Feline Gut Microbiota Composition Across Five Age Groups

83 domestic cats were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing across five age-defined groups: Pre-weaning (1.5 months, n=16), Early kitten (3 months, n=16), Late kitten (6–10 months, n=15), Young adult (2 years, n=20), and Mature adult (7–10 years, n=16). The dataset, authored by Yan Wang and last updated in 2026, shows significant differences in microbial diversity and composition across these groups.

Use Cases

• Modeling alpha-diversity trends based on host age.
• Analyzing taxonomic shifts (e.g., Proteobacteria, Negativibacillus) associated with weaning.
• Comparing beta-diversity clustering patterns across age-defined groups.
• Investigating the relative abundance of specific genera like Bifidobacterium and Faecalibacterium across life stages.

Strengths

• Includes data from 83 cats across five distinct age groups.
• Provides specific sample sizes per group (e.g., n=20 for Young adults).
• Reports statistical results like PERMANOVA R² values (0.33, 0.48).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The cross-sectional design limits causal inference regarding age effects.

Provenance

Source

Yan Wang via figshare

Collection Method

16S rRNA gene sequencing of fecal samples from domestic cats.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-12 15:27:11; freshness should be verified.