According to Annette Louviere, veterinary expert at Wisdom Panel, these are the main factors to consider when shopping for a cat DNA testing product:

• The size of the company’s breed reference database
• The number of genetic markers the test can detect
• The type of information reported after the test (examples include: health related to ancestry, traits related to ancestry, genetic diversity measurement)

Rowyn Rose, science communications specialist at Basepaws, also points out the importance of ease and convenience for you and your pet. “Oral swab tests, such as the Basepaws , allow for DNA to be collected in a matter of seconds with a quick and painless swab of a cat’s mouth,” she explains.

Like Louviere, Rose also adds that you should factor in what information gets unlocked, which can include health insights about an individual pet’s genetic risk for disease. “DNA tests can also provide oral health assessments…and let pet parents know if their cat has a currently active dental disease (which can in turn affect their cat’s overall health).”

George Sofronidis, co-founder of Orivet Genetic Pet Care, points out that “pet owners should look for testing that is reliable and offers great customer service to help them understand the results, as well as easy access to those results (such as on a mobile phone).”

Similarly, Rose adds that the quality of supportive services, such as access to a genetic advisor to discuss your pet’s results, ease of sharing report results with your veterinarian, educational events and resources, and avenues for engaging with other pet parents who have used (or are interested in using) the DNA service or product can also be an important factor to consider.

• What does a cat DNA test tell you? Depending on the specific cat DNA test you’re using, cat DNA tests on the market today can tell you about your cat breed, health markers based on ancestry, and even active dental disease. It’s important to note that while you will get a plethora of information after you get your cat DNA results, you should still seek help from a veterinarian if you have health concerns or to assess your findings.

• How much does it cost to test your cat’s DNA? Cat DNA tests vary in price, but for the most part, the most well-known brands offer them for a range between $100 and $200.

• Can you test for a cat’s breed? There are cat DNA tests that test for a cat’s breed. Basepaws and Wisdom Panel, for example, both do just that, in addition to providing results for other factors.

• What are the benefits of using a cat DNA test? Cat DNA tests “can support early detection before a disease becomes advanced,” Rose says.

  According to Louviere, ” can provide pet parents with information regarding over 45 genetic health risks, determine genetic blood type, identify various traits the cat may be carrying, measure how genetically diverse the DNA is, as well as provide a glimpse into the cat’s ancestry by comparing their unique DNA against the world’s largest breed database.”

  And as Sofronidis explains, “for breeders, the tests can help determine if the cat will have certain traits like fur color and hair length, which is important to maintaining breed standards. For pet owners, a breed DNA test can give insight into potential behaviors based on the percentage of the specific breed.”