How can you get dna testing for cats?

Question

How can you get dna testing for cats?

Answer 1

No, whoever told you that was misinformed. There is no commercial DNA test available for cat breed and I truly don't think the existing academic research is at a point that such a test would be accurate enough to get a cat papers from a legitimate cat registry.

Even with dogs, where there ARE companies where you can send in a sample of a dog's DNA and get an estimate of breeds, it's not accepted as evidence to get registration papers. And I have heard from many people that the canine DNA breed tests are not that accurate anyway.



The article that was linked was written by someone who apparently totally MADE UP the part about there being commercially available DNA tests you could have done to find out your cat's breed make up. Of the actual sites the writer listed as references, it only went to labs that do the usual type of tests

1. DNA profile for an Individual cat -- that means just the DNA data, not analyzing it by any framework involving breed. It would just identify the cat.

2. parentage testing

3. tests for genes related to specific diseases

4. tests for genes related to appearance traits like colorpoint, dilute, longhair, etc.



There actually is some extremely interesting research that has been going on in the past several years on the feline genome, and some studies that have related to breed., as well as to region.

So technically there would be a way to compare a cat's DNA to pedigreed cats of the breeds they had already analyzed. but Pedigreed Maine Coons would group with random-bred cats of North America and Western Europe. Anyway there is no way set up for it to work. ( I can imagine some possible scenarios where it might be used but it's other breeds I'm thinking of , and my imagination won't help you with this anyway.)



As Blue Guitar Girl mentioned, there IS a way in the cat fancy that can occasionally be used to get papers without a pedigree. There have been these procedures around for a while but they're not really widely known. TICA has it, and there are similar procedures in CFA (at least there used to be, I can't swear to right now) and FIFe ( a European based registry).



In TICA there is a form called Foundation Registry Application. Here's some info about it with a link to the form http://ticagreatlakes.com/useful_info.htm#FOUNDATION%20REGISTRATION



the way it works is you have to get approval from 3 Allbreed judges who examine the cat in person, along with any documentation you have on the cat's background. You have to enter your cat in a show as "Exhibition Only" since the only cats who are in the show hall must be in the Show Catalogue, or else cats for adoption brought by a rescue group who arranged it with the show organizers.

If the judges do sign off on it, technically of course they are not guaranteeing pedigree, they are just saying that the cat looks /feels/ & otherwise seems so much like that breed that it could be a valuable addition to a breeding program.

I believe they are quite careful about signing off on these things because 1) they are putting their valuable reputation on the line and 2) they do not want it to be a way for dishonest breeders or wanna-be breeders to be backdooring cats into full registration when they were originally sold by their breeders to be pets , with Not for Breeding checked on their original papers.



An example I know of a good way this was used was in 2001, a breeder brought over 2 Wichien Maat cats she had purchased from breeders in Thailand. (Wichien-maat is the original name of the Siamese breed in its native country). and got 3 TICA judges to examine the cats and her documentation showing where the cats had come from. and the judges agreed they could be registered as foundation Siamese.(One said "There's nothing they COULD be but Siamese." & in that case that was an absolutely logical thing to say.)



I know a lot of people say their cat looks " just like a (fill in breed)" but usually when I've seen the cat or seen pictures, I didn't think so. But occasionally there's an exception. Of course there are things that cannot be seen in a photo like the coat texture. I don't know whether you have actually seen Maine Coons in person or have studied the breed standard, but I would definitely encourage you to look at the breed standard and compare to your cat. I yhink the Maine Coon Breeders and Fanciers Association has an online breed seminar with photos.

What is your reason for wanting papers?

& where /how did you get your cat, and how old was he when you got him?

