Toyger: standards and history of the origin of the breed + what they eat, how long they live, 50 photos

Origin of the toyger

In the late 1980s, Judy Sudgen began breeding cats that shared phenotypic characteristics with the tiger. The breeder was able to highlight the striped coat so that the stripes on the body ran down and were also present on the muzzle and temples, creating a typical brindle appearance.

The progenitors that gave rise to this breed are the Bengal cat Millwood Rumpled Spotskin and the domestic cat Scrapmetal.

Since 2007, the result of selection has been officially named the California Toyger.

• The standard defines the Toyger as a “designer” cat.
• Breeders portray the purpose of their breeding through transformation, that is, by creating images of the ideal appearance of the Toyger.
• In this way they try to achieve and optimize the end result: a tiger in the living room of a reduced size.

Prices for cats with brindle color

Spayed or neutered toygers cost 1–2 thousand dollars. The price of a tiger cat, which can produce offspring twice as large. These are some of the most expensive breeds in the world. A fold-eared tiger cat of the Scottish breed costs about 25 thousand rubles. She has a rather calm and good-natured character.

British tabbies are much cheaper - up to 10 thousand rubles. If, of course, there is a desire to purchase a kitten from parents who have a title and a good pedigree, then it will cost 30 thousand rubles. A short-legged munchkin can be purchased from 5 to 20 thousand rubles.

External characteristics

Toygers only exist with brown tabby stripes. The exact definition of this design is Brown Tabby Mackarel. The short, very silky coat is only partially reminiscent of brindle.

A photo of a Toyger shows that it is a medium-sized cat with an athletic, muscular and slender build, with a broad chest, medium-length legs and large, strong paws.

• A female miniature tiger can weigh up to 3.5 kg, a male - 4.5 kg.
• His appearance is energetic, as expected of a tiger.
• The legs are large, the distance between the body and the floor is the same along the entire length of the body.
• The toyger's head is deep and wide, with the ears typically small and round, as are the eyes.
• The chin is very pronounced, and the nose is long and wide.

Brief historical background

The breed was bred in the USA at the end of the 20th century by Judy Sugden. An American breeder admired the predatory beauty of tigers and therefore was inspired by the idea of ​​breeding a cat whose appearance would be similar to that of a tiger.

She brought the founder of the breed from India. He became a street Bengal cat. Sugden crossed him with a Bengal cat from her mother's cattery.

The result was kittens with characteristic stripes, which made them look similar to tiger cubs. Already in this century, the toyger received exhibition rights.

Toyger character

The character of the Toyger is described as very pleasant: playful, affectionate, very curious and with a pronounced intelligence. The toyger was bred specifically to live indoors and, unlike the tiger, does not necessarily need to spend time outdoors.

At the same time, walks in a safe garden or on a balcony equipped with a protective net are encouraged. This tiger cub can lead a happy and breed-appropriate life as an apartment cat, at home and in the city.

Clever Toygers easily interact with other pets and get along well with parrots, other cats and even dogs. Responsibility and excessive jealousy are unusual for them, which means that the Toyger cat will not behave aggressively or intrusively in order to attract the attention of the owner.

A pleasant bonus of the toyger is his unique purring, which he happily devotes to a person. By nature, the toyger is not so much a hunter cat, but a pleasant cat to talk to.

• If on the one hand his appearance resembles a large Asian cat, on the other he has the character of a gentle domestic cat, and it is this duality that fascinates his fans and owners.
• However, it is important to offer this intelligent, curious and playful animal the opportunity to have fun through cat brain games and other forms of entertainment through which it can show off its best skills.

Cat agility and clicker training are two great ways to test this smart cat's mental abilities. Play is also very important to the Toyger, as are long hugs from his human friends.

To be happy over the long term, a feline pet must lead a life that suits its personality and abilities, as well as meets its needs.

How to raise a pet tiger cub

Toyger kittens are born extremely smart. They are unusually attached to their owner and have a hard time withstanding separation. Little “tiger cubs” are playful and frisky; they play with children with pleasure, without trying to let out their claws.

High intelligence contributes to the rapid learning of the kitten. Toygers have no problems learning to use a tray or scratching post. Kittens are not afraid of water; they enjoy playing with streams of water and swimming.

Caring for the fur is simple - you don’t need to wash it with shampoo often, but you can let your cat frolic in the bath regularly.

Cats do not have any special health problems. True, like true tigers, they are fearless and often forget to be careful, so you should not keep the windows open in an apartment located on a high floor if a toyger lives in it.

It is important to provide your cat with a healthy, balanced diet, since even with high activity, Toygers are prone to obesity.

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Toygers love to meow. And they do it when they want. The range of their voice is wide: from high melodic trills to loud insistent meows. The cat doesn’t need anything - he just got bored.

Therefore, before asking how much a toyger costs and where to buy one, get ready to be woken up in the middle of the night by the loud voice of a striped pet.

Hygiene and health

This robust cat with the appearance of a small tiger should, like all other felines, be regularly seen by a veterinarian, vaccinated and checked for common feline parasites.

