Compatibility of Cats With Children in the Family

Although studies involving pet dogs and cats, and human adults and children, have been reported, the specific interactions between cats and children have not. This study sought information from parents about the cat's role in families that have at least one child 3–12 years of age and at least one cat. Demographic data on cat source, breed, gender/neuter status, was sought as well as information on adults and children in the families and on affectionate, aggressive, fearful, and playful responses of the cats to children. A convenience sample was recruited via listservs for pet owners and parents. Using a pilot tested web survey, descriptive statistics were based on 865 respondents. Multi-variate statistical analyses were conducted on data from 665 respondents with complete responses for all items, including respondents' locations and whether cats were adopted as kittens. Multi-variate analyses included consideration of demographic data, geographic region of respondents, behavioral characteristics of the cats, and responses of the children to the cats. From descriptive statistics, cats' affection was more typical with adults than young children. Neuter status or gender was unrelated to cats' aggression or affection. Being the family's only cat was associated with heightened aggression and reduced affection. Younger cats were more likely to be affectionate. Multivariate analysis revealed three primary factors accounting for children's compatibility with the specified cat: positive interactions of the cat, aggression/fearfulness of cat, and the cat's playfulness and children's reaction to the cats. Positive child-cat relationships were more typical with two or more adults and multiple cats in the home. Old cats were the least satisfactory. A breeder or shelter was a better source than as a feral, from a newspaper ad, or another source. European respondents rated their cats' interactions with children more favorably than in U.S./Canada. This difference may reflect the European adoptions more frequently being of kittens, often purebred, assuring more early handling within the family. A noteworthy finding was that all family participants, humans, and pets alike, affect the cat-child relationship, and these results reveal that many variables can play a role in achieving a desirable relationship for a cat and child

Recombination overview of chromosomes A2, D1, and E2 regions.

<p>(a-c) Posterior recombination rates (population size scaled) across chromosomes A2, D1, and E2 regions, respectively. Solid line shows the whole recombination rates, while the dashed line shows the background recombination rates. (d-f) Posterior probability of hotspots along chromosomes A2, D1, and E2 regions, respectively. (g-i) Bayes factor of hotspots for chromosomes A2, D1, and E2 regions, respectively. Horizontal dotted line corresponds to Bayes factor of 100 in a log₁₀ scale. Position and distribution of SNPs included in the recombination analysis are at the bottom.</p

A qualitative overview of variation and repeat elements in the cat chromosomal regions studied.

<p>a) Variation and repeat element (<i>n</i> = 22) within four hotspots. All elements within the hotspots are shown at the tips of the outer circle. b) Variation and repeat element (<i>n</i> = 16,798) within “neutral” bins. Elements present more than a hundred times within the “neutral” bins are shown at the tips of the outer circle. The inner circle represents the elements’ classes, middle circle represents elements’ families, and outer circle represent the individual elements. Note: the Fig is intended a general description rather than a quantitative comparison.</p

European wildcat microsatellites dataset

The File contains the raw microsatellites database in GenAlEx format for 1124 cat samples used in the analyses, characterised by 31 loci. For each samples is provided the sampling location, as reported in Tables, Figures and main taxt of the manuscript.This file can be converted to other formats using GenAlEx

A Novel Variant in <i>CMAH</i> Is Associated with Blood Type AB in Ragdoll Cats

<div><p>The enzyme cytidine monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase is associated with the production of sialic acids on cat red blood cells. The cat has one major blood group with three serotypes; the most common blood type A being dominant to type B. A third rare blood type is known as AB and has an unclear mode of inheritance. Cat blood type antigens are defined, with N-glycolylneuraminic acid being associated with type A and N-acetylneuraminic acid with type B. Blood type AB is serologically characterized by agglutination using typing reagents directed against both A and B epitopes. While a genetic characterization of blood type B has been achieved, the rare type AB serotype remains genetically uncharacterized. A genome-wide association study in Ragdoll cats (22 cases and 15 controls) detected a significant association between blood type AB and SNPs on cat chromosome B2, with the most highly associated SNP being at position 4,487,432 near the candidate gene <i>cytidine monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase</i>. A novel variant, c.364C>T, was identified that is highly associated with blood type AB in Ragdoll cats and, to a lesser degree, with type AB in random bred cats. The newly identified variant is probably linked with blood type AB in Ragdoll cats, and is associated with the expression of both antigens (N-glycolylneuraminic acid and N-acetylneuraminic acid) on the red blood cell membrane. Other variants, not identified by this work, are likely to be associated with blood type AB in other breeds of cat.</p></div

Domestic cats with known blood type serology genotyped for the c.364C>T variant in <i>CMAH</i> exon 4.

