions in the United States may not be warranted, and confirms previous data that traces the domestication of cats back to the cradle of civilization in the Mediterranean region.
While some breeders tout a cat’s lineage for breeding purity, geneticists at UC Davis discovered that purebred Siamese cats in the U.S. are not much different than cats found on the streets of Southeast Asia in terms of genetic makeup.
“We live with cats yet we know so little about them,” said Monika Lipinksi, a graduate student who collaborated on the research project. Data collected from 1,100 cats representing 17 random-bred populations, indicates that the domestication of cats dates back 8,000 years, and that the original group of cats was moved to different geographical regions by their human caretakers. People used the animals as exterminators, Lipinski said. “They have coexisted with us through civilization,” she added.
In addition to genealogical information, the research shows that some breeds — because of their genetic similarities — are subsets of a breed instead of different breeds, said Leslie Lyons, PhD, lead researcher. She explained that out of the 22 breeds studied only 19 were clearly distinct.
For example, the
Exotic is a subset of the Persian, the Singapura is a subset of the Burmese, and the Havana Brown a subset of the Siamese, Lyons explained.
The findings should make breeding less exclusive, Lyons said. “You could import cats from other places or their country of origin,” she said. “To keep cats healthy you want as much genetic variation as possible.”
Lyons believes that integrating as much genetic variety as possible in cats is the best way to lower the risk for genetic disease, and hopes that the new information will be used by breeders. She hopes that veterinarians can play a role in encouraging breeders to widen their lineage parameters, which could weed out as many as 200 genetic disorders identified in cats.
Lyons intends to continue her research and hopes to conduct a similar study every 10 years to study genetic health patterns. Unlike previous studies, researchers looked at specific breeds as well as random-bred populations of breeds from five continents.
-Genomics article citation: Monika J. Lipinski, Lutz Froenicke, Kathleen C. Baysac, Nicholas C. Billings, Christian M. Leutenegger, Alon M. Levy, Maria Longeri, Tirri Niini, Haydar Ozpinar, Margaret R. Slater, Niels C. Pedersen, and Leslie A. Lyons (2008, January). The ascent of cat breeds: Genetic evaluations of breeds and worldwide random-bred populations. Retrieved February 6, 2008 from
http://www.sciencedirect.com
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