Summit Presentation Synopsis #5

The Dynamics of DNA: Cat genome research explained

Presenter: Dr. Leslie Lyons, U of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Health and Reproduction

Cats have a universal reputation for being mysterious creatures. Dr. Leslie Lyons is determined to change that! She is, quite literally, taking a microscopic look at cats... right down to analyzing their DNA.

"Currently, the domestic cat is one of the initial species to have a more in-depth [DNA] sequencing," explains Dr. Lyons. "My research focuses on the development of high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays for the cat, to investigate feline model of inherited traits and diseases."

Last spring, Hill’s Pet Food announced a low coverage, private sequencing project and has donated a large portion of the data to the cat genetics community, along with $1,000,000 to support development of a cat SNP array.

"To date, feline studies have required large-extended families with clearly defined modes of inheritance (MOI)," adds Lyons. "A plethora of diseases exist in cats that have a significantly increased risk in certain breeds or populations, but the MOIs are not well defined. Often, MOIs of more simple diseases are highly suspected, but data has not been collected in an organized manner to document these conditions and would not pass peer-review in scientific journals."

You'll learn more about this fascinating topic at the Summit!

Summit Presentation Synopsis Series #1

We're excited about the remarkable people who will be featured speakers at this year's National Summit for Urban Animal Strategies! And we want to share our enthusiasm with delegates!

This is the first in a series on "Summit Presentation Synopses" to give you a "sneak peak" at some of the intriguing topics that will be covered and the various presenters.

The Year of the Cat Initiative
Presenter: Dr. Elizabeth O'Brien

According to the Vietnamese calender, 2008 was technically the Year of the Rat. But that didn't stop Jim Sykes, CEO of the Hamilton Burlington SPCA and his team from designating it "The Year of the Cat" in his community.

The purpose of the campaign was multi-fold:

• to make citizens realize the nation-wide severity of the cat overpopulation problem and the degree of the problem within their own community;
• to educate people about the various misconceptions about the cat -- the most misunderstood, yet popular of all domesticated pets; and
• to encourage the various appropriate team leaders in the community to work together, including the HBSPCA, Hamilton Animal Control, veterinarians and rescue groups.

"All of the community leaders needed to step up to the plate and become part of the solution," explains O'Brien. "It was intended to create a ripple effect. A wave of problem awareness and joint community solutions, which would continue once the year was over."

Dr. O'Brien's presentation is designed to explain the various initiatives that took place during the year-long promotion, to encourage other communities to duplicate its success.

"Looking to the future," adds Dr. O'Brien, "the actual 'Year of the Cat' according to the Vietnamese calendar is 2011. I hope that this presentation will encourage other communities -- or better yet, national organizations -- to take political license and create a North American Year of the Cat for 2001!"

Dr. Elizabeth O'Brien is one of only four board certified feline specialists in Canada. She is a member of various feline organizations and is the chair of the Feline Advisory Committee for the Hamilton Burlington SPCA.