Research overview: runs of homozygosity as a signature of inbreeding in cats

Whole-genome sequencing reveals long stretches where an individual inherited identical segments from both parents, called runs of homozygosity, which accumulate with inbreeding and small population size. This overview surveys how these runs are measured in cat genomes and used to quantify recent versus historical inbreeding in species such as the cheetah, Iberian lynx, Florida panther, and isolated tigers and pumas. It discusses how the length distribution of runs distinguishes ancient bottlenecks from recent consanguinity, the link between homozygosity and exposure of deleterious recessive variants, and how this genomic metric has become central to assessing the genetic health of threatened felid populations.