Toyger
Encyclopedia
The toyger is a breed of cat
, the result of breeding domestic shorthaired tabbies
(beginning in the 1980s) to make them resemble a "toy tiger," as its striped coat is reminiscent of the tiger's. The breed's creator, Judy Sudgen, has stated that the breed was developed in order to inspire people to care about the conservation of tigers
in the wild. It was recognized for "Registration only" by The International Cat Association
in the early 1990s, and in 2007 its status was upgraded to allow the breed full Championship status. There are fifteen breeders in the United States, three breeders in the UK, one in Canada as well as two in Australia working to develop the breed.
breed into the gene pool was a move on Sudgen's part to produce a "big cat body".
Photos: http://www.toyger-cat.com/images/makeover.jpg
Head Shape: Medium-sized, with a dominant deep, skewed, cylindrical muzzle on an oval head.
Ears: Small and round. Wide set toward the back of the head and oriented on a 45 degree line towards the center of the eyes. Short but thickly furred temples and ears are preferred. Lynx tipping is undesirable.
Eyes: Medium, circular with gentle hooding of upper inside. Set wide apart, back into face, and on a slight bias toward the base of the ear. Rich deep color preferred.
Muzzle: Very well defined, long, broad and deep with rounded muscular contours. Full face view suggests an inverted heart shape. The front muzzle line/plane is skewed forward to produce a more frontal view of nose leather, mouth, and chin than in most small felines.
Nose: Muscular, long, broad, and rounded, widening toward the end to at least as wide as the space between the eyes.
Torso: Medium to deep, long and muscular with rounded contours; strong and robust but not blocky.
Legs and Feet: Medium length such that the space between the ground and the body is roughly equal to the depth of the torso. Boning is very large.
Tail: Very long and not thick. Taper is slight with blunt, rounded tip. Fur is dense and short.
Musculature: Very muscular and athletic looking, especially in young males.
Coat Length: Coat is uniformly short. Fur may be longer in the temple jowl/ruff; the suggestion of more of a ruff is preferred.
Color: Markings shall be virtually black to brown to even tan. Very dark markings are preferred. A bright pumpkin ground color with very dark markings is preferred. Whited ground color shall be as uniformly light to virtually white as possible.
Markings Pattern: Mackerel tabby. The markings to the ground pattern contrast must be extreme and distinct, giving a clear, sharply edged pattern.
Body Markings: Body stripes shall generally be vertically aligned with encircling markings on neck, legs, and tail. Bold, braided, and non-uniform stripes are preferred. Belly and inside of legs must be marked. Paw pads and tail tip must be black.
Head: Facial stripes and markings shall be circularly aligned around the face. Traditional tabby markings moving radially away from the face for any distance are undesirable. Lighter to virtually white 'thumb marks' on the back of the ears are desirable. Natural 'make-up' is important: eyes must have black 'mascara' markings and whited spectacles, desirable for mouth to have black lipstick markings.
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
, the result of breeding domestic shorthaired tabbies
Tabby cat
A tabby is any cat that has a distinctive coat that features stripes, dots, lines or swirling patterns, usually together with an "M" mark on its forehead. Tabbies are sometimes erroneously assumed to be a cat breed. In fact, the tabby pattern is found in many breeds of cat, as well as among the...
(beginning in the 1980s) to make them resemble a "toy tiger," as its striped coat is reminiscent of the tiger's. The breed's creator, Judy Sudgen, has stated that the breed was developed in order to inspire people to care about the conservation of tigers
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
in the wild. It was recognized for "Registration only" by The International Cat Association
The International Cat Association
The International Cat Association, commonly known as TICA, is the world's largest genetic cat registry. Originally a North American organization, it now has a worldwide presence...
in the early 1990s, and in 2007 its status was upgraded to allow the breed full Championship status. There are fifteen breeders in the United States, three breeders in the UK, one in Canada as well as two in Australia working to develop the breed.
History
The breed began development in 1980 when Judy Sudgen, a breeder looking to clarify the mackerel markings in tabbies, noticed 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 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 BengalBengal (cat)
The Bengal is a relatively new hybrid breed of cat, formed by the cross of a domestic feline and an Asian Leopard Cat .Bengal cats have "wild-looking" markings, such as large spots, rosettes, and a light/white belly, and a body structure reminiscent of the Asian Leopard Cat...
breed into the gene pool was a move on Sudgen's part to produce a "big cat body".
Future
With the aid of computer imaging, breeders have been able to develop a prospective model for the desired, final look of the breed. By 2010, breeders hope 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.Photos: http://www.toyger-cat.com/images/makeover.jpg
Breed standards
The following is adapted from the 2003 submitted TICA Breed Standard for the Toyger:Head Shape: Medium-sized, with a dominant deep, skewed, cylindrical muzzle on an oval head.
Ears: Small and round. Wide set toward the back of the head and oriented on a 45 degree line towards the center of the eyes. Short but thickly furred temples and ears are preferred. Lynx tipping is undesirable.
Eyes: Medium, circular with gentle hooding of upper inside. Set wide apart, back into face, and on a slight bias toward the base of the ear. Rich deep color preferred.
Muzzle: Very well defined, long, broad and deep with rounded muscular contours. Full face view suggests an inverted heart shape. The front muzzle line/plane is skewed forward to produce a more frontal view of nose leather, mouth, and chin than in most small felines.
Nose: Muscular, long, broad, and rounded, widening toward the end to at least as wide as the space between the eyes.
Torso: Medium to deep, long and muscular with rounded contours; strong and robust but not blocky.
Legs and Feet: Medium length such that the space between the ground and the body is roughly equal to the depth of the torso. Boning is very large.
Tail: Very long and not thick. Taper is slight with blunt, rounded tip. Fur is dense and short.
Musculature: Very muscular and athletic looking, especially in young males.
Coat Length: Coat is uniformly short. Fur may be longer in the temple jowl/ruff; the suggestion of more of a ruff is preferred.
Color: Markings shall be virtually black to brown to even tan. Very dark markings are preferred. A bright pumpkin ground color with very dark markings is preferred. Whited ground color shall be as uniformly light to virtually white as possible.
Markings Pattern: Mackerel tabby. The markings to the ground pattern contrast must be extreme and distinct, giving a clear, sharply edged pattern.
Body Markings: Body stripes shall generally be vertically aligned with encircling markings on neck, legs, and tail. Bold, braided, and non-uniform stripes are preferred. Belly and inside of legs must be marked. Paw pads and tail tip must be black.
Head: Facial stripes and markings shall be circularly aligned around the face. Traditional tabby markings moving radially away from the face for any distance are undesirable. Lighter to virtually white 'thumb marks' on the back of the ears are desirable. Natural 'make-up' is important: eyes must have black 'mascara' markings and whited spectacles, desirable for mouth to have black lipstick markings.