I Tried the Best At-Home Pet DNA Test Kits on My Two Cats (2025)

If you have a dog, consider these kits

I don’t have a dog, so I did not try these DNA test kits at home for dogs, but these are the kits specifically for Baspaws and wisdom dogs, the two companies that I tested for my cats.

How does a DNA test kit work?

Pet DNA tests are based on pet owners who collect cells to test through a puzzle, where the sample is put in a stabilizing liquid or preserving the transit. You will send the laboratory sample in the prepaid envelope. It takes up to five weeks to get results. (The first time I sent the sample of Cat Basil basil cobblestones, the company sent an email that the results were not conclusive, and I had to wait for another kit to be sent, restart it and wait another five weeks for results.)

In the laboratory, the sample is analyzed in the breed and genetic health database. They use polymorphism networks in nucleotide (SNP) – Standard technology used to identify breed ancestry – as well as various hereditary features and risk of current diseases. Essentially, different breeds have distinct SNP patterns in their genomes, which act as genetic markers. These tests analyze the animal’s DNA sample for specific SNPs, then compare them to the existing database of the company to estimate the composition of the types of breed in animals. This tells you not only about the composition of the breed, but can also identify specific DNA sequences which are markers for potential health risks, such as predispositions to hereditary diseases or cancers.

Do not take the results of health or DNA tests as an absolute truth. “This can lead to a false feeling of security or false alarms,” explains Amanda Chambers, veterinarian. Transfer your results to your veterinarian and always follow with the planning of a visit to the veterinarian if your pet is marked as a carrier for any genetic disease.

Limits of DNA test kits at home

After having discussed with Jamie Richardson, chief of veterinary medicine at Small Door Veterinary, I found that these are the main areas of limitations with DNA test kits:

• The results depend on the size / diversity of the genetic database
• Most kits only test known markers – not complete genomes
• Feline data is less developed
• The erroneous interpretation of the results can lead to an unnecessary concern

What is the precision of DNA tests at home?

The wisdom panel claims that its breed results for cats are more than 98% precise and that dog tests are more than 99%.

I described the results below, so you can see the disparity of the results of the two kits that I tested, in particular with the ancestry of race.

A problem with the vast disparity in the results is that the two companies have sample sizes and different measures to identify the races. But the biggest problem for cat owners who do these DNA tests at home is that you cannot really identify the breeds of most cats as you can with dogs. Unless your cat is a pure race, around 95% of cats do not belong to a recognized breed. The genetic history of cats are muddy – they are only similar mixtures with different physical characteristics, so the tests only show the breed (s) with which they share the most markers. Basically, these tests for cats are unable to tell us in a reliable manner of the composition of the breed, just a similarity with the features of other breeds in the company’s data pool.

According to my research, it seems that the identification part of the breed of these tests is more precise for dogs, because the DNA of dogs is so much more diverse. The breeds were clearly defined after centuries of diversification of other breeds, and dog DNA matt quickly, the genes changing quickly after a few generations. Cats are not very different from their Egyptian ancestors.

Interestingly, in this CBS report in 2023, the press organization sent a dog and human DNA to various home test companies and obtained various results, ranging from 65 to only 29% of German Shepherd DNA for the dog. The results of human DNA were attributed to a Bulldog, Border Collie and Cane Corso mixture.

Tl; DR

There is not a means of transport to determine the genetic makeup or the ancestry of a pet. Humans like categories. And breeds are essentially human constructions, depending on the appearance of the dog or cat. The genetic part of the test is fun, but take it with a grain of salt, especially with cats.

Ascending results

If you read above, you know that there is an important disparity in the results based on the pool to which the sample is compared.

For example, below the results I obtained for my chat clover, which is a diluted calico with a long white fur and visually resembles a Maine Coon or a Norwegian forest cat.

