Cat Genetics

Porphyrias is a term for a group of rare metabolic disorders that affect a cat’s ability to produce heme. Heme is an essential part of hemoglobin—a protein found in red blood cells that brings oxygen from a cat’s lungs to other parts of their body. Different types of porphyrias can occur in cats, as well as in humans and other animals. In this blog, we’ll discuss acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) in cats, its symptoms, and how it is diagnosed and treated by veterinarians.

Pyruvate kinase is an enzyme involved in the metabolism of red blood cells. When mutations in the PKLR gene occur, it reduces the functionality of  this enzyme and subsequently affects the ability of red blood cells to survive and function properly. Learn about pyruvate kinase deficiency in cats, symptoms and treatment, and the cat breeds that are known to be at a higher risk for this condition.

Today, we’re decoding one of the mysteries of genetics that relates to your Basepaws DNA report of results. It's called epistasis. When epistasis occurs, the observable expression (phenotype) of a gene—such as one responsible for the color of your kitty's coat—gets modified in some way by a completely different gene that has the ability to mask, suppress, or inhibit how that coat color gene is expressed. Epistasis helps explain why sometimes you may get a “likely to have” result for a genetic trait in your cat’s Basepaws report that doesn’t quite match up with their physical appearance.