Feline parentage test that compares the DNA profiles of the offspring of a litter with each other and with the declared mother, without the need to include the father's profile. It allows assessment of the genetic consistency of the litter and rules out or confirms paternities by exclusion using STR markers. It is especially useful when the father's profile is unavailable or when the integrity of a litter needs to be validated. It does not detect diseases or colour variants.

Applicable to all cat breeds and to the common domestic cat. Limited data on the actual rate of declared paternity errors in feline litters in Spain. The probability of exclusion depends on the number of markers and the relatedness between the candidates.

- Not applicable (identification test, not diagnostic)

STR paternity tests were introduced into feline breeding from the 1990s, evolving from small panels to today's ISAG panels of between 10 and 15 markers. The format without the father's profile has become established in feline associations to resolve litter disputes and mating errors. The development of highly discriminating multilocus panels has increased the reliability of exclusions and made it possible to detect multiple paternities within the same litter. The standardisation of the markers recommended by ISAG facilitates comparison between laboratories. Their use is widespread in the studbooks of the main European feline associations.

- Sample the mother and the whole litter at the same time to maximise exclusion power
- Keep the profiles of males used as breeding sires for future comparisons
- Repeat the test if the result is doubtful or the panel is insufficient
- Remember that without the father's profile the test only allows exclusion, not positive assignment

Without the father's profile, the test only allows exclusion, not positive assignment. The more offspring compared, the greater the power of inference. The markers do not completely exclude multiple paternities within the same litter when the potential fathers are related. Ask the laboratory for the exclusion index and the panel used in order to interpret the result.

1. Menotti-Raymond M et al. (1999) A genetic linkage map of microsatellites in the domestic cat (Felis catus). Genomics. PMID: 10191079
2. Menotti-Raymond M et al. (2012) A population genetic database of cat breeds developed in coordination with a domestic cat STR multiplex. J Forensic Sci. PMID: 22268511
3. Coomber N et al. (2007) Validation of a short tandem repeat multiplex typing system for genetic individualization of domestic cat samples. Croat Med J. PMID: 17696310
4. International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG), paneles STR recomendados para filiación felina