Keeping a wild cat at home is very difficult. Tigers, lions, jaguars by kids look harmless and cute, but they grow and become dangerous for their owners. Of course, if you are a circus trainer or an Arab sheikh, then in the first case you will have enough experience, and in the second - money for such a whim. But what if you just love wild cats? How not to expose animals to suffering, but self-danger? As if specifically for this occasion, there are breeds of cats similar to wild counterparts.
Toyger cat
Can you imagine a little hand tiger? A kind of beautiful short-haired toy with a recognizable striped-tiger color. Using the word "toy", we do not want to offend a beautiful animal. When breeding Judy Sagden set out to create a mini-tiger from the genotype of a domestic cat, crossed with a Bengal cat. The name of the breed is made up of two English words: “toy” and “tiger”.
Toyger introduced in 1993. To date, the breed has been recognized by several international associations, but the process has not yet been completed. According to the breed standard, the cat should have an elongated low body, dense shiny fur with a clear striped pattern.
The head of the toyger should be decorated with circular marks, which simple domestic cats do not have.
To the color of the fur put forward special requirements. The background color should be brown, orange brown or golden brown. Stripes are required to adorn not only the back, but also the stomach, and the chest, and the head, and even the ears. A prerequisite is the absence of longitudinal stripes on the body of the animal. Toyger fur should feel like plush to the touch. Ideally, the sides of the muzzle are decorated with tanks. The shape of the ears of this breed is rounded, the eyes are not large. They are slightly covered by overhanging eyelids.
Despite its wild appearance, Toyger is a very playful pet. He is sociable and non-aggressive, while strongly attached not only to the house in which he lives, but also to the owners.
Marble cat
Pardofelis marmorata, or the marble cat, is a wild breed. This feline in appearance resembles a smoky leopard, although it is slightly larger in size than a domestic cat. According to genetic examinations, the direct relatives are the Kalimantan cat and the Asian golden cat. In 2002, it was listed in the Red Book as a species undergoing extinction.
Description of appearance:
- The marbled cat has a brownish-gray color with a reddish tint. The wool is decorated with stripes of black color.
- The shape of the head is round, short. The forehead is wide.
- The cat has large brown eyes.
- The legs are short, while the paw is quite wide.
- The tail is very fluffy, of great length, sometimes it can exceed the size of the body and head.
Ocicat breed
Not all rare breeds of wild cats can boast of real predatory ancestors. Here, for example, representatives of the Ocicat breed are insanely similar to wild ocelots. But they do not have the genes of these predators. The breed is bred entirely on the basis of pets. In a long list of ancestors, you can find a Siamese, Abyssinian, American shorthair cat.
Okotsety have light brownish-gray wool with elongated dark spots. The base of the tail, neck and head are decorated with rings and stripes.
Bengal cat
This cat breed is amazingly beautiful. She resembles a little leopard, not only in appearance, but also in her habits. The creation of this hybrid painstakingly worked in America. The first attempt to cross a wild Bengal cat with an ordinary domestic "Murchik" occurred in 1961. American Genie Mill brought a wild kitten from a trip to Bangkok. A very beautiful offspring was born from him, but most of him died from leukemia. This happened in every litter. Around 1976, the University of California took up the issue of breeding a new breed. Here they managed to achieve the emergence of a viable breed of wild cats for domestic maintenance.
The Bengal cat turned out to be slightly larger than the usual domestic breeds. She is agile, strong and graceful. But the most important quality for the owners is an extraordinary mind. The animal is considered the smartest cat breed. The Bengal cat has rounded paws and a smooth tail that is medium in length. The cat's muzzle is wide, and large oval eyes are set wide. Eye color can be any, but if you were offered a colored cat with blue eyes, then this is not a Bengal breed. Blue eyes are found only in snow bengal. This is the name of the silver color, which is the rarest and most expensive of this domestic breed of wild cats. The ears of the animal are medium, but they are slightly inclined forward, which is also considered a sign of the breed.
The coat of a Bengal cat is dense and short. She shines as if she was rubbed with a special tool. Regardless of the main color, there are clear spots or rosettes on the coat, the color of which can be either brown or black.
Savannah
This is another hybrid obtained by crossing a predatory shrubby cat (serval) with domestic breeds. The savannah was bred around 1986. The work was carried out by lovers of the breed of large wild cats, so the result is larger than ordinary pets in size. The first kittens were obtained by Patrick Kelly and Joyce Sroufe. The breed standards are approved by the international association, but they are recognized only in 2001.
