Questions about the science

Questions Answer
Why should I have this test performed on my cat? To determine whether or not your cat has the MyBPC mutation.
Should responsible pet owners have their cat(s) tested for this mutation? It is one of several tools available to responsible pet owners for monitoring the health of their cat(s).
Should responsible breeders use this test in their cat breeding program? This is one of many tools that a responsible breeder may use to help improve their breeding program.
How many generations should be tested? The answer to this question is dependent upon the breeder’s own choice. Our test provides a result. The number of generations that should be tested will depend on both the test result(s) and the breeder’s interpretation of this information.
Do you advocate that all cats who test positive for this mutation be removed from the gene pool? At this time, positive cats account for about 1/3 of the number of cats tested. This is a significant percentage to completely eliminate from the gene pool. Therefore, at this time, we advocate the well considered breeding of an otherwise breedworthy Positive Heterozygous cat to a breed-worthy Negative cat with the goal of testing their progeny to move forward with only Negative cats in the breeding program. We hope this test is one of many important considerations in a responsible breeding program.
Will a Positive Heterozygous cat produce Negative progeny if bred to a Negative cat? In theory, a Positive Heterozygous cat has a 50/50 chance of producing Negative progeny if bred to a Negative cat. For more information about this topic, please refer to a good book on genetics.
Are there other mutations that may cause HCM to develop? There are believed to be numerous mutations that can cause HCM to develop in humans. We believe it may be the same with cats. This means yes, we believe there may be other mutations that may cause HCM to develop in cats.
How many mutations may cause HCM to develop? We do not have this information. We would like to have this information. This is the reason we continue our research.
Do you track the heart health of all the cats you test for the MyBPC mutation? No. This is a task that would include too many variables that are outside of our control. This means tracking this information would not likely yield credible data.
Does your laboratory still research to find other genetic mutations that can cause HCM? Yes. We have fulltime staff that work to find other mutations that may cause HCM in Maine Coons and other cat breeds.
How soon will you find another mutation that may cause HCM? Not soon enough but we are giving it our best effort.

from: http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/deptsVCGL/FAQ.aspx