If you happen to live in Ireland, you can participate in a cat survey to do research on cat genetics. All you have to do is note the color of any neighborhood cats in your area.

Only one or two genes dictate what colour a cat’s fur will be. Therefore, if you can identify a cat’s fur color, you can determine which genetic group to which the cat belongs.

“This is a really profound concept: genes that control for appearance,” says Professor Aoife McLysaght, who leads a research group at Trinity College Dublin looking at the evolutionary patterns in animal genomes.

To participate in this scientific survey in Ireland, click here.