Fortunately, Darwin’s Ark, a community science nonprofit, is working to change that with its ambitious research initiative, Darwin’s Cats. In partnership with scientists at UMass Chan Medical School and the Broad Institute,² Darwin’s Cats is building the most comprehensive feline dataset ever assembled to accelerate research on cat genetics and health.

This deficit in scientific research is particularly obstructive to understanding how genetics influences cat behavior and health. Without robust phenotypic and genotypic data, it’s difficult to identify risk factors for common feline diseases, much less develop targeted diagnostics or treatments.

These challenges are then exacerbated by the relative infrequency with which cat owners taker their pets to the veterinarian, with only 40% of cats visiting the vet annually, compared to 82% of pet dogs⁵—another key way that scientists gather information about feline health.

“To better understand and treat cats, we need information from both genetic sequences and clinical observations,” states Michelle White, DVM, PhD, a veterinary scientist at the Broad Institute. “But because cats are sequenced less often, and they’re seen less at the vet, they’re harder to study.”

Darwin’s Cats puts owners at the forefront of research by inviting them to become community scientists. Participants share their unique insights through online surveys about their cats’ physical traits, health, behaviors and environment. Darwin’s Cats also invites cat owners to sequence their cat’s DNA using a novel fur-based sequencing method that is a first in pet science.⁶

“No one observes cats more than the people who live with them,” says Elinor Karlsson, Darwin’s Ark co-founder and chief scientist. “By collecting millions of those observations and combining them with thousands of whole genome sequences, Darwin’s Cats is creating a scientific resource that I believe has the potential to transform our genetic understanding of cats.”

Launched just last year, Darwin’s Cats is already the largest community-driven feline research project with more than 14,000 cats enrolled, over one million survey questions answered and nearly 1,000 cats participating in DNA sequencing. But the initiative has bigger ambitions, aiming to enroll 100,000 cats and sequence 5,000 genomes by the end of 2026.

Large-scale data collection opens the door to studying complex traits at a population level, from behavioral temperament and genetic predispositions to how cats respond to medications, certain diets and environmental stressors. Just as large-scale genomic studies have reshaped canine and human health research,⁷ Darwin’s Cats is building a resource that can do the same for feline health.

A deeper understanding of the cat genome will help veterinary scientists investigate a wide range of feline health determinants, including the complex interplay between genes and environment on cat health. If survey and sequencing data suggest that a trait is mainly driven by environmental factors, intervention might involve modifying a cat’s surroundings. If researchers identify an association between a trait and a genetic marker, there may be potential for targeted drug development or gene-based diagnostic screening.

Darwin’s Cats operates under an open science framework, which means that the initiative’s anonymized data will be made available to other researchers to advance their own work without needing to independently fund or recruit for duplicative studies. This collaborative approach ensures that discoveries don’t stay siloed, but rather contribute to a shared, evolving understanding of feline science.

• Join Darwin’s Cats as a community scientist. If you have a cat of your own, your clinically informed insights on their health and behavior are especially useful data points.
• Encourage your clients to participate. Many cat lovers are eager to contribute to research that may help their cat—and all cats—live healthier, happier lives.
• Tell us what you’d like to learn from this research. Darwin’s Ark invites veterinary professionals to share what survey data and research topics would be most helpful in providing cat care. Input from veterinary professionals is key in designing future surveys and setting research priorities.

To learn more or join the journey of discovery, visit www.darwinsark.org. Together, cat lovers, researchers and veterinarians can help cats live happier, healthier lives.

1. U.S. pet ownership statistics. (2024, December). American Veterinary Medical Association. https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/reports-statistics/us-pet-ownership-statistics
2. Darwin’s Ark Teams Up with Hill’s Pet Nutrition and Leading Research Institutions to Explore Cats’ Genetic Code. (2025, April 24). Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/press-releases/darwin-s-ark-teams-up-with-hill-s-pet-nutrition-and-leading-research-institutions-to-explore-cats-genetic-code-2025-04-24/
3. Pet population continues to increase while pet spending declines. (2024, October 10). American Veterinary Medical Association. https://www.avma.org/news/pet-population-continues-increase-while-pet-spending-declines
4. Anthes E. Why are cats such a medical black box? (2025, March 11). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/11/science/cats-veterinarians-health.html
5. 2025 Hill’s Pet Nutrition World of the Cat Report. (2025, April 2). Hill’s Pet Nutrition. https://na.hillsvna.com/en_US/resources-2/view/244
6. Darwin’s Cats Invites Cat Lovers to Help Decode Feline DNA with a New Breakthrough in Genetics Research. (2025, March 19). Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/press-releases/darwin-s-cats-invites-cat-lovers-to-help-decode-feline-dna-with-a-new-breakthrough-in-genetics-research-2025-03-19/
7. Bautista-Alejandre A. New global cat report released as feline medicine continues to lag behind its canine counterpart. (2025, April 16). DVM 360. https://www.dvm360.com/view/new-global-cat-report-released-as-feline-medicine-continues-to-lag-behind-its-canine-counterpart