At-home pet DNA testing has become a popular consumer category, promising breed ancestry and health insights from a simple cheek swab. WIRED tested several kits, including two leading cat tests: Wisdom Panel and Basepaws.
The two products take different approaches. Wisdom Panel, at $97, screens for more than 70 breeds and 45 health conditions, with a user-friendly online interface and results in about three weeks. Basepaws, at $104, tests against 21 breeds but covers 64 genetic health markers and 50 trait markers, and adds an oral health report. Its results arrive as a PDF after up to five weeks, and the interface is less digestible.
The source notes that results can differ dramatically between tests, and for a mixed-breed cat, both tests may simply report "domestic" or "polycat." In the WIRED test, the two cats were cleared of genetic disease markers by Basepaws, and both tests agreed on blood type and transfusion risk. The reviewer found Wisdom Panel's breed results more accurate for one cat, while Basepaws offered more in-depth health information. Wisdom Panel is also widely considered the most trusted at-home kit, alongside dog-only Embark.