Share This Page

Tweet

Beth Stultz-Hairston | April 12, 2019   

    

Spoiler alert: My cat, Luna, is a mythical creature.

Luna came into our lives in the summer of 2016. My beloved chihuahua Bree had passed away a couple of months earlier and for the first time in my life, my home was without an indoor pet (we had one goat and five chickens outdoors, at that time). While I originally said “no” when my sister contacted me about finding homes for the litter of stray kittens she had discovered under her back porch, one look at little Luna—with her malformed ear, crescent black marking on her forehead and heart-shaping marking on her back—and my mind was changed. We knew little about Luna’s parentage, but after a trip to the veterinarian (who gave her a clean bill of health) and an overnight stay to be spayed, Luna came to our home to live. She hissed at us from the back of my sofa for three days and then simply walked to my son, decided he was her best friend and has continued to follow him around for the past three years.

While I had never given much thought to her “background,” when I received an email from Basepaws about DNA testing for cats, I was intrigued. So, I requested a “CatKit” (what BasePaws calls their DNA collection kit) and decided to see what we could learn.

My experience with Basepaws Cat DNA testing

The test kit you receive in the mail has everything you need to collect and return your cat’s DNA sample to Basepaws. When I completed my cat’s DNA test at the end of last year, a fur sample was required (using a tape strip), but Basepaws now offers a cheek swab to collect your cat’s DNA. You can view a video of the process on Basepaws’ YouTube channel.

After setting up my account on Basepaws.com (easy!) and entering the number on my CatKit (to connect this particular test to my account), my son held Luna as I used the tape strip to get her fur sample, sealed it in the envelope, mailed it off—and waited. While she didn’t seem bothered by this DNA collection, I was happy to hear that a cheek swab is now used instead.

Admittedly, receiving the results took longer than I anticipated, but Basepaws did send regular notifications. I received notice that Luna’s sample had been received on 11/29/18, and then on 12/20/18 I received an email that Luna’s CatKit had been sent for sequencing (the suspense was killing me!).

Fun Fact: The feline genome was first sequenced in 2007, and when the cat genome was finally mapped scientists learned that humans share about 90% of DNA with felines! If you’d like to learn more, I recommend reading this Basepaws blog post that explains exactly what “sequencing” means.  

On 1/21/19, I received another email from Basepaws explaining that “because of the holidays, additional internal checks, but mostly because cat genetics are quite complex and require additional data checks for accuracy,” that a small number of reports were running a bit late—and mine was one of them. My husband and son actually took this as promising news that the delay meant Luna must be very unique.

During the wait, I took some time to learn more about Basepaws and their testing process. Their website explains that when the CatKits arrive to their Los Angeles facility, they take the DNA out of it with a chemical extraction process. Basepaws explains that a “cat’s DNA contains more than 20,000 genes, which are spelled out in a unique genetic coding that is around 2,700,000,000 letters (nucleotide bases) long,” and they use a sequencing machine to read and record the letters of the cat’s DNA. Then, the cat’s DNA sequence is compared to sequences from other cats from Basepaws’ collection and the scientific community.

I was beginning to understand why I hadn’t received Luna’s results yet!

So, what did Luna’s report include?

On March 8^th, we received the email we had been patiently waiting for, with the apt subject line: “Finally! Your Basepaws results are HERE!”

Because Basepaws continues to add to their reports as they gather more samples, the report I received was the “Alpha Report” containing Basepaws’ initial discoveries about Luna’s breed groups and chromosome maps, as well as initial findings on her similarity to different wildcats. Feel free to review the report I received for Luna here. 

The report sent by Basepaws includes information on breed, as well as the related health and personality traits. Basepaws compared Luna’s sequenced DNA to its database of purebreds and other “polycats” (its term for mixed-breed felines).

So, how did I conclude that Luna was a mythical creature? Check out the description of the Norwegian Forest Cat provided by Basepaws—and keep in mind Luna was more similar to this breed than 89.68% of the cats in their database.

While I don’t see any strong physical resemblance to a Norwegian Forest Cat when I look at Luna, the personality traits for the breed ring true—especially the description of being “very picky and fussy” as to whose lap she will sit in!

Overall, the process of using BasePaws’ CatKit was simple—and fun. And while the report did not necessarily contain any groundbreaking information regarding Luna’s background or health, I was excited to learn that I’ll continue to get updates regarding her DNA results as the company grows. As a young company founded in 2017, BasePaws is working to expand its genetic sample size and plans to add new reports in the near future, including inherited disease markers, parentage and even personality indicators—and new and existing customers will continue to get updates.

You can learn more and order your own CatKit from the Basepaws website.

Have you used this service before? What were your cat’s results? Share in the comments below.