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Authors
Alves, Beatriz Sofia Gomes https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8671-0262
Róis, Ana Sofia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2291-9811
da Silva, André Marques
Díaz-Ruiz, Francisco https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6024-7310
Barbero, José Francisco Lima https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2694-0215
Santos, Nuno https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1676-107X
Alves, Paulo Célio https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4797-0939
Monterroso, Pedro https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7911-3651
Ferreras, Pablo https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1116-6706
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Funding
Funding for this research was provided by:
Universidade do Porto
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Article History
Received: 12 January 2026
Revised: 26 February 2026
Accepted: 4 March 2026
First Online: 17 March 2026
Declarations
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: The authors declare no competing interests.
: All procedures involving animals were in compliance with the European Community Council Directive of 24 November 1986, and the Directive 2010/63/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2010 on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. Capture and handling procedures of wildcats in Spain were approved by Castilla-La Mancha University Ethics Committee with the corresponding permit PR-2013-05-04. The collection of samples took into account that all animal welfare regulations were rigorously followed, minimizing suffering and ensuring humane treatment throughout the study. For domestic cats, samples were only collected in strictly necessary cases and for medical reasons, where there was a need for analytical control of the animal, and the sample was subsequently utilized. The study was designed to balance scientific advancement and ethical responsibility.
