Could the answer to some of humanity’s most stubborn cancers be quietly padding around our living rooms?
In a groundbreaking international study, scientists have mapped the tumour DNA of nearly 500 domestic cats, revealing striking genetic similarities between feline and human cancers. The findings are now reshaping how researchers think about cancer not as a species-specific illness, but as a shared biological battle.
Led by researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge, the team examined around 1,000 genes associated with 13 different types of feline cancer. Their analysis of 493 tumour samples, collected by veterinarians across five countries, uncovered key genetic mutations that drive cancer growth in cats, many of which are also present in humans.
For decades, cancer research has leaned heavily on studies involving dogs and laboratory models. Cats, despite being one of the world’s most common household pets, have remained largely overlooked.
“Cat cancer genetics has totally been a black box up until now,” said lead researcher Dr Louise Van der Wayden. “The more we can understand about cancer in any species has got to be beneficial for everybody.”
Cancer is one of the leading causes of illness and death in domestic cats, yet scientists have historically known little about how the disease develops in felines. This new genetic deep dive changes that narrative.
Researchers found that many of the genes driving cancer in cats mirror those that fuel tumour growth and spread in humans. That overlap suggests that both species share fundamental biological processes that allow cancer to thrive.
In practical terms, this means discoveries in one species could accelerate treatments in the other.
Dr Matthew Ludwig, one of the researchers, explained that the future of cancer treatment may lie in targeting specific mutations rather than focusing solely on the type of tumour or the species affected. “We are now moving toward a stage where we can treat the specific mutation, not just the species or necessarily a specific tumour type,” he said.
“We are no longer looking at these as separate problems, but as a shared biological challenge.”
One of the most promising revelations from the study concerns triple negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat forms of the disease in humans. This subtype accounts for about 15 percent of breast cancer cases and is known for its limited treatment options.
Remarkably, cats develop this form of breast cancer more frequently than humans do. That higher occurrence provides scientists with more naturally occurring samples to study — potentially speeding up the search for new therapies.
By examining how this cancer evolves in cats, researchers hope to uncover genetic vulnerabilities that could lead to more effective drugs for both feline and human patients.
Beyond genetics, scientists say cats may also help unravel the environmental factors behind cancer development.
Unlike laboratory animals raised in controlled settings, household cats share the same air, water, food environments and even household chemicals as their owners. Their cancers may therefore reflect real-world exposures.
Professor Geoffrey Wood of the Ontario Veterinary College noted that studying pet cancers could offer fresh insights into how environmental risks shape disease patterns. Because cats and humans occupy the same spaces, researchers can better understand how lifestyle and environmental factors influence cancer risk across species.
Published in the prestigious journal Science, the research marks a turning point in comparative oncology, a field that studies cancer across different species to uncover common mechanisms.
