BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Cat joins exclusive genome club

"We can start to interpret them in terms of one of evolution's special creations, which is also probably one of the greatest predators that ever lived," said Dr Stephen O'Brien of the US National Cancer Institute, who spearheaded the project. "We can start to interpret them in terms of one of evolution's special creations, which is also probably one of the greatest predators that ever lived," said Dr Stephen O'Brien of the US National Cancer Institute, who spearheaded the project. Like other mammals, the cat has around 20,000 genes. By comparing its genome - the genes that build and maintain the body - to those of other mammals, researchers can study differences in biology, evolution and behaviour. "One thing I'd like to discover is the genes for good behaviour in the cats - the genes for domestication, the things that make them not want to kill our children but play with them," he added.