The ascent of cat breeds: genetic evaluations of breeds and random-bred populations

Lipinski and colleagues used a panel of genetic markers to characterize the population structure of cat breeds and worldwide random-bred cats. They found that most modern cat breeds are relatively recent creations with modest genetic differentiation, derived largely from regional random-bred populations, and they traced breed origins to source populations in different parts of the world. The analysis showed that, compared with dogs, cat breeds have shallow histories and retain considerable shared variation, reflecting the cat's recent and limited deliberate breeding. The study also documented the genetic signatures of foundation events and the relationships among breeds, providing a framework for understanding feline genetic diversity, breed development and the geographic ancestry of cats. It remains a key reference on how the small number of cat breeds emerged from broadly distributed random-bred stock.