Toyger Cat

The Toyger Cat is a designer cat. Toygers have an easily trained character and are laid back. This makes them perfect for apartment dwellers.

The dramatic pattern and glittered pelt makes the toyger cat very appealing to all. Have you ever dreamed of owning a real tiger? Then the toyger cat is for you. The toygers are domestic. And, they are an absolute treasure to live with.(Life magazine 02/23/07)

What is more, the toyger cat is practically computer designed. Toyger breeders used computer imaging in determining the type of cat they wanted. Even going so far as to use email to arrange cross-country breeding matches.

Toyger cats are very intelligent, social and outgoing. So toyger cats do very well around all sorts of people and animals. The average Toyger male will range from 15-17 pounds when fully grown. Females Toygers only slightly smaller at 10-14 pounds.

The designer of toyger cats is Judy Sudgen. She has stated that the 'toy tiger breed was developed in order to inspire people to care about the conservation of tigers in the wild'.

The toyger cat breed was recognized for 'Registration only' by The International Cat Association in the early 1990s. And, in 2000 the toyger cat breed status was upgraded to 'Preliminary New Breed'. The Toyger started showing its new TICA status of 'Advanced New Breed' in May 2006. As of May 2007, the Toyger Cat was given Championship status.

There are approximately 20 toyger cat breeders in the United States, six in Europe and one in Australia working to develop the Toyger cat breed.

Toyger Cat History

The designer Toyger cat breed began development in 1980. This was when Judy Sudgen, a breeder in the United States, was looking to clarify the mackerel markings in tabbies. She had noticed these distinctive markings in two of her cats.

These markings, occurring on the head, an area normally devoid of distinct pattern, first inspired the idea of a toy tiger like tabby.

After importing a tom from the streets of India with noticeable head markings. The quest to develop tiger-like, circular face markings in the cats began. The introduction of the Bengal breed into the gene pool was a move on Sudgen's part to produce a "big cat body".

The Toyger cat is the result of many years of hard work. Breeding a striped domestic shorthair cat to a standard Bengal tabby. The end result was a miniature tiger that has the fur and glitter of a real Bengal Tiger, but with excellent temperament.

Ideally, the Toyger cat has dark stripes just like a tiger laid over a background of orange/tan. Also like a tiger, the stripes should be random individual stripes, not uniform ones like you might find on your typical tiger kitty

Toyger cat breeders continue to improve on the species. The goal is to obtain one of the most beautiful domestic cats possible with the majestic look of a wild tiger.

Toyger Cat Today

Although the current "version" of the cat remains a far cry from a toy tiger in appearance, the appropriate coloring and bold striations have been largely developed.

Toyger Cat of the Future

With the aid of computer imaging, toyger breeders have been able to develop a prospective model for the desired final Toyger cat breed. By 2010, the toyger cat breed hopes to have achieved rounded ears, and a wider nosebridge. Smaller eyes, whitened chest and stomach markings, and a cheek ruff are also breed possibilities for the future.