Toyger | Cat Breed Information & Facts – Pictures

Last Updated on February 26, 2023 by Pets Feed

Toyger is one of the newest cat breeds. It is captivating with its wild brindle appearance, being a fully domesticated cat. Unlike the Ocicat, which has a coloration that has evolved naturally and has remained the same over the centuries, the Toyger is a designer breed, much like the Bengal cats, Savannahs and the (now almost extinct) California cat.

In fact, Toyger was first called the “California Toyger”. Toyger’s name is a combination of the words “toy” and “tiger”. Comparing cats to tigers is not a new concept. For many years, Tabby Cats, especially tabby red tabby cats with a striped pattern, have been called brindle tabby, and one of the most popular names for red tabby cats is Tiger. Toyger developers hope that, finally, the resemblance to large tigers will be even closer. They are recognized by the International Cat Association, but not by the Cat Fanciers Association.

Breed name	Toyger
Country of origin	United States
Weight	5 – 7 kg
Size	Medium / Large
Life expectancy	12 -15 years
Hair type	Short

The Toyger breed is a miniature domestic tiger. You can’t call them little cats. This cat has large dimensions, and its weight is 3-5 kg for females and 4-7 kg for males.

The body is muscular, properly bent, color features are the maximum contrast of tabby and bottom stripes, regardless of hue, and circular stripes on the muzzle. Pads should be black.

They are very kind and calm, while they are quite active and smart. Toyger cats often choose a high point in a room, be it a closet or a door, to observe what is happening. Many representatives of this breed love water, which is quite rare among cats.

• The cat has a medium round head.
• The eyes are round, medium or small in size.
• The color of the eyes is always saturated, which makes them very expressive.
• The small ears are slightly rounded.
• Wide chin and nose.
• The body of the Toyger is strong and muscular, of medium length.
• The chest is voluminous, the neck is strong and oblong.
• Limbs of medium length with long toes.
• Toygers have long, thick tails.
• This breed is characterized by the presence of short, elastic and soft hair at the same time.

Cats of this breed are predisposed to certain genetic diseases, like many artificially bred breeds. However, in general, they are healthy pets.

Toygers may have a heart murmur, which is evidence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. There are hardly any other deviations along the genetic line in toygers.

Quite often, toygers suffer from obesity. But this disease can be avoided with proper care. Therefore, as mentioned above, it is very important for a cat to consume fermented milk products, and especially kefir. With obesity, the animal is fed only as prescribed by the doctor. They take tests and check for the presence of gastritis in the cat.

Toyger cats are easy to care for. Brush your cat once a week with a fine-toothed comb. This will be enough, because these pets rarely shed and do not shed much. Certain areas of the body may be cut.

You should also trim your cat’s claws regularly. A good scratching post will solve the problem by half. If you let the cat out, the Toyger will find a way to grind its claws naturally.

For most Toygers, the ears are considered the most vulnerable area. Therefore, it is important to inspect them weekly, as well as perform regular cleaning.

There should be no discharge, irritation or growth in the animal’s ear flaps. Otherwise, the cat should immediately be shown to the veterinarian.

If you brush your cat’s teeth, you can avoid stomatitis, the formation of stones, infectious diseases. A brush for these purposes is used as usual, but toothpaste is prescribed by a veterinarian.

The Toyger cat is a relatively new artificially bred breed that received full registration only in 2007.

The story of its origin boils down to the fact that the American breeder Judy Sugden wanted to improve the features of the color, and as a result, a completely new breed of cats turned out, which differs not only in the color of the coat, but also in certain qualities. In other words, she created a breed of cats not only similar in color to the tiger, but also with the character of this wild animal. The cat is also called “miniature tiger”.

By the way, the mother of Judy’s breeder, Jean Mill, was also a famous breeder, she created the famous breed of Bengal cats.

For crossing was used a tabby domestic cat of Judy herself, as well as a Bengal cat. It is their genes that are the basis of the breed, although a little later a simple street cat was added to the crossing. What happened later surpassed all expectations – a bright, contrasting striped color, circular stripes on the face, a squat body, and, to top it off, a kind character. The name of the breed comes from a combination of two English words toy – toy, and tiger – tiger.