Wizzer's World

Odds are, if you know me, you know my cat. Charlie is so much a part of my family that even Sarah admitted that she thinks that, if it came down to her or the cat, I would choose the cat. Charlie is the most awesome cat I have ever owned, and many people who have met him have fallen instantly in love with him. We got him at a shelter in Denver back in 1998. He was the loudest cat in the place and one of the most loveable. Whenever we take him to the vet or even just out in public every makes comment about how he acts and how he looks. It’s how he looks that drew a little extra attention and proves that Charlie really is one in a million.

So if you look at Charlie’s coloring, he looks a lot like a Tortoiseshell cat. He has a mix of black and white all through him. Well, for starters, to get a Male Tortie, the odds are 1 to 3000. Now you add in the fact that Charlie has no orange in him. Wikipedia has a great article on Torties.

Enter the internet. Sarah posts on a pet forum pretty regularly and in a bout of showing off cool looking pets she posted a picture of Charlie. One of the other girls that posts there got in touch with Sarah regarding him. Turns out that she is a part of a study on the Feline Genome and they are currently trying to map out the gene that produces the color Orange in cats. When they saw pictures of Charlie they were extremely excited. You see, since Charlie is very obviously a tortie, but has no orange. By looking at his genetic makeup, they can compare with other cats and it will help them significantly in their research.

Don’t worry about Charlie through all this. They only need a small blood sample, fur sample, and cheek swab. They offered to pay for the vet visit and even help out with any medical problems with Charlie while the study is underway! We are very excited about this project and can’t wait to see the results!

My big question is if they can use his DNA and start cloning him! The world needs more Awesome Cats!