Despite their ferocious look, toyger cats are calm and friendly. They are also highly energetic and love to play a lot. Find out some more amazing toyger cat facts in this CatAppy post.
Did You Know?
TICA ( The International Cat Association) has registered toygers since 1993.
The toyger is the latest designer cat, specifically bred to resemble the lord of the jungle. The name toyger is derived from two words, toy and tiger, and true to their name, toyger cats look like miniature tigers with their unusual stripes and coat color. This cat breed was originally created by crossing a Bengal cat with a striped domestic shorthair. The Bengal cat was developed from a wild Asian Leopard Cat.
The toyger is the latest designer cat, specifically bred to resemble the lord of the jungle. The name toyger is derived from two words, toy and tiger, and true to their name, toyger cats look like miniature tigers with their unusual stripes and coat color. This cat breed was originally created by crossing a Bengal cat with a striped domestic shorthair. The Bengal cat was developed from a wild Asian Leopard Cat.
Interesting Facts about Toyger Cat
The History of Toyger Cat
The development of the toyger breed started in the 1980s. The creator of this breed, Judy Sugden, was working with mackerel tabbies during this period, when one day she observed that her cat, ‘Millwood Sharp Shooter’ had two spots of tabby markings on his temple. This inspired her to create a cat with tiger-like head and face markings.
In the beginning she worked with a domestic shorthair tabby, named Scrapmetal, and Millwood Rumpled Spotskin, a big-boned Bengal cat. She also imported a street cat from Kashmir that had noticeable spots between its ears, instead of the regular tabby lines. Later on, other breeders such as Anthony Hutcherson and Alice McKee joined Judy Sugden in her endeavor to develop a domestic cat breed with a long muscular body and tiger-like stripes.
Physical Appearance
Toygers are medium-sized cats with a muscular body, and a heart-shaped head. The ideal members of this breed bear a striking resemblance to wild tigers with circular markings on their head, and a short, reddish-orange coat, adorned with broken or branched vertical stripes.
A toyger’s coat is soft and shimmery, and its fur should ideally be glittering. The color of the stripes can be black, brown, or tan. However, not all toygers possess the ideal markings, as this rare breed is still in development. The term that is used to describe the stripes of a toyger cat is mackerel tabby stripes.
Toygers are big-boned cats with high shoulders that give them a very powerful look, especially when they move. The front and back legs of these cats are almost equivalent in size. The tail is long and muscular and resembles a rope. This rope-like tail is carried quite low by the cat.
The nose of a toyger cat is medium in size with a broader base, while the ears are wide-set with rounded tips. They usually possess round and small eyes of deep colors.
Personality and Temperament
Toyger cats are often said to have a laid back temperament. They possess a sweet and calm disposition, but this does not mean that they do not like to play. In fact, toygers are quite active and alert and they love to play a lot.
Toyger cats are friendly to children and other pets including dogs. These playful cats love to be around people.
Like other cats, toygers are highly intelligent and quick at learning tricks. You can train them to walk on leashes and marvel at their graceful and elegant gait.
These cats are known to be highly energetic, for which it is better to keep them occupied with some active games. So, consider getting some really interesting toys, especially puzzle toys for this special pet.
Another interesting fact about toygers is that they love water, just like the Bengal cat. They are also loyal and trainable. You can train them to use the ‘litter-box’ as well.
Other Toyger Cat Facts
Unlike some domestic cats, toygers need minimal grooming. You just need to brush them once in a week to keep their coat soft and shiny. The most important part of grooming is, however, nail trimming, which should be done once a week. Also important is to keep their teeth clean by frequent brushing.
Toyger cats are good hunters. They are usually healthy and robust, but some toygers have been reported to develop heart murmur, which can be associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Toygers can also become obese, as obesity is one of the most common health problems in pets. However, you can prevent your cat from becoming obese by keeping it active as much as possible.
Breeders in the United States and United Kingdom are still trying to develop toygers and create unique features and markings in them, which are found in tigers. It is expected that with a few more years of breeding, this breed will look more like real tigers with shorter ears, smaller eyes, a bigger chin, and a wider nose tip.
Toyger cats are quickly becoming a must-have exotic pet. This loving and adorable cat can brighten up your day. However, be sure to purchase your toyger from a breeder that provides a written health guarantee.
