
Burmese cats in Australia are more at risk of Type 2 diabetes than American Burmese cats or other cat breeds in Australia. They were bred from only a few founder cats brought here in the 1960’s, which by chance had more type 2 diabetes susceptible genes than usual. This is the opinion of West Australian diabetes researchers.
This discovery helps pave the way for genetic testing to help prevent high-risk cats from developing the condition. Cat breeders can also use this information to breed low-risk cats.