Toyger

Video: Toyger

History of the Toyger breed

Toygers are an entirely American "invention". One day, a resident of Los Angeles, Judy Sugden, wanted to create a new kind of cats resembling tigers. It cannot be said that the idea came to the woman suddenly. Judy's mother is an American breeder Jean Mill, the founder of the breed bengal cats , so the breeder had someone to take over the breeding experience. In addition, the woman was unexpectedly lucky when one of her Bengali wards gave birth to a kitten with striped marks on the temples.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Toyger is a puzzle cat that combines the appearance and character traits of several breeds at once. To breed a "domestic tiger" Judy Sugden attracted a wide variety of cats, ranging from bengals and ending with domestic shorthair, as well as mongrel purrs. At the same time, the main "suppliers" of striped genes of the breed remain a domestic cat named Scrapmetall and bengalka Millwood Rumple Spotskin, who were later joined by a wandering street cat, Jamma Blue, taken out by a breeder from Kashmir.

The official year of registration of the Toyger breed is 1993, when TICA specialists agreed to add animals to their registries. However, striped cats began to take full part in the championships only in 2007. Eight years later, the animals became interested in the Governing Council of Cat Lovers (GCCF), which awarded the breed a preliminary status in 2016. This allowed the toygers to make their way to exhibitions organized by the oldest felinological association in the world.

The appearance of the toyger and its differences from the Bengal cat

From the perspective of modern felinologists, the right toyger is a miniature tiger with a weighted front part of the body and the most contrasting stripes on the "fur coat". Unlike most representatives of the feline family, for these tabbies, the refinement of the silhouette is a serious drawback that no exhibition commission will close its eyes to. At the same time, the animal should not look like a clumsy "sofa–feeder", since an exemplary toyger is an energetic, strong cat-athlete, ready to be active at any moment.

Not having enough experience in dealing with toygers, they can be mistakenly classified as a family of pets bengals . In fact, there are a lot of differences between the breeds, starting from the features of the physique and ending with the color. Well, to be more precise, the toygers combined all the characteristics undesirable for their own ancestors: more impressive dimensions, a stretched body and a vertical arrangement of stripes on the wool.

Toyger cats are usually larger and more charismatic than kitties, who have a more fragile backbone and less muscle mass. In addition, "girls" often lack spectacular feathering on the chin and temples, while this feature is pronounced in males.

Head

Medium-sized, with distinct contours, a long muzzle and a widely stretched zygomatic area. When viewed in profile, the cat's head resembles the shape of half a hexagon. The chin of the toyger is rounded, strong, but not protruding forward. The pads of the vibrissae are distinct, slightly plump, giving the cat's muzzle a resemblance to an inverted heart.

Nose

The nose of the tiger cat is elongated, with a rounded bridge of the nose, greatly expanding towards the tip. The lobe is quite large, but without obvious depth.

Eyes

The eyes of representatives of this breed should be small or medium in size. Usually the eyeball is set deep and at a slight angle. The color of the iris is a rich yellowish-green.

Ears

Toyger's ears are miniature, wide-set, with a neatly rounded tip. It is desirable that the ear cloth and temples are well pubescent, and the hair is too long, turning into tassels at the tip of the ear – this is already an obvious overkill.

Housing

The main sign of the breed of the Toyger is a massive, strongly stretched body with protruding shoulders and a weighted, wide chest.

Limbs

The paws of toygers are strong, of medium length, which gives the silhouette of the animal an additional "tiger-like". The cat's fingers are long, flexible.

Tail

Representatives of this breed have long, rope-like tails with a rounded, blunt tip.

Wool

Despite the fact that the toyger is, in general, a shorthair cat, her "fur coat" is thick, shiny and extremely soft. Another distinctive feature is the so–called 3D effect: usually the hair on the stripes is slightly longer than the hair on the background part of the body, which creates the illusion of additional volume. Cats often have small patches on the temples and chin.

Color

The traditional color of Toyger cats is tiger / mackerel with vertical dark stripes on a golden–red background (a small amount of grayish undercoat is acceptable). According to the rules, the background color should not be uniform. In particular, highlighted areas on the abdomen, the inside of the legs and chest are welcome. Well, the main rule of the breed: maximum contrast between the red background, tiger pattern and highlighted areas.

