In this B. Sc. Thesis the background of genetic diseases and anomalies that occur in purebred and random bred cats is presented. Also the origin of the domestic cat, the development of the breeds, the evolutionary adaptations of the genome, the influence of inbreeding in cat populations, and the diagnostics of hereditary diseases are described. Domestic cats descended from at least five lineages of wild cats from the Middle East area. Cat breeds are derived from four genetically distinct populations of random bred cats, namely European, Eastern Mediterranean, Arabian coastal and South Asian. The effects of evolution on the cat genome are manifested by an increase in the number of genes associated with fat metabolism, visual and hearing acuity. Compared to dogs, the repertoire of olfactory genes in cats has shrunk and the repertoire of vomeronasal genes has expanded. Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), which occurs in the Maine Coon breed, and Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), which occurs in Persians, are very common genetic diseases. Brachycephaly is the most common genetically determined anomaly in populations of purebred cats. In certain breeds (Burmese, Persian), brachycephaly is a desirable trait on the basis of which animals are selected for breeding. In random bred cats, hereditary diseases are rare and occur singly. The lower incidence of hereditary diseases in random bred cats is due to less inbreeding, so in breeds with a high degree of inbreeding, attention should be focused on increasing genetic diversity.
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