Happy New Year from all of us at the Cat Genetic Testing Service! 

In this edition of the newsletter we introduce the new cytobrushes which have replaced FLOQ swabs for sample collection. We also include a survey on different aspects of the Cat Genetic Testing Service. It shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes to complete and we would really value your feedback to allow us to evaluate areas of the service that work well and areas where we could make improvements.

Around 2.5% of all swabs submitted to us don’t have enough DNA on them for us to run any genetic tests. This results in us requesting another swab, or if two swabs were initially sent and both were poor, we will request a blood sample. We realise this is frustrating for owners and breeders, causing delays in receiving results and sometimes additional expense if a trip to the vet is required to verify identity or take a blood sample. This low-level DNA can be due to poor swabbing technique or because the DNA has degraded (typically due to prolonged storage or transportation).

Here’s a quick recap on how to take a good swab/cytobrush:

1. The cat’s mouth should be free of food, therefore delay sampling for at least an hour after the cat has eaten
2. Kittens can be tested from birth, but since they should be removed from the mother 30-60 minutes before sampling we recommend they are not tested until 2-3 weeks of age
3. A standard dry, cytobrush or FLOQ swab is used
4. Insert the brush/swab tip into the cat’s mouth between the cheek and gum
5. Twist or rub the brush/swab several times to collect the cheek cells
6. Remove the brush/swab from the cat’s mouth and carefully return it to its protective sleeve
7. Label the plastic sleeve with either the cat’s name or Cat 1, Cat 2 etc following the order on the submission form
8. Complete the submission form and enclose it with your samples

Please take the time (a couple of minutes) to complete this short survey rating aspects of our Cat Genetic Testing Service and website. It’s your chance to have your say on the aspects of the service that work well and those that you feel don’t work so well.

You will find a lot of useful information on the Cat Genetic Testing Service under the breeder pages of our website

For anything you can’t find, or any additional questions or advice please feel free to contact our friendly team:

Telephone: 0117394 0510 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm)

Email: catgenetics@langfordvets.co.uk
 

For more information on the cat genetic tests we run please visit our website www.catgenetics.co.uk or email catgenetics@langfordvets.co.uk