We should also mention the silver (snow) toygers, which have been sold for a long time, but still do not standardize. Such individuals are distinguished by a pale cream, almost white background color and a light brown striped "print". By the way, the wool of "snowballs" is softer in structure than that of "tiger cubs".

Drawing Features

The tiger pattern on the body, legs, neck and tail of the toyger should be positioned vertically, twisting and intertwining. An important point is the looping of the bands.

On the cat's head, the "print" fits in a circular order, while the presence of vertical stripes in the area between the nose and the back of the head is undesirable. The dark color on the forehead of the toyger should be in the shape of a butterfly. The presence of a black outline of the lips, eyes and carbon dots on the pads of the vibrissae is also welcome. Mandatory: whitish glasses around the eyes and dark ears with a light spot in the form of a fingerprint.

Defects and disqualifying vices

Any external trait that makes one doubt the purebred nature of an animal is regarded as a serious defect. At exhibitions, for example, titles are not awarded to toygers of ticked color, with a belly and chest without stripes, blue-eyed individuals, as well as having a tail tip of any shade except black. Cats with malocclusion are subject to complete disqualification.

The character of the toyger

Toyger's life motto: "Moderation in everything and no extremes." Affectionate, but not annoying, mobile, but not rushing around the apartment with hurricane speed, this good-natured cat will become an exemplary companion for any animal lover. However, the breed has its own zest, which you will have to get used to, is the irrepressible curiosity of its representatives. Toyger studies in detail everything that interests him, but sometimes he loses his vigilance and relaxes. At such moments, you can observe such curiosities as a cat napping in an open oven, washing machine or kitchen cabinet.

Independence, pride, resentment – qualities that the toygers "forgot to put". Accordingly, if you inadvertently offended a cat, he will not accumulate negativity and develop a plan of revenge, but will prefer to forget about the incident. Painful injections, accidentally crushed tail, tasteless medicine – all these blows of fate Toyger accepts without malice and philosophically. By the way, do not confuse the loyalty and good nature of the Toyger with cowardice. These funny tiger cubs are quite brave creatures, which, combined with natural curiosity, can lead to unpleasant consequences. In particular, flights from the balcony and into an open window, disassembly with dogs and relatives are all the result of feline courage shown at the wrong time and in the wrong place.

Almost all toygers have such character traits as sociability and trustfulness. Moreover, the stripes are not selective at all in expressing their own location. As a result: the cat plays with equal pleasure with the owner, and with his children, and in general with any person who finds himself on the threshold of the house and has shown minimal interest in the animal. Toyger's favorite activity is to perch on the owner's lap or stomach and, shifting from paw to paw, do a relaxing massage under his own background purring.

Do not discount the desire of the breed to be in the thick of things. Toyger will always prefer a pleasant party and the company of the owner to loneliness, so do not test the pet's patience by locking him in the apartment for half a day. Remember, animals have a different perception of time and even a couple of hours of forced imprisonment is regarded by them as a serious prison sentence.

Education and training

It is possible to raise an obedient pet from the "cattigra" without unnecessary hassle and the use of special techniques. Striped clever girls work wonderfully according to standard training programs, they are easily included in the educational process, unless it is too long, and quickly get used to the system of prohibitions-permits. In particular, toygers perceive the command "No!" better than most cats and willingly follow it.

With the habituation of the animal to the tray, difficulties usually do not arise. Toyger is a naturally clean cat, preferring order in everything. So, when bringing a kitten into the house, immediately arrange a comfortable toilet and put the baby in it more often. After a couple of "potty landings", the toyger begins to understand what is expected of him, and in the future uses the tray for its intended purpose.

From the first days, set the boundaries of what is allowed for the kitten, namely: no jumping on the stove (burnt paw pads are painful) and tables. If a young fidget is trying to climb where it is not supposed to, sharply hiss at him or sprinkle water from a spray bottle. But keep in mind that the latter method does not always work, since most toygers are not afraid of water. And of course, always generalize your own requirements, because no one, even the smartest cat in the world, will understand why he is allowed to nap in an armchair, but it is forbidden to jump on that antique chair or great-grandmother's chest of drawers.

