The Small Tiger Breed: Toy Tiger. Toyger

For cat lovers, they may wonder about the origins of their cat and what breed of cat they own. There are many breeds of cats. Some are well known like the Maine Coon, Tabby, Ragdoll, Siamese, and Persian. One of the not well-known breeds is the Toyger cat breed.

“Toyger” means a combination of two words: “toy” and “tiger”, it is a breed of domestic cats that look like small tigers. No, they are not real small tigers, these cats don’t even have an orange tiger coat, but they have beautiful tiger-like stripes on their coats.

The Origins of the Toyger cat

In 1980, a cat breeder named Judy Sugden had noticed one of her tabby cats had a tiger-like pattern upon its forehead instead of the striking “M”. She paired a tabby named Scrapmetal with a broad Bengal named Millwood Rumpled Spotskin. Later in 1993, Ms. Sugden happens upon and adopts a street cat from India named Jammie Blu. During that year, The International Cat Association recognized the Toyger cat breed in the register. Ms. Sugden created the Toyger Cat Society which helps finds the breeders of the Toyger cat which The International Cat Association (TICA) says there are only a few globally. In 2000, TICA advanced them to the new breed exhibition classes, finally granting them full recognition as a championship cat in 2007.  The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) recognized Toygers in 2015 and they progressed to preliminary status in 2016.

Judy Sugden’s mother was Jean Mill. Jean Mill had made the Bengal cat a breed. She unexpectedly bred a leopard cat with a black cat which produced a female kitten named Kin-Kin in 1970. Usually, a mixed breed wouldn’t be able to kittens, but surprisingly she did. The wildness calmed down after breeding four generations of the mixed breed. The breeding was hindered a short while because the males were futile. In 1983, The International Cat Association (TICA) approved the Bengal breed and made the breed a championship status. In 1997 The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) recognized the Bengal breed. The Fédération Internationale Féline, The Cat Fanciers’ Association, and The Australian Cat Federation had recognized the Bengal cat as a breed in their registry in 1999.

The Appearance of the Toyger Cat

What does the Toyger Cat look like?

Besides the beautiful stripes, the Toyger cat has a long and broad body that not like other domesticated cats. Its head is a normal oval shape that looks a heart shape that is inverted. The ears of the Toyger cat are small and round. The length of the Toyger cat is about 18 inches from head to tail. Speaking of the tail, it is long, but not thick. The males of the Toyger cat breed tend to be more muscular than females. The coat of this breed is soft and short. The coloring of the coat can vary from black to tan. The stripes are like the mackerel tabby, but they have more of a sharper edge pattern. The weight of the Toyger cat breed ranges from seven to fifteen pounds. The eye color ranges from dark brown to hazel.

The Personality of the Toyger Cat

The Playful Toyger Cat

Before getting any pet, you should know the temperament of the pet breed. Through the temperament may vary from pet to pet, it’s good to know how much energy they have, and how kid-friendly they are. The Toyger cat is a medium kid-friendly cat and they can be around other pets. They have high energy and very playful which means this cat breed will need lots of exercise. The Toyger cat breed is very intelligent. They do speak their minds a lot and very affectionate.

The Longevity of the Toyger Cat Breed

How Long Does The Toyger Cat Live?

The longevity of this cat breed is 10 to 15 years. This does depend on if the cat is an indoor-only cat or an indoor/outdoor cat. It is said that indoor cats live longer than indoor/outdoor cats. It also depends on how healthy the cat is. Obesity does shorten longevity.