At the withers, the savannah can exceed 60 cm, and a unique pet weighs up to 15 kg. And in this case we are not talking about overfed, in love with pets, but about active, lean animals. The body of these cats is elongated, the neck is elongated, and the legs are quite long. The ears are large and round, because of them the head seems a bit small. The coat is short, pleasant to the touch and very thick. Colors can be quite varied. Brown, chocolate, golden and silver savannas come across. The hair of the breed is covered with numerous spots.
Wild domestic cat (savannah breed) is a vivid representative of the struggle of opposites. She is both active and calm. The cat needs to move, she spends a lot of time on the street. But at the same time, she is devoted to the owner like a dog. And savannahs are not at all afraid of water.
Asher Cat
In 2007, a wild breed of Asher cats was introduced to specialists. She was positioned as a large hypoallergenic pet, bred on the genetic basis of African serval, Asian Bengal cats and domestic breeds. The price of a kitten reached 27 thousand dollars, an adult cat could be bought for 6 thousand.
Later it turned out that the new breed was not so new. The enterprising con man just tried to cash in on love for unusual pets. Breeder Chris Shirk suggested that the wild breed of cats, whose name is Asher, does not exist, and the specimens presented are savannah cats from his cattery. To prove his assumption, the breeder demanded a DNA test. The official examination exposed the swindler.
Serval
We have already talked about several hybrids bred when crossing the African Serval with other breeds. But it turns out that wild predatory servals can be kept at home in a clean rather than hybrid form. If the serval is taken to the house as a kitten, then it is well domesticated. But with such a pet you need to be careful. Although the animal becomes a faithful and affectionate pet, it does not lose the reflexes and habits of predatory ancestors. By the way, servals are great swimmers. They are absolutely not afraid of water.
Sand cat
We described the breeds of domestic cats, similar to wild ones. But our story was about large animals. Now imagine an adult fluffy animal that looks like a kitten all its life. This is a sand cat, which is the smallest representative of wild cats. The body length of the baby along with the tail is about 80 cm. The maximum weight of an adult male is 3.5 kg, the females are slightly less.
Dune cats are well domesticated. They make pretty fluffy pets with curious wide muzzles. The animal's head seems a bit flattened, and beautiful whiskers grow on the sides. The ears of the dune cat are large, slightly pointed in shape. The animal has a wonderful ear.
Pixie bob
Many breeds of wild cats look funny, not aggressive. These include the pixie-bean obtained by crossing domestic cats with a short-tailed forest cat. Outwardly, the pixy-bob looks like a wild lynx. The breed is often confused with Maine Coon and domestic trot, but there is a slight difference - a short tail and a special look. The eyes of cats are set deep, their shape is like a closed triangle.
Among the features of the breed are multi-fingered paws. Animals with a similar deviation are even allowed to exhibit.
By nature, pixy-bob is very similar to a dog. This is a smart and loyal animal that can be trained. He is attached to the owner's family and participates in her life, while not making any special maintenance requirements.
Bombay
Remember the beautiful panther from the cartoon Mowgli? Would you like to have one at home? Of course, a large predatory cat is not very suitable for home maintenance, but a miniature bomb is just right! Mickey Harner worked on the breed for almost 20 years, but the result was worth it. The mini-panther bomb looks amazing. The animal has blue-black shiny coat and bright orange eyes. The movements are smooth and graceful, like a real wild beast.
Cat shawzi
Breeds of wild cats can be very different. But strangely enough, from them most often companionable, unpretentious, loyal pets are obtained. The Shawzi breed, obtained as a result of crossing reed cats with domestic cats, was no exception. The animal turned out to be large, tall and heavy. An adult cat can weigh more than 15 kg.
The breed is characterized by an elongated triangular shape of the head with a small muzzle. The ears are large, with a wide base and pointed ends. Tassels are often noticeable. By standard, the tips of the ears and tail should be black. Shawzi wool has a unique structure. She has a very dense undercoat, and each hair is decorated with two noticeable dark stripes. From these stripes a pattern is formed on the legs and tail, and on the body it is almost invisible. Color can be black, gold, brown, silver. The chest and stomach are always lighter than the back.
By nature, the breed is curious and energetic. Cats are very fond of jumping and mastering the height.
Each owner of the cat is sure that his pet is unique. But some breeds of animals are actually unusual. If you like the feeling that a manual predator lives in your house, then start a cat breed that looks like wild animals.