One of the most purr-sistent questions we hear from Darwin’s Cats community scientists is: “When will you have more surveys on cat health?” We’re excited to share that, right meow, a new survey about your cat’s health history is available in your Laboratory!
There is still so much that science doesn’t understand about cat health, including the prevalence of certain health conditions and what role genetics may play in shaping them. This new survey is the first in a series of Darwin’s Cats health surveys designed to help our researchers map the landscape of common feline health conditions.
By taking the health history survey, you’ll help our scientists explore which conditions affect the most cats and which conditions may have genetic drivers—insights that will pinpoint future feline research priorities.
Exploring genetic drivers of common cat conditions
Our new survey asks some basic questions about your cat’s health history. Your cat’s health story, together with those of thousands of other Darwin’s Cats participants, helps reveal the bigger picture of how common conditions affect the pet cat population.
Widespread conditions, like kidney disease or allergies, are a good starting point for genetic research. That’s because common health conditions affect many cats, so scientists can collect the large sample sizes needed to connect the dots between genes and health traits. Our initial research goal is to better understand the conditions that affect the most cats and explore how those conditions may be related to genetics, as well as other variables like age, sex, and lifestyle.
Large sample sizes are essential for discovering the genetic underpinnings of complex traits like health conditions. That’s why our new survey focuses on common conditions rather than rare ones. To study a rare health issue, our scientists would need to find a significant number of cats who share that condition to ensure that any study results are scientifically reliable. Finding enough cats with a rare disease affecting one in every ten thousand cats requires a much larger dataset than finding cats with a common condition like kidney disease, which affects about 40% of cats ages 10 and older.
As our community and research grow, so too will our ability to study a wider range of health conditions. Over time, our expanding genetic database could help identify conditions with strong genetic roots and guide future research toward developing targeted therapies and better preventive care for cats everywhere.
We hope you’ll join us on this journey of discovery by completing our new health survey today. And stay tuned for more surveys on common cat health conditions that we will release throughout the coming year.
Once you’ve completed the survey, check your email for a special opportunity to sequence your cat’s DNA. By taking your cat’s participation in our health research to the molecular level, you’ll help grow our genetic database and accelerate discoveries that benefit all cats. Together with thousands of other Darwin’s Cats participants, your cat’s story can build a deeper understanding of feline health that can make meaningful advances in veterinary care.
