I enjoy exploring the connection between the big cats and our sweet domestic kitties. I know that the house cat comes from wild cats, but it still blows my mind to realize that Lily and Sophie (as well as your Tabitha, Fluffy, Tommy, and Phoebe-kitties) share 95.6% of their DNA with the tiger. In fact the Siberian tiger is the most closely related to the house cat.
But did you know that you might actually be related to
your cat? A study of DNA provided by an Abyssinian cat showed that cats share approximately 90% of their DNA with humans. Hey, that means we’re fairly closely related to, not only our precious fur-kids, but to tigers, maybe snow leopards, and lions. Don’t get too excited. We’re still more closely related to the chimpanzee—that DNA number at 98.8%.
(This kitten and its sibling are up for adoption.–Photos by Glori Anibarro)
