Translocation of mtDNA into the nuclear genome, also referred to as numt, was first reported in the domestic cat (Felis catus) by Lopez et al. (1994). The Lopez-numt consisted of a translocation of 7.9 kbp of mtDNA that inserted into the domestic cat chromosome D2 around 1.8 million years ago. More than a decade later, the release of the domestic cat whole-genome shotgun sequences (1.9x coverag...

The predation of wildlife by domestic cats (Felis catus) is a complex problem: Cats are popular companion animals in modern society but are also acknowledged predators of birds, herpetofauna, invertebrates, and small mammals. A comprehensive understanding of this conservation issue demands an understanding of both the ecological consequence of owning a domestic cat and the attitudes of cat owne...

Evidence suggests that non-domesticated felids inherited the same AB-erythrocyte antigens as domestic cats. To study the possible compatibility of tiger blood with that of other endangered felidae, blood samples from captive tigers and domestic cats were subjected to an in vitro study. The objectives of this study were to (1) identify whether the captive tigers had blood type AB and (2) determi...

A 3-year-old, male domestic shorthair cat was presented with signs of progressive muscular hypertrophy. A diagnosis of hypertrophic feline muscular dystrophy was made on the basis of the typical clinical presentation in cats and on the basis of the results of medical imaging, the electrodiagnostics and the findings on histopathology and immunohistochemistry of muscle biopsies. The cat was initi...

Cat vocal behavior, in particular, the vocal and social behavior of feral cats, is poorly understood, as are the differences between feral and fully domestic cats. The relationship between feral cat social and vocal behavior is important because of the markedly different ecology of feral and domestic cats, and enhanced comprehension of the repertoire and potential information content of feral c...

Coat colours and patterns are highly variable in cats and are determined mainly by several genes with Mendelian inheritance. A 2-bp deletion in agouti signalling protein (ASIP) is associated with melanism in domestic cats. Bengal cats are hybrids between domestic cats and Asian leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis), and the charcoal coat colouration/pattern in Bengals presents as a possible i...

The ancestor of all modern domestic cats is the wildcat, Felis silvestris lybica, with archaeological evidence indicating it was domesticated as early as 10,000 years ago in South-West Asia. A recent study, however, claims that cat domestication also occurred in China some 5,000 years ago and involved the same wildcat ancestor (F. silvestris). The application of geometric morphometric analyses ...

A serosurvey of rabies antibodies among domestic dogs (Canis familiaris, n = 178), spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta, n = 72) and African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus, n = 18) of the Masai Mara, Kenya, was carried out. Rabies antibodies were found in 9.6% of the domestic dog sera, but all wild dog and hyaena sera were negative. Rabies has been confirmed in this region among the above species as well...