A few short weeks ago, we were provided 2 CatKits by BasePaws, a company out of Redondo Beach CA, who are now able to process your cat’s DNA sequence. In exchange for the CatKits, I would love to provide you with as much info as I can about the process, as well as post about my updates after my CatKits contents are done developing.

I’m sorry this took so long. Everything got neglected around here for about 2 weeks between my back issues that came up, and then the Thanksgiving holiday.

I find the BasePaws FAQ page as a good place to start.

I have often felt like these were my two most common questions:

“Do you need blood? Will this hurt my cat? Is this magic?
Absolutely not! We love cats and are committed to using only non-invasive procedures to collect DNA samples. This will not hurt the cat…and, like all science, it’s a bit meowgical!”

I can attest that this didn’t harm the cats. You will see from their videos that they were a bit startled. Removing the adhesive tape sounds like velcro.

“Do you test for breed?
Breed and ancestry are among our top priorities and will be included in your cat’s report within six months. As we expand our kitty community, your cat’s breed and ancestry will be continue to be refined. The initial report will include the Wild Kitten Index, which provides information about how much of your cat’s ancestry can be traced back to the various wild cat species. The analysis includes the review of 1,000s genetic variants that are represented more prevalently across the genome in within each of the species.”

Read more FAQs in the link above.

Pricing is set at $95, however if you follow their blog, sometimes you will find that they are screening for certain disorders to build up the database, and with supporting medical records, they may want your participation for free, so check that out. Also, Catster has this in their #giftguide this year and is offering $25 off with code “CATSTER” at checkout.

Now, for demonstrations:


Giving her the sticky butt


Collection 1


Intermission


Yue’s CatKit didn’t include the same materials that are in Tommy Gargoyle’s CatKit. I was told that his version is the older one that they might not be using much now.

Getting ready with all the supplies and his father


And then waiting with the last strip

I can get these in the mail tomorrow and hopefully we’ll get some new insight into Yue and Tom in approximately 2 months. While the kits weren’t terribly invasive, the daddy man did say that this probably would not be the best idea on our half-feral black and white tuxedo boy Stewart. Tom tried to rip his first adhesive strip off with his teeth and he’s the most tolerant cat I have.

I hope this has taken some of the mystery out of the process, and as I learn more, so will you.