Toyger Cat: Photo, Breed Description, Content Features, Owner Reviews

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Toyger - domestic tiger

Toyger is a new designer cat breed, the appearance of which made a strong impression on both experienced felinologists and lovers of everything unusual and exotic. Interest in Toyger cats is growing rapidly not only in the homeland of the breed - in the United States - but throughout the world.

Content

• 1 History of the breed

• 2 Distinctive features of a toyger

  • 2.1 Appearance

    2.1.1 Video: silver toyger kitten

  • 2.2 Character and behavior

    2.2.1 Video: about the Toyger breed

  • 2.3 Breed problems

    1 Video: a domestic tiger cub in your home

• 3 Getting a kitten

  3.1 What to look for when choosing

• 4 Maintenance and care

  • 4.1 Hygiene
  • 4.2 Feeding
  • 4.3 Toilet

• 5 Breeding work

  • 5.1 Nuances of breeding
  • 5.2 Sterilization issues
• 6 Owner reviews

History of the breed

This young and very interesting breed has become the embodiment of a childhood dream - to have a funny toy tiger at home, but not plush or groovy, but alive. Its name became hybrid, like the breed itself: the word "toyger" is a harmonious consonance of two English words - tiger (tiger) and toy (toy).

The author of the new breed was Judy Sugden, an American from California

It was the Bengals who were destined to become the basis for a new breed. Sugden Jr. personally caught a street cat in India, in which, in her opinion, the features of the future toyger were clearly represented, and actively used this animal in breeding. Work on the breed began in the eighties of the last century, and already in 1993 toygers received the first recognition of international felinological organizations. Representatives of the breed in 2007 were first shown at a large international exhibition - the TICA championship - and made a splash.

Toyger always makes a splash at exhibitions

Distinctive features of a toyger

The aim of the author of the breed was to create a spectacular companion cat, endowed with the features of a cartoon tiger. Judy Sugden herself says that her brainchild was intended primarily for life in a modern metropolis. According to the author of the breed, toygers still have to go through a certain path of intra-breed evolution in order to finally fit into the image of a toy tiger invented by her.

According to Sugden's plan, the toyger has a difficult evolutionary path.

Appearance

He's not so toy, this cute tiger. Toyger turned out to be a rather large and massive cat - adult males can weigh a dozen or even more kilograms. By the way, breeders consider the reduction of the breed size to be one of their primary tasks. But at the same time, the toyger must remain a strong and strong cat with solid and rather heavy proportions.

The elongated body, powerful bones, high thick paws - the hind legs are somewhat longer than the front ones - provide these cats with a special gait, soft and creeping like a real wild tiger. The subject of well-deserved pride is the luxurious wool: silk, sparkling, bright, with contrasting "tiger" stripes.

Toyger is a large and very beautiful cat that can weigh over 10 kg

Video: silver toyger kitten

The standard emphasizes the impressive volume of a thoroughbred animal: a deep chest, a strong topline with a beautiful appearance of a long and strong neck, a large, rounded head with a wide nose and chin. Small eyes and ears are far apart and have rounded contours. Eye color should be rich: dark copper or green. The tail is rather thick and long, it is also decorated with transverse dark stripes forming rings.

Toyger is becoming more and more like a tiger

Character and behavior

The character of the toyger is very solid and unusually balanced - the self-esteem of this cat fits well with the image of a handsome tiger, albeit a toy one. But, unlike the wild "relative", these cute cats have a meek and docile disposition, they are friendly and able to get along with all the inhabitants of the house. Toygers adore children and happily become their loyal companions in all games.

Toyger brings well-being and comfort to the house

This is an ideal companion - affectionate, but unobtrusive, not striving for leadership in the pack and initially ready to compromise, never showing jealousy, vindictiveness and any whims.

Toyger always wants to be with the owner - both at home and on a walk

Toygers are extremely curious, easily adapting to new conditions and unfamiliar surroundings. They love walks with their owner on a leash and, interestingly, are not afraid of water at all - they do not deny themselves the pleasure of swimming, if the opportunity arises.

Video: about the Toyger breed

Breed problems

In general, toygers are inherent in good health - with proper care, cats of this breed can live twenty or even more years. The genetics of the young breed are also not burdened with serious hereditary diseases. However, owners should be aware that their pets are prone to colds and digestive problems. Given these features, cats should be provided with a correct and well-balanced diet, as well as reliably protect them from drafts and hypothermia.

Any manifestation of aggression towards a person is considered a disqualifying vice even for the most gorgeous cat - this is an unequivocal taboo for the breed.

Aggression is unacceptable for a toyger

Animals with elements of spotted (instead of striped) color are not allowed to participate in exhibitions and breeding. Blue or blue eyes are also considered a breed.

Video: a domestic tiger cub in your home

We get a kitten

Today all over the world there are only a few dozen professional nurseries engaged in the breeding of toygers. The young breed is still one of the rarest and most expensive - the cost of an average kitten starts at three thousand dollars, and a breeding animal is estimated several times more expensive.

It is very difficult for a layman to distinguish a purebred toyger from a purebred kitten.

The growing demand against the backdrop of such a high price creates fertile ground for the activities of fraudsters whose sole purpose is to get profit. The Internet is replete with stories of cheating gullible buyers - when, under the guise of toygers, Bengal mestizos or even simple mongrel whales are sold. Unfortunately, it is not too much of a problem for a dishonest seller to provide a package of documents attached to the baby.

