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  • MONDAY FEBRUARY 26 2007 10:00 PM

What the Hell is a Toyger?

Submitted by minimalism

Edited by erin_broadley

Tags: Toygers, Toyger, Designer cats



Love big cats, but lack the room in your one bedroom apartment for an actual tiger to cozy up on your lap? Well, you're in luck. Thanks to genetic pioneer Judy Sudgen, daugter of Jean Mill (who is credited with creating the Bengal breed of cats), you can now have your very own mini-Tiger or, as the new minx is more commonly referred to, a Toyger.

Initally bred in the early '80s from stripped Domestic Short Haired cats and the Standard Bengal Tabby, the not-so-ferocious felines' coats have patterns that resemble their wild African kin. And, while nearly 30 years later the evolution of the coat design is mostly complete, the Toyger is still a breed in development. Future generations will be attempting to create a more rounded and smaller ear, a more distinct white underbelly, and a longer and more angular nose to more closely resemble an actual Tiger.

The Toyger is an ongoing venture with each generation improving on the last to obtain the objective of a beautiful domestic cat with the look of the majestic wild Tiger.

Recognized by TICA (The International Cat Association) for Registration Only early in the 1990's, Preliminary New Breed in 2000 and lovely even now, the goals for the breed are long term and the prospect even more exciting!


I want one.

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Comments
thefreak

thefreak

NEWSWIRE

Gardner, MA

FEB 26, 2007 11:25 PM

Yet another reason I wish I had a cat around the house.

-TM

Sid

Sid

SUICIDEGIRL

Colorado, USA

FEB 26, 2007 11:32 PM

Trevor doesn't know it yet, but we are totally getting one of them when I move... tongue

RudieCantFail

RudieCantFail

Baton Rouge, LA
January 2006

FEB 26, 2007 11:33 PM

Not that they aren't cute little guys, but do we really need another pure breed of house pet?

Millions of animals with the potential to be wonderful house pets are put down every year.

Also pure bred means less genetic diversity, which in turn makes the animal more prone to disease, birth defects, cancer, and a whole lot of other problems.

catdad

catdad

Portland, OR
August 2002

FEB 26, 2007 11:43 PM

As much as I'd love to have one or a Savannah, I'll probably stick with adopting strays or humane society kitties.

DevilsReject

DevilsReject

Cleveland, OH
February 2007

FEB 26, 2007 11:58 PM

i have to agree with Rudiecantfail.

It's all cool that they made another breed of cat to go with people's outfits. But i volunteer at a local shelter, and watch hundreds of house cats get put down in a month.

It's a sad thing, and i truly wish people would turn to a shelter prior to buying from a breeder.

wenis

wenis

San Francisco, CA
July 2006

FEB 27, 2007 12:10 AM

im calling the name hobbes as of 12:09am....lol.
i can only imagine myself getting jumped after school by this cat....i wouldnt know if i should be happy or screaming.

flyonwall

flyonwall

London, ON
October 2004

FEB 27, 2007 12:23 AM

it's now a toss up between this and a scottish fold as the cutest damn cat ever award...

now if only one of them would show up at an animal shelter.. i'd be all set.

Thora

Thora

SUICIDEGIRL

California, USA

FEB 27, 2007 12:27 AM

I want one, too! I have a jungle-bengal cat, which is actually a trans-species hybrid.

Sid

Sid

SUICIDEGIRL

Colorado, USA

FEB 27, 2007 01:14 AM

RudieCantFail and BrokenandHostile you guys can't honestly tell me you never saw some new doodad and said "Oooooo I want that!" in your entire life? I mean, I know I can only speak for myself, but I'm thinking a lot of these "I want one"s in this thread are just that, so don't get all bent out of shape.

In the broad scheme of things, it's more likely that the lot of us adopt a cat from a shelter than buy one of these $400-$3500 cats.

I, myself, am a proud kitty momma. I adopted my cat as an 8-week old kitten from a shelter. She was found in an abandoned house in a cardboard box that was taped shut. So I am an owner of a rescued cat, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

So just because the majority of the posts in this thread are "I want one!" doesn't mean that we would all rather buy one of these over-priced pure-breds than rescue an animal from the shelter. I think we're all just expressing our love for the cuteness that is a toyger here. smile

RudieCantFail

RudieCantFail

Baton Rouge, LA
January 2006

FEB 27, 2007 01:26 AM

Sid said:
RudieCantFail and BrokenandHostile you guys can't honestly tell me you never saw some new doodad and said "Oooooo I want that!" in your entire life? I mean, I know I can only speak for myself, but I'm thinking a lot of these "I want one"s in this thread are just that, so don't get all bent out of shape.

In the broad scheme of things, it's more likely that the lot of us adopt a cat from a shelter than buy one of these $400-$3500 cats.

I, myself, am a proud kitty momma. I adopted my cat as an 8-week old kitten from a shelter. She was found in an abandoned house in a cardboard box that was taped shut. So I am an owner of a rescued cat, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

So just because the majority of the posts in this thread are "I want one!" doesn't mean that we would all rather buy one of these over-priced pure-breds than rescue an animal from the shelter. I think we're all just expressing our love for the cuteness that is a toyger here. smile



No, I understand that most people here wouldn't actually get one, and that the 'I want one!' comments are just hyperbolic appreciation of it's cuteness.

I'm sorry for derailing the thread. It's just that pet breeding, in general, is a pet peeve of mine (pardon the pun), and I felt obliged to speak out on it. smile

minusthepenguin

minusthepenguin

Ypsilanti, MI
August 2005

FEB 27, 2007 03:24 AM

I want I want I want!! miao!!

SnakePlissken

SnakePlissken

Corvallis, OR
December 2002

FEB 27, 2007 03:25 AM

Now to breed tiny Sigfried and Roys.

Volkov

Volkov

San Antonio, TX
OLD SKOOL

FEB 27, 2007 04:00 AM

thaddeusmutton said:
A TOYGER?!
In Africa?



only in Kenya.

Oz_the_Vamp

Oz_the_Vamp

Lorain, OH
June 2005

FEB 27, 2007 04:06 AM

I want a white one, like a Siberian!

NathanialBlood

NathanialBlood

United Kingdom
August 2006

FEB 27, 2007 04:10 AM

KeatingMcFly said:
A tiger...in Africa?

This is one of those things that make you wonder why scientists haven't cured cancer or AIDS yet. It's weird to think that the big accomplishment in their life, instead of doing something to help mankind, was developing a cool house pet.

Also, reading this has left me with the mental picture of a scientist holding a housecat in front of the tiger while Barry White played in the background. Or hopefully, it was the other way around...



Developing and helping humans is a risky business say you develop a cure for AIDS and want to charge £2000 for it you would think you would be allowed to but no government would give you the all clear and most likely deny you clearance to sell it until you changed your pricing to a more fair affordable rate.

Where as breeding like this and most kinds of genetic tinkering are done for entertainment and as it deemed as "entertainment" you can charge whatever you want because people don't "need" to buy it.

(Rant copied from Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton)

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