Answer 2

Since the DNA tests for dogs are not really that accurate (for example a 100% American Staffordshire Terrier was DNA tested and it came be with boxer, bulldog and only 10% ASF). Google dog DNA testing on Utube if you don't believe me. Because cats really are not that diverse in breeds and so similar, it would be next to impossible to use a DNA test on a domestic shorthair with generations of unknown cats to find any one or two breeds that may or may not be accurate. The only way to tell if you have a purebred, is with a pedigree that lists the generations and breeds and you can trace that back further and further. I bred Cornish Rex cats and all my cats could be traced back to the original cat, Kallibunker within 14-18 generations (I did the pedigree research). So I didn't need any kind of DNA testing. The person you are refering to would have NO way of knowing if her cat had purebred in the background and it was very unlikely there was a purebred. Its not about purebred vs mixed (as I owned both). Its about simple facts. Cat DNA would be pretty useless. If a person wanted to know any health problems there are other tests to do (blood, etc) that would show any problems - DNA tests would be useless. Added: - I don't understand your anger either! I've always owned mixes (shelter cats/strays) and have purebreds too. Right now I have one mixed barn cat and a Grand Champion Ocicat. Will be getting another Oci in a few weeks. I have NOTHING against mixes and love cats no matter if they have a pedigree or not. I have NO clue as to what breeder is acting like a snob about mixes, but no breeder I know of (and I show a lot) feels that way. I have to admit I do know some breeder snobs, but that's not the norm in the cat fancy.

Answer 3

Information Learned

DNA tests of cats can reveal the parentage of purebred cats, the breeds included in mixed-breed cats, underlying health problems and definitive identification of traits such as Siamese color points.





Procedure

Collecting cat DNA for testing is fairly simple. Owners use a cotton swab to collect cells from the inside of the cat's mouth and mail in the sample for testing.







Most cat DNA test providers offer a few types of tests, generally costing about $35 to $40 each. (Prices current as of 2007.) They generally include a parentage test to link a particular kitten to its parents, a cat DNA profile that gives owners the specific sequence of their cat's DNA for identification and disease tests that look for specific inherited diseases.

Considerations

If the results from your cat's DNA test are not what you expect, don't use it as a reason to abandon your pet. It isn't the cat's fault, and even imperfect felines deserve a loving home.



Read more: DNA Test for Cats | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_5801925_dna-test-cats.html#ixzz1soADgDMP

Answer 4

There are no DNA tests to determine cat breeds nor will their likely EVER be. The only tests that exists for cats are to determine colour traits (agouti, albinism, mink, etc), to detect diseases (PKD, HCM) and to match specific parent to specific kitten.



I'm sure if you post some links to pictures of your cat I could give you at least half a dozen reason your cat doesn't look the least bit like a Maine Coon.



TICA (the world's largest genetic cat registry and the registry that sanctions the most cat shows) did recently pass a rule that if several judges feels a cat is beyond a doubt a specific breed it can then be registered as that breed. Several have encouraged me to have this done for my Black and White Persian as he's a show quality Persian that was found as a stray.



But again, I'm betting your cat doesn't look the least bit like a Maine Coon. Lots of people think that every longhaired cat is a Maine Coon while in reality they have a VERY distinctive look - square muzzle, specific type of coat, large bodies, LONG tufts at the TIPS of the ears, etc. And even if he is a Maine Coon, why would you want to register him? Are you wanting to breed him? Here's hoping how as only show quality, breed standard cats should be bred. Also no breeder would ALLOW your cat to mate with theirs as he has no history.



edit: Bonnie - again, it's PARENTAGE of a cat - no breed makeup. A breeder with more than one male in their cattery may use a test like that to keep their pedigrees accurate if there's any doubt which cat is the father of a litter. It DOES NOT determine what breeds a cat is.



edit2: Just goes to show ANYONE can put an article online - with facts or complete BS. Trying to find contact info for the idiot who wrote that article.

Answer 5

I was wondering this as well...I don't know but maybe picking up a bit of fur and testing it or something...best wishes xxx.

Answer 6

There is no DNA testing for cat breeds, and even the available ones for dogs are very unreliable. The only DNA testing available for cats is for hereditary diseases such as PKD. If your cat was a purebred, you'd have gotten papers and the parents would have papers. Without papers you have a domestic long hair - often people will misrepresent cats as a particular breed.