Do you know what your blood type is? Naturally, after experiencing countless blood tests since childhood, we will always remember our own blood type. But did you know that cats also have blood types? Felines have three unique blood types: type A, type B and type AB. Among them, type A is the most common, and type B is less evenly distributed. It is common in some species, but relatively common in other species. Type AB is a rare blood type no matter which species it is.
Cat
Genes determine blood type
We all know that blood type is determined by genes. In cats, the gene that controls blood type A is dominant, while the gene that controls blood type B is recessive. This means that only homozygotes - that is, both blood type genes are B blood type genes. Only in certain cases, its blood type will be type B, and if this cat has offspring, it can only pass one B blood type gene to its son or daughter.
The cat with type A blood is different. It may have two blood type A genes (that is, homozygous), but it may also have one blood type A gene and one blood type B gene. (i.e. heterozygous). If the cat is heterozygous, half of its descendants will inherit the gene for type A blood, while the other half will inherit the gene for type B blood. So if a homozygous cat with type A blood finds a counterpart with type B blood, their offspring will definitely have type A blood.
As for AB blood type, this is a common practice, and the genes that control it are inherited independently. The temporary assumption is that the AB blood type gene is dominant to the B blood type gene and recessive to the A blood type gene. In short, there are simply too few cats with type AB blood. In a 1996 American study, among 9,239 cats tested for blood type, only 13 were of type AB, accounting for only 0.14%.
Generally speaking, type A blood is the most common blood type. Naturally, different countries also have differences. In some countries, almost all cats have type A blood (for example, 87% of cats in the United States have type A blood). However, in other countries, type A blood and type B blood are different. Blood cats are about equally divided.
In addition, the ratio of no common blood types is also related to the breed of cat: for example, Siamese cats and related breeds have only one blood type, type A, while otherFor some other types of cats, half are type A and half are type B, such as Turkish Angora cats and Turkish Van cats.
Blood types are not compatible
Cats with type B blood contain anti-A antibodies in their blood, and the number of antibodies in kittens that are only a few months old has reached To a very high degree, if you encounter red blood cells carrying type A antibodies, an aggregation reaction will occur and cause hemolysis.
However, this situation often does not occur because cats with type B blood rarely retain all type A red blood cells in their bodies. However, just like when a person receives a blood transfusion, if type A blood is given to a cat with type B blood, life may be in danger.
In addition to blood, antibodies also remain in the colostrum and milk penetrated by female cats. Therefore, if a newly born kitten with type A blood drinks the milk of a female cat with type B blood on the first day of birth, The kitten may absorb a large amount of anti-A antibodies, thereby damaging the original type A red blood cells in its body - this is the legendary "zoonotic hemolytic disease", also known as "zoonotic immune hemolytic disease" Sex and blood deficiency”.
Among cats with type A blood, about 1/3 of them have anti-B antibodies, which will cause agglutination reaction with red blood cells carrying type B antibodies. However, in most cases, the level of anti-B antibodies is relatively low-enough to cause severe hemolytic transfusion reactions, but not enough to cause hemolysis in zoonotic species.
If this article makes you dizzy, it doesn’t matter. For us cat owners, just remember that cats have blood types. Types A and B can only exchange blood of the same type, AB. Type A blood and type B blood can be delivered (originally, it is rare to encounter cats with type AB), and it is enough to give the cat a blood test before blood transfusion.
</p>
</p>