(I also tested my gray gray cat basil, but it was almost entirely “American domestic cat” and “polycat / domestic shorthair” -, paralyy the final boss mutt, the result of many generations of mixed reproduction between different types of cats, where ancestry and origin are almost impossible to determine.)

Health results

Wisdom panel tests for 49 predispositions to genetic health by comparing animal DNA to a panel of cat or dog genetic health checks. He tests the first five genetic conditions which could have an impact on the visits of the animal’s veterinarian, essentially, the most common conditions observed in cats or dogs with a makeup of breed similar to your pet. These are for things such as drug sensitivity, immune deficiency and bleeding disorders. They also identified the cat blood group (my two cats were A) and the risk of transfusion (the two were moderate).

Baspaws tests up to 115 health markers, but my cat has received results for only 44 genetic diseases (owners are encouraged to check the results often in case the missing markers are added as more data becomes available). This list was more in-depth than the test of the wisdom panel, testing genes for markers against disorders of the musculoskeletal and connective fabric; eyes; metabolic, autoimmune and endocrine systems; blood; And more. My two cats, Clover and Basil, were eliminated as having none of the genes that mark them as potential carriers of genetic diseases. He also identified the blood group and the risk of transfusion, which were and moderate (the same results that I obtained with the wisdom panel test).

If your pet is reported for one of these results, do not panic. “The presence of a certain gene does not always mean that a patient will develop a certain disorder that is associated with this gene – that simply means that they are more at risk. I encourage the owners to contact their veterinarian if they have questions after receiving the results of a DNA test, “explains Chambers.

Oral health results

The wisdom panel does not hurry up oral health, which is a huge problem in many pets, and can cause teeth and larger health problems.

Oral health was a concern for me and the basic tests for oral health by testing against an oral microbiome database. In this regard, Baspaws prevails.

According to the results of Baspaws, the clover was a low risk of periodontal disease and the absorption of teeth, but at a high risk of halitosis. The report indicates that Bad Breath could be indicative of a more important health problem, but it was authorized for the disease, so I did not know what to do with this information.

With the kind permission of Molly Higgins

My other cat, the basil, was at high risk for all the dental markers mentioned above, and Baspaws offered a health plan for him: “Adopt a daily oral health routine, plan to complete the basil routine with products accepted by the veterinary oral health council and plan an appointment with your veterinarian next month.”

With the kind permission of Molly Higgins

Although I was alarmed by the results, I liked that Baspaws gave me the following recommended steps so that I can find an action plan for care. And it is important to remember that these results do not necessarily mean that a pet is guaranteed to develop the disease.

“These can be a useful flag for your veterinarian to keep an eye on […] But does not necessarily mean that aggressive tests are necessary at that time, “said Richardson.” DNA tests are tools to support – not to replace – veterinary care. “”

Results features

The two tests had this section, which tests color lines and color variants, but I found it mainly useless. The affirmations of the wisdom panel on the physical features of the two cats were correct. But with basic weights, the clover, a diluted calicot, was marked as probably black.

I can see with my eyes what my cat looks like, but if you are a genetic nerd, it could be fun to see what real DNA reflects.

A note on the allergy test kits at home

I recently tested my two cats for their allergies and intolerances using a similar home test kit, the food and environmental food intolerance test for pet food for $ 100. To do this, simply send a fur sample by post to a laboratory; The results were sent to my reception box within seven days. The report has shown that my two cats have shown strong intolerances to common ingredients in their diet, such as various types of fish and chicken flour. This made me panic about the health and the comfort of my cats.

After more research, I learned that hair / fur samples are not a specific way to measure allergies and intolerances, and studies show that pretending kits provide these results do not work better than chance and often produce inconsistent or false results.

“There is no scientific evidence to support hair, fur or saliva tests,” explains Richardson. “The elimination diets of the veterinarian-supervised to test food allergies and intra-foreign skin tests or blood tests to test environmental allergies remain the ordeal.”

So save your money and consult a veterinarian instead if you suspect that your pet suffers due to allergies or intolerances.

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