What is a serotype and why should I test it?

For cats different kinds of blood types exist, of which the AB-system is the most important one. In this system, cats can have an A, B or AB blood type, also called serotypes.

The cat’s immune system produces antibodies that attack cells from other serotypes; e.g. a cat with blood type A produces antibodies against blood type B, and a cat with blood type B produces antibodies against Serotype A. This means that a cat cannot receive a blood transfusion from a cat with another blood type, as this will cause a dangerous and possibly fatal reaction. This is also the case when kittens with blood type A drink milk from a blood type B mother. It is therefore important to match donor and recipient blood types when performing a blood transfusion and to ensure that breeding pairs will result in kittens with the same serotype as their mother.

More information regarding cat blood types and which tests to use can be found in the knowledgebase.