Your Cat May Share the Same Cancer Genes as You, and Offer Clues for Treatment
For millions of households, cats are part of the family. Now, new genetic research suggests it could also help scientists better understand cancer.
In a study published in ScienceResearchers analyzed tumors from nearly 500 pet cats in five countries, examining mutations that cause 13 different types of cancer. This is the most detailed genetic analysis of feline cancers to date, and it shows clear overlaps with human diseases.
Because cats live so close to people, they face many of the same environmental influences, from household chemicals to air pollution. By comparing tumor DNA with healthy tissue from the same animals, researchers identified recurrent “driver” mutations – genetic changes that give cancer cells a growth advantage.
“Although domestic cats are common pets, until now very little was known about the genetics of cancer in these animals. Our pets share the same spaces as us, which means they are also exposed to the same environmental factors as us. This may help us better understand why cancer develops in cats and humans,” Geoffrey Wood, co-senior author, said in a press release.
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Cancer genes behind feline tumors
The team examined around 1,000 genes already implicated in human cancers. In tumors affecting the blood, bones, lungs, skin, digestive tract and brain, familiar cancer-related pathways have repeatedly emerged.
One of the largest overlaps appeared in mammary carcinoma, an aggressive cancer in female cats. More than half of these tumors carried mutations in FBXW7, a gene linked to poorer outcomes in some human breast cancers. Another commonly altered gene, PIK3CA, is also frequently mutated in human breast tumors and is already targeted by approved therapies.
These shared mutations suggest that certain cancers may develop similarly in the two species. In other words, certain genetic weaknesses may not be uniquely human – or uniquely feline – but part of broader biological patterns in mammals.
In laboratory experiments using donated tumor tissue, they tested the performance of certain chemotherapy drugs against cancers with specific genetic changes. Initial results show that certain mutations can influence the response of tumors to treatment. Although these results come from tissue samples rather than live animals, they point to a future where care is better tailored to a tumor’s genetics.
How cat cancer research could inform human treatment
The study also creates a vast genetic resource that other scientists can now use to explore the biology of feline cancer in more detail.
The results reinforce the idea that veterinary and human oncology can inform each other. Treatments developed for humans could eventually be adapted to cats with similar tumor mutations. At the same time, studying natural cancers in pets, rather than tumors created by lab animals, could help refine human medicine strategies.
Pet cats develop cancer spontaneously, as part of the complexity of daily life. Their cancers arise alongside the same aging processes and environmental exposures that shape human health. This makes them particularly useful for research aimed at moving discoveries from the laboratory to real-world care.
If future studies confirm early signals regarding treatment response, clinical trials in cats could help clarify which therapies are most effective, potentially benefiting both species.
What this means for cancer care
Until recently, the genetic basis of cancer in cats has received far less attention than similar work in dogs.
By mapping mutations across multiple tumor types, researchers now have a clearer framework for comparing feline and human cancers at the molecular level. This knowledge could potentially enable more accurate diagnoses and more individualized treatment decisions in veterinary clinics.
For cat owners, the conclusion is quite significant: diseases that affect pets are not biologically isolated from ours.
This article does not offer medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.
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