The Cat Gut Microbial Genome Collection reveals global structure of the feline gut microbiome
7 affiliations
- 1School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Life Science, Hubei Key Laboratory of Nanomedicine for Neurodegenerative Disease, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China
- 2Puensum Genetech Institute, Wuhan, China
- 3Center of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Infection and Infectious Diseases, Biosafety Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- 4Center for Microbiome Medicine, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- 5Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, China
- 6Sinopharm (Wuhan) Precision Medical Technology Co., Ltd., Wuhan, China
- 7Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
Abstract
The gut microbiome is a critical determinant of mammalian health, yet our understanding is largely derived from humans and laboratory models. The ecological principles governing the microbiome of globally important companion animals, such as cats, remain poorly defined. We generated the Cat Gut Microbial Genome Collection (CGMGC), a comprehensive resource encompassing over 40,000 microbial genomes. This collection spans 874 prokaryotic species, 6 fungal species, and 5543 viral operational taxonomic units, derived from feline gut samples across diverse geographical regions. Our analysis reveals that the cat gut microbiome is a highly host-specific ecosystem whose structure is primarily driven by geography rather than host genetics or diet. Over 50% of the identified prokaryotic species are unique to felines and contain novel taxonomic lineages. Functionally, the virome encodes a vast repertoire of auxiliary metabolic genes, indicating pervasive inter-kingdom control over bacterial hosts. Surprisingly, the feline gut shares significantly more microbial species with humans than with laboratory mice, suggesting convergent evolution in cohabiting species. The core ecological principles of the feline gut are profound host-specificity, geographic structuring, and pervasive viral modulation of bacterial function. This work redefines the feline microbiome as a unique model for host-microbe co-evolution and establishes a genomic foundation for a new era of evidence-based veterinary medicine.
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BibTeX
@article{lei2026microbial,
title = {{The Cat Gut Microbial Genome Collection reveals global structure of the feline gut microbiome}},
author = {Zhixin Lei and Hengming Liu and Yue Zhang and Xiaobo Li and Chenghaotian Xiao and Guorui Xing and Ruochun Guo and Yidi Zhang and Jie Xu and Wei Yang and Huixiang Chen and Min Li and Tong Lu and Shenghui Li and Yaping Lu and Qiulong Yan},
journal = {NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1038/s41522-026-01088-3},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-026-01088-3},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The Cat Gut Microbial Genome Collection reveals global structure of the feline gut microbiome
AU - Zhixin Lei
AU - Hengming Liu
AU - Yue Zhang
AU - Xiaobo Li
AU - Chenghaotian Xiao
AU - Guorui Xing
AU - Ruochun Guo
AU - Yidi Zhang
AU - Jie Xu
AU - Wei Yang
AU - Huixiang Chen
AU - Min Li
AU - Tong Lu
AU - Shenghui Li
AU - Yaping Lu
AU - Qiulong Yan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/09
JO - NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes
DO - 10.1038/s41522-026-01088-3
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-026-01088-3
AB - The gut microbiome is a critical determinant of mammalian health, yet our understanding is largely derived from humans and laboratory models. The ecological principles governing the microbiome of globally important companion animals, such as cats, remain poorly defined. We generated the Cat Gut Microbial Genome Collection (CGMGC), a comprehensive resource encompassing over 40,000 microbial genomes. This collection spans 874 prokaryotic species, 6 fungal species, and 5543 viral operational taxonomic units, derived from feline gut samples across diverse geographical regions. Our analysis reveals that the cat gut microbiome is a highly host-specific ecosystem whose structure is primarily driven by geography rather than host genetics or diet. Over 50% of the identified prokaryotic species are unique to felines and contain novel taxonomic lineages. Functionally, the virome encodes a vast repertoire of auxiliary metabolic genes, indicating pervasive inter-kingdom control over bacterial hosts. Surprisingly, the feline gut shares significantly more microbial species with humans than with laboratory mice, suggesting convergent evolution in cohabiting species. The core ecological principles of the feline gut are profound host-specificity, geographic structuring, and pervasive viral modulation of bacterial function. This work redefines the feline microbiome as a unique model for host-microbe co-evolution and establishes a genomic foundation for a new era of evidence-based veterinary medicine.
SN - 2055-5008
ER -