Genetically speaking, every dog has already had its day. In 2003, a standard poodle named Shadow became the first canine to have his genome mapped, and in 2004 a boxer, Tasha, became the second.

　　Now scientists are turning their attention to the genome of the domestic cat, and it is Cinnamon's turn to donate a blood sample.

　　Cinnamon is not just any cat. She comes from a carefully bred colony at the University of Missouri, and her lineage can be traced back for decades. Scientists therefore know exactly what they are getting when they look at her DNA. Researchers hope to have the cat genome mapped by the end of the year - perhaps as soon as this summer - and when the job is done, humans will be the ones to benefit.

　　Americans own (or serve) more than 60 million cats, spend over $4 billion a year on cat food and are so dedicated to feline health care that their veterinarians have identified more than 250 genetic diseases and hundreds of infectious agents that afflict them.