What to look for when choosing

Buy a baby toyger only in an officially registered nursery - this will really be a guarantee of buying a thoroughbred animal. No one, except for professional toyger breeders, has the right to breed them. If - with an understandable desire to save money - you pick up a cute minke whale on the Internet or in the "bird" market, it will be anyone, but not a real toyger!

When choosing a kitten, pay close attention to its muzzle: even at an early age, it should differ in special proportions that correspond to the standard - first of all, wide cheekbones, nose and chin. In addition, dark stripes form a peculiar pattern on the forehead of a thoroughbred animal, very reminiscent of a butterfly.

A butterfly "sits" on the forehead of a little toyger

The color of a small toyger should resemble tiger as much as possible - the more contrasting it is, the better. The dark stripes in a thoroughbred baby fold into a beautiful, unique pattern - they cannot be extremely parallel, like the ribs. A pronounced black stripe along the spine is at least a breed defect. But the tip of the tail, according to the requirements of the standard, must be black.

Maintenance and care

Elite, rare and very expensive toygers are extremely easy to maintain. Even a novice cat lover can easily cope with this breed, which largely explains its rapidly growing popularity all over the world.

Toyger care does not require much effort

Hygiene

Toygers are very clean and zealously perform all the basic hygiene procedures themselves, thereby making it easier for their owner. Luxurious wool, oddly enough, requires minimal maintenance - a weekly brushing with a special rubber or silicone mitt is enough, but during seasonal shedding this simple procedure should be performed a little more often.

Bathing toygers is optional; however, they perceive bathing more as entertainment than as a hygienic event, and they themselves gladly go into the water. It is necessary, of course, to regularly monitor the cleanliness of the ears and eyes, as well as trim the grown claws in time. It is important to carefully monitor the condition of the teeth - cats of this breed are predisposed to the formation of tartar, therefore, plaque that appears on the enamel should be promptly removed.

Toyger eyes, ears and teeth must be kept clean

Feeding

Indiscriminate food is another valuable quality of toygers. It is very important that they have an enviable metabolism and are not prone to obesity.

Toyger is always in great physical shape

But this does not mean that you can feed elite animals with anything. It should be borne in mind that the digestive system of these cats is quite vulnerable and unbalanced or too abundant nutrition can lead to disorders in the gastrointestinal tract.

High-quality dry food provides a balanced diet

Some of the most useful natural products for toygers include the following:

• lean beef;
• poultry meat;
• cereals (buckwheat, oatmeal, rice);
• vegetables and root vegetables;
• low-fat cottage cheese and sour milk;
• quail eggs.

Properly organized natural food will benefit toyger

An unambiguous taboo for cats of this breed, as, indeed, any others, is food from the master's table. Also, you can not enter the following ingredients into the diet of your pets:

• fatty, fried and smoked foods;
• River fish;
• spice;
• fresh bread;
• potatoes;
• legumes;
• sugar and confectionery;
• citrus and other sweet fruits.

Restroom

Happy owners of toygers note their quick wits and high learning ability - kittens very quickly begin to understand how to use the litter box. However, the owners usually do not have to face such a problem: at the time of moving to a new home, all the kids already know how to use the toilet and almost never make mistakes.

Toyger kittens by the time of sale already use the tray perfectly

All types of filler are suitable for toygers, but it is recommended to take a more spacious tray, and even better - a closed type. The fact is that expressive "tiger cubs" can rake in the filler too recklessly and litter around the tray.

Tribal work

Reproductive processes in this breed are not burdened by any complications. With well-organized breeding work, the breeding of toygers does not pose any particular problems. The offspring is born healthy and active, developing well. The average litter consists of five kittens.

Toyger cat is an excellent mother

Breeding nuances

The specificity of breeding work is related to the fact that the young breed is at the stage of formation - the image of a “domestic tiger cub” is still being formed by breeders-felinologists. For this reason, the entire world strategy of toyger breeding is strictly supervised by the author of the breed, Judy Sugden. Only reputable catteries receive her permission for breeding work, and kittens born in violation of these conditions cannot be considered purebred and do not receive an exclusive “quality certificate”.

Only the best representatives of the breed can go into breeding

Particularly promising individuals of the breed class can only be sold to breeding nurseries that have permission to breed toygers. Pet-class kittens are sold only under sterilization conditions.

Sterilization issues

Toygers develop quickly, and they reach puberty early enough. In this regard, the timing of castration and sterilization of representatives of this breed is also determined. It is possible to neuter or neuter a toyger cat already at the age of four months - usually this is what breeders do, offering for sale a kitten that is not seen in breeding. Such an animal is sold already neutered, as an exclusively pet. The optimal period for a cat's surgery starts at six months and lasts up to about eight months.

Sterilized toygers generally live longer and get sick less often.

Owner reviews

Toygers are one of the youngest and most actively developing cat breeds. In this regard, there are many strict rules and restrictions regarding breeding within the breed. It would be very interesting to see what these wonderful "toy tiger cubs" will look like in ten years - enthusiastic breeders promise to present bright surprises to the world. But today every toyger owner will find a lot of arguments in favor of the fact that his breed is the most wonderful!