No comparable study has been conducted on cats, however. A colleague of mine, Duncan Irschick, who is a professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and I decided to remedy this situation. Specifically, our plan was to precisely determine the variability in cat heads to compare to the variation seen among dog breeds and wild species of felines like lions, tigers, and ocelots.
The research is not just about bragging rights. Now that the housecat genome has been sequenced, it will soon be possible to discover the genes responsible for differences among breeds. But to do such studies, exact measurements of anatomy are required. Qualitative terms like “wedge” and “egg-shaped” are fine for breed standards, but more precision is needed to detect the relationships between genes and anatomical variation. In turn, quantifying the discovery of such genetic associations will also benefit the detection and treatment of feline medical problems.
This story is from the April 2020 edition of Cat Talk.
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This story is from the April 2020 edition of Cat Talk.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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Library Cats felis cattus bibliotheca
Introduction - The Middle Ages, sometimes referred to as “The Dark Ages,” spanned approximately one thousand years, between 479 AD and 1450 AD. This time period is not generally considered to have been friendly to anyone, human nor animal, but it was especially hostile toward felines. Ignorance of knowledge and science was rampant among the majority of the population, with the ability to read limited to clerics and the wealthy. Myths, legends, and galliard songs spread widely throughout Europe as people migrated from place to place, searching for food and a safe habitat. Fear of the unknown and the unexplainable, particularly of witches and their cat familiars, was spread not only by the stories and songs, but by the Popes themselves. Without touching on the atrocities of medieval times, let us just say it was not the best time to be a cat.
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