An Abyssinian cat, called Cinnamon, will be the object of a 3 million pounds project in order to have its genome mapped. Cinnamon is a purebred cat whose lineage can be traced several generations, owned by Professor Kristina Narfstrom, a University of Missouri-Columbia veterinarian. Next year, when the details of the cat’s genome will be revealed in full, Cinnamon will represent her species, Felis catus, as their genetic model.

The cat genomes and humans are very similar. A cat genome is thought to contain 20,285 genes and the human genome is believed to hold between 20,000 and 25,000 genes.

Compared to other mammals, humans and cats have preserved their genes as they were first created.

The study co-author O'Brien said: "That's not the case in dogs or even in gibbons, where chromosome exchanges [over millions of years of evolution] have reshuffled the deck like a card game at a casino.”

The similarity between human and cats might help researchers to better understand human genome and human diseases. Cats have many diseases similar with humans. For example, they have versions of human infectious diseases, like: poxvirus, herpes, Q-fever and others.

Stephen O'Brien, chief of the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity of the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda said that felines also serve as an excellent model for AIDS because their immunodeficiency virus is genetic relative of HIV.

Prof Narfstrom uses her Abyssinian cat to study the genetics of retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary disease that causes blindness in cats and in 1 in every 3500 people.

Cinnamon’s DNA will also help explaining how the cats are, and how the great roaring cats evolved in different environments.