It's no surprise that we love our fur babies. Half of women and nearly a third of men say "I love you" to their cat’s multiple times per day, according a survey conducted by Purina and many cat owners are likely to show their pawed pals some extra love. It's well documented that our furry feline friends make our lives better and generally brighten our mood each day. They can also help lower blood pressure, and cat owners have been shown to have higher self-esteem than those without cats in their lives. Our furry friends make our lives better every day, so it makes purrr-fect sense that since our four legged family members bring us so much happiness and make us feel good. Basepaws is an at-home, feline-specific genetic test.
Basepaws which was recently featured on Shark Tank and made deals with two investors allows you to learn about breed and ancestry markers that are present in your cat’s DNA explaining the physical traits are in your cat’s genes. So, if you’ve ever wondered where your cat gets the extra fluffiness in his or her tail, now you can find out! Using what we currently know, Basepaws can tell you how closely related your cat is to select cat breeds and wildcats. Later in the year you will get updates including your cat’s health and wellness report, information about their distant ancestral roots, discover maternal/paternal tracing, siblings test, personality prediction, catnip-addict likelihood, physical traits and fun facts!
Basepaws gets DNA from your cat’s cheek cells that rub off onto a cotton swab. When your cheek swab arrives at our Los Angeles facility, we take the DNA out of it with a chemical extraction process. Your cat’s DNA contains more than 20,000 genes, which are spelled out in a unique genetic code that is around 2,700,000,000 letters (nucleotide bases) long. Basepaws takes this DNA and uses sequencing machines to read and record these letters. Basepaws uses your cat’s information to generate an easy-to-read report about their DNA. We will continue to update your cat’s report as we learn more. Once you are part of the Basepaws community you will get constant updates from us as we have new discoveries about the genetics of your cat.Your cat’s first report will include useful information about their breed and an interesting similarity to wildcats. Here is an example of the first personalized Basepaws report that you will receive: https://cdn.basepaws.com/report/sample.html.
In addition to your cat’s personalized report the Basepaws kit includes: membership in the Basepaws community, report updates, personalized recommendations, access to the latest research on cat science, tools to connect owners of similar cats, and discounts on future products that will be specifically formulated for your cat’s genetic needs receiving constant updates. You can also look forward to updates later in the year including:
· Health Report: Discover if your cat's genetics influences their risk for certain health conditions, or if their DNA is carrying a genetic disorder and any health and wellness risks that may be present in your cat’s DNA. Genetic health risks and diseases, carrier status (32 diseases).
· Wellness Report: You will receive tailored assessments and recommendations based on your cat's genetics including diet recommendations.
· Ancestry: You can look forward to receiving updates about your cat's ancestry. Learn about their Breed, as well as their distant ancestral roots. The Alpha Report includes 32 cat breeds and 14 wild cats.
· You will also discover maternal/paternal tracing, siblings test, personality prediction, catnip-addict likelihood, physical traits and fun facts!
As a pet owner, you want to know as much information as possible about any potential health risks for your beloved cat. With knowledge from your cat’s genetics, you can make more informed decisions about their healthcare needs earlier—possibly mitigating or even preventing illness down the road.
Our Thoughts
When I was approached with this review I immediately wanted to participate! My family has had cats as far back as I can remember. I grew up with a long-haired cat who had been an "oops" out of a barn cat that decided to have her babies in the chicken coop feed room. But we always wondered what breeds she actually was because she obviously was a mix of this and that.
Our current kitty is 13 and he is a registered ragdoll, but as we found out when we did a DNA test on our registers Australian Cattle Dog, sometimes that doesn't mean a whole lot depending on the registry. We were excited to take Julius' sample and send it off, not that we questioned that he is pure breed, but because we were excited to help build a database and hopefully learn more about what we can expect health wise with him in the future.
Taking the sample was simple. The kit comes with a swab that looks like a large q-tip. One of us held Julius while the other stuck the swab in his cheek and rubbed for the required time. We then follow the preservation directions, closed up the box and shipped it off. Then the waiting started.
We signed up for email notifications on the DNA which allowed us to follow the process. When the DNA was received, we got an email. The wait time on the DNA sequencing was supposed to be about 8 weeks; we received the DNA report exactly 8 weeks after submission. I was impressed with this because I knew that the base of the DNA database might be limited.
The DNA test came back with Julius being 99.21% ragdoll. Again, we weren't surprised by this result but it was very interesting to read the report that came with the results. It was in depth but easy to understand. I am really looking forward to seeing the rest of the reports that Basepaws will be coming out with! I will absolutely do this again with a cat if nothing else, than to have an idea of possible health concerns.
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