Researchers have identified the DNA mutations that cause the A and B blood types of the domestic cat.
This information, obtained from a simple cheek swab test, might help cat breeders select mating pairs to avoid specific diseases that occur from blood group incompatibility, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine who took part in the study.
Specific mutations are shown to be 100 percent concordant with the type A and type B blood groups from various breeds of cats, including Birman, British Shorthair, Devon Rex and Ragdoll from the United States and Europe.
The causative mutation for the third blood type, the rare type AB, has not been identified.
The international research team, which was funded by the Winn Feline Foundation, also included investigators from Istituto di Zootecnica-Vetogene Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Milan; and Oy Triniini Co. in Helsinki, Finland.