Cat genetic profiles in Catalonia, Spain

A study was made of three aspects of the genetic composition of some cat populations in Catalonia (Northeastern Iberian Peninsula, Spain). The allelic frequencies of the nine genes (O, A, T, D, L, S, W, C and I), which control color, tabby and length of coat, were investigated: 1) the cat population of Llansa only 8 km from the French frontier on the Mediterranean coast and a new sample obtained in the rural district of Castelldefels were shown to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for the O and S loci. 2) The second question concerned an analysis of the genetic relationships between the cat population of Llansa and other populations of Western Europe. Ruiz-Garcia looked for genetic similarity between cat populations in Northern Catalonia and France. Populations in central and Southern Catalonia had been found to be very distant from the French cat populations, genetically speaking. However, the cat population analyzed in Northern Catalonia did not show any increase in the genetic similarity with the French populations, and was found to be similar to the other cat populations in Catalonia, previously analyzed. A new sample of cats from Llansa, the northernmost of all populations in Catalonia sampled up to now, showed no increase in genetic similarity to French populations compared to other groups from Catalonia. The genic frequencies of the coat characteristics loci showed that the French and British cat populations were furthest away from the population of Llansa, among those of Western Europe. In general, the cat populations we sampled in Catalonia showed a greater genetic resemblance to Eastern Mediterranean and North African populations than to the cat populations found in Western Europe. 3) The third aspect concerns population change over time. In 1989, the genetic composition of a cat population from Castelldefels was analyzed. In 1994 this population was sampled again, and no significant differences were found in the eight allelic frequencies compared, which demonstrates great stability over time in the genetic profile of this cat population.