National Feline DNA Day falls on September 19th of each year. It celebrates advances in cat genetics, which can help prevent health problems and help cat breeders match their cats more accurately. The day also raises awareness about the importance of genetic testing when breeding cats.
This national day is remarkably new—just around the corner in 2020. It’s not celebrated as much as others, but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate it.
Why is Cat DNA Testing Important?
DNA testing a cat can seem a bit overwhelming. However, DNA testing can help rule out many genetic health conditions before breeding. If a breeder knows what cats possess these traits, they can better decide who to mate that cat with.
Many genetic traits are recessive. This means that a cat with only one copy of the trait will not show any symptoms. However, if two cats with the recessive trait breed, the kittens will have a 25% chance of developing the genetic condition. Without genetic testing, it is nearly impossible to determine which cats are recessive and which are not. In this way, genetic testing can go a long way in preventing recessive traits that can harm the cat.
Similarly, genetic testing can help prevent dominant traits that don’t appear until later in life. Sometimes, a cat will develop the condition if they have one copy of the trait, but it may not become apparent until after the breeding age. Therefore, knowing if a cat has this trait before you give birth to them may be impossible unless you do genetic testing.
Unfortunately, genetic testing in cats has not gotten as much attention, especially when compared to dogs. Many breed organizations and kennel clubs strongly recommend genetic testing for dogs, but recommendations for cats have lagged. Today aims to change that by raising awareness of the benefits of genetically testing breeding cats.
Who Created National Cat DNA Day?
This day was created by Basepaws, a company that sells cat DNA testing. As you can imagine, this company focuses on feline DNA, so it makes sense that they would create a day around their focus.
Basepaws offers many different testing kits for cats (and dogs). However, it’s pretty clear that cat DNA research has fallen behind based on their offerings. For example, their comprehensive health kit for dogs tests 280 markers, while their complete kit for cats tests 45 markers. There is a big difference between these two kits.
They can also identify the area where your cat’s genetics may come from. However, they do not look at the specific breed of cat that your cat may be due to the complexity of cat breeding.
This company is not one of the most popular DNA testers for pets. However, their comprehensive offerings have slowly increased in popularity over the past few years.
What Can Cat DNA Tell Me About My Cat?
Cat DNA can tell you a lot about your cat, even if you’re not a cat breeder. For example, most cat DNA tests can tell you where your cat’s ancestors may have come from. However, it is not as accurate as dog DNA testing, as cat breeds tend to be less diverse with less genetic variation.
DNA is best at predicting health risks. Although DNA cannot determine the exact diseases your cat will develop, it can indicate that it carries some genetic predispositions. Sometimes, having a trait means your cat will develop the condition. Other times, their genetics may make them more susceptible to a condition.
Temperament is not genetically driven, but DNA can indicate certain predispositions.
These tests will usually tell you your cat’s blood type, which can be useful in an emergency. Having DNA information can also be helpful if your cat goes missing. DNA is unique to each cat, so it can help you reunite your cat.
How to Celebrate National Cat DNA Day
This day is not widely celebrated. If you want to celebrate it, you often have to create your own celebration.
The easiest way is to share information about cat DNA on social media. You can share information about why it is important to choose kittens from breeders who perform genetic testing, especially with less healthy breeds. You can have your cat’s DNA tested if you haven’t already. Ideally, you should do this before today and then share the results today, which may also prompt others to share the results.
Donating to organizations that research feline diseases can also be a good way to celebrate this day. Although not all diseases are related to genetics, many of them are. Plus, all health research can help save lives.
Conclusion
National Cat DNA Day is not widely celebrated. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t celebrate it. If you are interested in getting your cat’s DNA tested, now is a good time to do it.
This is also a good time to educate yourself and others about the importance of cat DNA testing, especially for cats that are being bred. DNA testing is an easy way to prevent kittens from inheriting genetic conditions from their parents.
Featured Image Credit: lev.studio, Shutterstock
