I admit it: I'm a mongrel. Even the vet simply has me listed as a "domestic short hair." I was born on da mean streets of New York City and have no recollection of my specific parentage. This is not a tragedy for cats. By and large, we aren't concerned with geneologies and such. It's humans who are completely obsessed with tracing bloodlines and producing "purebreds" to humiliate them in various national competitions.
Earlier this year, Genomics published the results of a new study by scientists at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine revealing that domesticated cats -- all of us, from all over the globe, regardless of how different we seem superficially -- actually came from the Middle East. This is based on analysis of DNA samples taken from 11,000 cats, specifically, the genetic microsatellites, or "junk DNA," that nonetheless can serve as useful genetic markers.
My favorite findings:
1. Persian cats turn out not to be Persian at all. They're just really pretentious Westernized cats. Tell that to the obnoxious Persian next door.
2. We are domesticated from Near Eastern wildcats. That explains my feral bloodlust. The birds have learned to fear me since once of their own got trapped in the loft. I am still The Mighty Huntress, however old and tame my humans think I've become.
3. Continued cat breeding is likely to lead to less genetic diversity among felines, and a greater likelihood of genetic disorders, such as polycystic kidney disease in Persians and blindness in other purebreds.
Take-home message: Mongrels like me are the hope of the future.
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