Cat Genetics

If your beautiful feline’s eyes are two different colors – yellow and blue perhaps – then you’ve got yourself an odd-eyed kitten! These captivating little creatures are carriers of a feline form of a condition known as complete heterochromia. Heterochromia in cats is a captivating genetic anomaly most commonly observed in white kitties.

Black, white, brown, orange, or a bit of everything? Cats come in so many different colors and patterns that it’s simply too difficult to choose a favorite. The captivating colors of your special little kitty are written in its DNA, and some variations seem to be particularly beautiful and rare. Here are the top 10 rarest coat colors and patterns in cats. Do you have a favorite?

Basepaws has added new genetic health and trait markers to its flagship Breed + Health Cat DNA test. In the Health Marker section of your cat’s report, Basepaws provides their results related to 43 genetic disorders that are represented by 64 health markers.

Here at Basepaws, we often talk about feline genetics and science. It can be challenging to understand your Basepaws DNA Report or any of the provided literature without adequate background knowledge. To help you get started, here is your crash "Feline Genetics 101" course. This will provide you with sufficient, simplified information that will help you learn more about the genetics of your cat.

While we're working our science at the lab we find a few random facts about cats. Here are some of our recent favorites. Will you know them all?

Feline melanism (dark coat coloration) is a fairly common polymorphism observed incats, but it is still widely speculated what kind of adaptive and evolutionary significance it has.

All fur parents are utterly in love with the flawless white tips of their pets' paws. The time has finally come to talk about the white gloves in cats!