<p>Domestic cats with known blood type serology genotyped for the c.364C>T variant in <i>CMAH</i> exon 4.</p

Multidimensional scaling and Manhattan plot summarizing the GWAS for Ragdoll cats with blood type AB.

<p>a. MDS showing the distribution of the Ragdoll cases and controls included in the analyses. Significant overlap of cases and controls suggests minimal substructuring in the dataset. b. The plot represents the <i>P</i>_<i>raw</i> (top) and <i>P</i>_{<i>genome</i>} (bottom) values of the SNPs included in the GWAS case–control analysis. The black dashed line (bottom) suggests the SNPs with genome-wide significance after permutation. Two SNPs on chromosome B2 (positions 4,487,432 and 4,449,822, respectively) remained significantly associated with the AB blood type phenotype.</p

First <em>WNK4</em>-Hypokalemia Animal Model Identified by Genome-Wide Association in Burmese Cats

<div><p>Burmese is an old and popular cat breed, however, several health concerns, such as hypokalemia and a craniofacial defect, are prevalent, endangering the general health of the breed. Hypokalemia, a subnormal serum potassium ion concentration ([K⁺]), most often occurs as a secondary problem but can occur as a primary problem, such as <em>hypokalaemic periodic paralysis</em> in humans, and as <em>feline hypokalaemic periodic polymyopathy</em> primarily in Burmese. The most characteristic clinical sign of hypokalemia in Burmese is a skeletal muscle weakness that is frequently episodic in nature, either generalized, or sometimes localized to the cervical and thoracic limb girdle muscles. Burmese hypokalemia is suspected to be a single locus autosomal recessive trait. A genome wide case-control study using the illumina Infinium Feline 63K iSelect DNA array was performed using 35 cases and 25 controls from the Burmese breed that identified a locus on chromosome E1 associated with hypokalemia. Within approximately 1.2 Mb of the highest associated SNP, two candidate genes were identified, <em>KCNH4</em> and <em>WNK4</em>. Direct sequencing of the genes revealed a nonsense mutation, producing a premature stop codon within <em>WNK4</em> (c.2899C>T), leading to a truncated protein that lacks the C-terminal coiled-coil domain and the highly conserved Akt1/SGK phosphorylation site. All cases were homozygous for the mutation. Although the exact mechanism causing hypokalemia has not been determined, extrapolation from the homologous human and mouse genes suggests the mechanism may involve a potassium-losing nephropathy. A genetic test to screen for the genetic defect within the active breeding population has been developed, which should lead to eradication of the mutation and improved general health within the breed. Moreover, the identified mutation may help clarify the role of the protein in K⁺ regulation and the cat represents the first animal model for <em>WNK4-associated</em> hypokalemia.</p> </div

SNP analyses of <i>WNK4</i> in cats with and without hypokalemia.

<p>SNP analyses of <i>WNK4</i> in cats with and without hypokalemia.</p

A Novel Mutation in <i>CLCN1</i> Associated with Feline Myotonia Congenita

<div><p>Myotonia congenita (MC) is a skeletal muscle channelopathy characterized by inability of the muscle to relax following voluntary contraction. Worldwide population prevalence in humans is 1∶100,000. Studies in mice, dogs, humans and goats confirmed myotonia associated with functional defects in chloride channels and mutations in a skeletal muscle chloride channel (<i>CLCN1</i>). <i>CLCN1</i> encodes for the most abundant chloride channel in the skeletal muscle cell membrane. Five random bred cats from Winnipeg, Canada with MC were examined. All cats had a protruding tongue, limited range of jaw motion and drooling with prominent neck and proximal limb musculature. All cats had blepharospasm upon palpebral reflex testing and a short-strided gait. Electromyograms demonstrated myotonic discharges at a mean frequency of 300 Hz resembling the sound of a ‘swarm of bees’. Muscle histopathology showed hypertrophy of all fiber types. Direct sequencing of <i>CLCN1</i> revealed a mutation disrupting a donor splice site downstream of exon 16 in only the affected cats. <i>In vitro</i> translation of the mutated protein predicted a premature truncation and partial lack of the highly conserved CBS1 (cystathionine β-synthase) domain critical for ion transport activity and one dimerization domain pivotal in channel formation. Genetic screening of the Winnipeg random bred population of the cats' origin identified carriers of the mutation. A genetic test for population screening is now available and carrier cats from the feral population can be identified.</p></div