Lykoi | Cat Breed Information & Facts – Pictures

Last Updated on February 26, 2023 by Pets Feed

The Lykoi cat (also werewolf) is a recently bred cat breed with a strange appearance that makes them look like werewolves.

Lykoi was originally thought to be a type of Sphynx or Devon Rex cat, but has been proven not to be. In studies conducted by American scientists, it was found that kittens of this breed appeared even before the breed itself was bred by breeders.

Breed name	Lykoi
Country of origin	United States
Weight	3 – 4 kg
Size	Medium
Life expectancy	15 – 17 years
Hair type	Short

The first impression of the representatives of this breed is the partial absence of wool. These cats have bare legs, small bald plates around the eyes and on the nose. Experts say that this selective absence of hair is the result of a natural mutation.

As for the color of this breed, it is only gray with gray hair. But the half -naked parts of the body are translucent with thin pink skin. A characteristic feature of the representatives of Lykoi cats are the big yellow round eyes. They just give animals an additional mysticism. Many breeders say that the cat-loup muzzle looks like that of bats. And although these cats can hardly be qualified as cute, they are very popular.

A male weighs from 3 to 4 kilograms, a female is slightly smaller – from 2 to 3 kg;

• Lying and slender body, with a developed musculature.
• Small head and large ears apart.
• The long tail narrows towards the end and is covered with short and hard hairs.
• The breed representatives are distinguished by an unusual smoky gray coat color.
• Museum with expressive yellow or green eyes, there are no hair around the nose and eyes.
• The hair root is absent on the legs and the abdomen.

One of the main distinctive characteristics of these cats, in addition to of course their appearance, is their incredible intelligence. They are extraordinarily intelligent and just as affectionate. You can say that the appearance of these animals does not reflect their inner world and their character.

Lykoi are affectionate, kind and very friendly animals who like to spend time with their loved ones. This goes against their image and their race name, which makes these cats even more unique and special.

Despite the fact that Lykoi will be happy to sit on your knees and receive a certain human affection, he always loves active hobbies more. These can be games, both independent and with the owner’s participation, hunt rodents or birds, if you live in the private sector, climb trees and simply spend time outside.

Their surprisingly developed mind allows them to memorize the names of objects and simple controls, some even claim that Lykoi cats can learn to go and get objects like dogs.

They calmly perceive the children and will be particularly happy if they find in them a participant in their games. If a child drags an animal in the house and generally behaves in a negligent way, the face will simply leave. Foreigners are treated with caution and always assess the situation and the person before contacting.

By the way, they treat the water in a rather neutral way and with interest, rather than negatively. A cat can play with water flowing with a tap, but he will probably not like to bathe.

These cats are not sensitive to genetic diseases. The main thing is to monitor the health of the animal: put preventive vaccinations, treat parasites every 3 months.

Lykoi cats lose a lot of hair and require daily brushing. Like all cats, they have a negative attitude towards water procedures. During the moult season, they can become completely bald, which is considered normal. During this period, it is enough to wipe the skin with damp wipes, thus cleaning the body of accumulated dirt and sweat.

When you clean the ears of dirt, be sure to wipe them with a damp cloth behind the ears, because sweat accumulates in this breed. The teeth should be brushed at least 3 times a week, the claws cut once every 10 days. Also, don’t forget to clean the cat’s eyes, this is done as the deposits accumulate (usually once every 1 to 2 days).

The Lykoi cat appeared by accident when a group of American breeders were working on breeding hairless cat breeds. As a result of a natural mutation, the kittens were born with bald patches on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears and muzzle, covered with sparse gray-black hair, through which folds of thin skin were visible here and there. As it turned out after DNA analysis, Lykoi cats are a variety of short-haired domestic breeds, and not sphinxes, overgrown with shreds of wool, as previously thought. Similar mutations have occurred before, but no one has seriously thought about continuing to breed this breed.

In July 2010, when a pair of unusual kittens was born to a black shorthair cat, breeders in Tennessee decided to continue the experiment. First of all, everyone wanted to know if it was really a natural mutation and not a manifestation of the disease. To answer this question, the kittens underwent a thorough medical examination. Little faces visited a cardiologist, a dermatologist, took blood, DNA tests and many more. The verdict of the doctors was unanimous – the kittens are healthy, and their appearance is not the result of any disease.

Having received the green light, the breeders first crossed the female and the male Lykoi, and the cat born on September 14, 2011 was named Datsiana. In 2012, the Lykoi cat breed received “registered breed” status from TICA, the largest felinological association in the world.