• Cats of this breed are completely unpretentious and do not require special care or much effort from their owners.
• This fact has a good effect on the popularity of the breed, since its representatives are excellent for those who have little free time to care for the animal.
• The main thing in caring for a Toyger is creating a diet suitable for the animal and following it.
• The Toyger is short-haired, and from time to time it is customary to brush it with a soft cat brush.

There are no known hereditary diseases specific to this breed, which generally boasts excellent health.

Nutrition

The daily diet of a wild cat should include:

• meat, preferably fresh beef;
• mineral supplements;
• vitamins.

Feeding occurs once a day. Once a week there is a fasting fasting day. To keep the animal healthy, a schedule of maintenance, nutrition, and observation by a veterinarian is drawn up.

The tiger cat is a very rare species, so it can only be purchased by pre-order. Kittens are expensive. The cost depends on the subspecies of the animal, the color of the fur and the pattern on it. You can find out the price of the animal at the nursery; the kittens are raised there under the supervision of specialists, vaccinated, and passports are made for them.

How to feed a toyger

A cat is an absolutely predatory animal. If we look at his natural eating habits, the percentage of meat that a cat consumes in his diet is very high. The diet for cats should include mainly meat and offal.

• Many consider this approach to be the most appropriate type of diet for a cat from a biological point of view, since it is as close as possible to feeding a cat in nature.
• When preparing dishes according to BARF criteria, it is also not recommended to use regular table salt, but only sea or Himalayan salt.

If you don’t have time to formulate a diet yourself, then you should trust more traditional wet food for cats, which for many form the basis of the diet.

When assessing the quality of Toyger cat food, the percentage of protein it contains is of great importance. If you decide to feed your cat mostly commercial food, remember that the animal will need to meet its fluid needs in another way. For example, you can have a drinking fountain for cats and bowls in different areas of the house.

Eating and drinking in different places is part of a cat's natural habits. Your beloved feline should find conditions similar to those found in nature, even in the home: a cat that lives the way it does is a happy cat.

Nurseries

The breed is still in the development stage; acquiring a small tiger cub is not easy. The creator of the Toyger, Judy Sugden, has developed a number of strict requirements for breeders. Their activities are aimed at creating and consolidating the tiger color while maintaining good health and long life expectancy for animals. There are about 50 certified nurseries in the world, and there are several in Russia.

One of the most famous - Greencity (Greencity) - is located in the city of Zelenograd, Moscow region. Toyger kittens were donated here directly by the author of the breed.

Other famous nurseries in Moscow:

• Moscow Family (Moscow Family);
• FairyBerendey (Fairy Berendey);
• Wild Jungle (Wild Jungle).

Another organization - Goldenspark (Goldenspark) - is located in the city of Engels, Saratov region.

Photo of a Toyger cat

How to choose a kitten

Only Toyger kittens born from two representatives of this breed are purebred. Crossing with other species (even Bengals) is unacceptable.

Babies are sent to a new home at the age of 3.5-4 months already castrated (sterilized), since only specialized nurseries are allowed to engage in breeding.

If you are offered to buy a toyger for breeding based on an advertisement on the Internet, they are most likely scammers.

Unscrupulous sellers take advantage of the fact that toygers acquire their characteristic color only after 6-7 months, when the child’s fur changes to that of an adult. Up to six months, babies go through the phase of phasing. The pile during this period is longer, the colors are blurred. “Tiger cubs” look like ordinary gray tabby kittens, which scammers pass off as purebred by displaying photos of “parents” downloaded from the websites of official breeders.

Origin, description and appearance (colors)

The Toyger cat breed is one of the youngest.

Toyger is an unusual cat with a predatory tiger color.

The animals are miniature copies of tigers. They resemble wild “relatives” in color and habits.

The name is made up of two words - “toy” (toy) and “tiger” (tiger).

The breed was bred by the American Judy Sugden, the daughter of Jane Mill, the ancestor of the Bengals. In the 80s of the 20th century, she came up with the idea of ​​​​creating cats with brindle colors.

According to the woman, her brainchild will remind people of these predators if they disappear from the face of the earth.

Judy spent a long time looking for suitable specimens for selection. Finally, in India, she came across a street Bengal cat that met the required criteria.

He had characteristic tiger stripes and was taken to America for further breeding.

In 2007, TICA (International Cat Association) registered Toygers as an independent breed. But breeding work continues to this day.

Further development is aimed at obtaining maximum resemblance to a tiger:

• correction of eye shape;
• lightening the fur on the belly;
• increased color intensity.

Modern breed standards are shown in the table:

The main feature of toygers is their tiger coloring. The body is covered with vertical stripes that loop around the neck, limbs and tail.

A distinctive feature is a butterfly-shaped mark on the forehead.

The main feature of toygers is their brindle coloring.

The fur is short, soft, dense, silky.

There are several variations in stripe color, shape and size. They may be intermittent. It is important that the stripes line up and do not turn into randomly scattered spots.

The pattern is clear, sometimes embossed - the background fur is slightly shorter. The shade varies from black to brown. The chin, throat, chest, and belly are light. However, the pattern remains bright, just like on the body.

Breeders are working to create a silver color.

Pros and cons of the breed

The advantages and disadvantages of toygers are presented in the table: