Research overview: the domestic cat as a biomedical genetic model

The domestic cat harbors more than two hundred inherited disorders, many of which mirror human genetic diseases, making it a valuable biomedical model. This overview surveys how feline genetics has illuminated conditions such as polycystic kidney disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, retinal degeneration, lysosomal storage diseases, and feline immunodeficiency virus as a model for HIV. It discusses the role of the cat genome reference, pedigree resources from the cat fancy, and DNA testing in identifying disease variants, and how discoveries in cats contribute to comparative medicine. The survey frames the cat as both a beloved companion and an informative model organism for genetic disease.