EXCERPT

The project, called the 99 Lives Cat Whole Genome Sequencing Initiative, grew out of an original plan to sequence just nine cats. But [Leslie] Lyons and her colleagues decided that nine lives were not enough to build a truly complete genetic portrait, so they upped the sample size.

The work requires samples from kitties that are spayed and neutered. The cats' leftover ovaries, uteruses and testicles contain DNA that can be easily extracted.

So the scientists are seeking cat samples from Greece, India, China, Russia, the Galapagos and Madagascar, to name a few. They want all kinds of breeds: the silky-haired Maine Coon and the American shorthair, the spotted Egyptian Mau and the blue-eyed Siamese. They want both purebreds and housecats that are a little bit of everything.

SOURCE

http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Scientists-set-out-to-map-whole-genome-of-cats-5198784.php