Maintenance and care

Toygers, despite their pretentious appearance, are absolutely unpretentious creatures and do not require specific care. It is not even necessary to comb them, because the breed sheds once a year and is so inexpressive that this period in its life is easy not to notice. However, if you want to make a cat pleasant, once a week, brush over her body: toygers respect massage, and the procedure is useful for hair growth.

With washing, everything is also wonderful: bathing in the shower and in the bathroom cats take for granted. Actually, you won't even need an assistant here: it's quite realistic to wash the Toyger alone. Every two days the animal is supposed to brush its teeth. In addition, a weekly examination of the pet's ear canal and removal of excess sulfur secretions with a piece of cloth or cotton pad moistened with lotion is necessary. It is recommended to monitor the length of the cat's claws. In particular, it is useful to "pedicure" a toyger twice a month, the rest of the time giving the cat the opportunity to polish its claws on a scratching post on its own.

Important: toygers are taken out for a walk only on a harness. On the street, "cats" behave recklessly and can get lost or run into trouble in the form of angry dogs.

As for arranging a place for a pet, it is important to understand that a cat is not a dog and the command "Place!" means nothing to her. Of course, build a house or a couch for the ward, but get used to the fact that most often the striped sly will have fun on the couch or in your bed. Enthusiastic flower growers, when buying a toyger kitten with their own hobby, will either have to tie up or constantly monitor the inviolability of plants. Most indoor flowers are poisonous for any cats, and for pedigreed cats in particular. And this despite the fact that toygers, and in principle all cats, love to eat green spaces.

Curious fact: Toyger cats are more sociable and obedient than kitties. But the territory of both non-castrated "boys" and "girls" of reproductive age are marked with the same diligence.

Feeding

On the one hand, toygers are far from gourmets, and on the other – these mustachioed-striped ones will never refuse an additive and an extraordinary snack. Since there are no special recommendations on the types of nutrition for the breed, some breeders keep their wards on "drying", and some prefer a natural menu.

The advantages of the first option are that the right food, in addition to saturating the cat, solves a number of additional tasks. In particular, the convenience in determining the serving rate, saving the owner's time, as well as the absence of the need to buy dietary supplements and vitamin complexes – the macro- and microelements necessary for the animal are already included in the "drying".

There are more problems with natural nutrition, although toygers do not need special products. Tiger cats will be sincerely pleased with the standard menu based on lean meat and offal, seasoned with vegetables and cereals. However, it is almost impossible to balance the diet in such a way that the pet's body receives vitamins and minerals in a complete set. Accordingly, the animal will have to buy additional pharmacy feedings, and this is an additional expense.

Health and diseases of toygers

It is believed that the Toygers did not inherit the genetic ailments of their ancestors. In any case, the results of tests conducted by foreign breeders showed that the risk of progressive retinal atrophy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in striped cats is lower than in bengals . At the same time, the toyger is quite capable of catching standard cat infections, so it is better to vaccinate the pet against rabies, calicivirosis, panleukopenia and rhinotracheitis in a timely manner.

How to choose a kitten

• Many domestic breeders contain both toygers and bengals , explaining this approach to breeding by the kinship of animals. However, for safety it is better to choose nurseries registered by TICA and specializing in only one breed.
• Ask about the exhibition achievements of the kitten's parents and all the owner's producers in general. If the seller explains the lack of diplomas from his wards by the bias of foreign judges, bring to his attention that the top list of the best representatives of the TICA breed for 2018 includes a Russian toyger from the Tigervizhins kennel.
• If the breeder confirms that his kennel is registered in the feline system, ask him to show the Certificate of litter registration (Certificate of litter registration), as well as an Individual registration sheet for the selected kitten (Brider Slip), which contains data about the baby, including color and number of its chip.
• Specify how many manufacturers the seller keeps. If you are shown two toygers, it is unlikely that you will get high-quality offspring in this nursery. Breeding with only two individuals is a dead end.
• And of course, no hybrids! To date, the crossing of toygers with Bengals and any other breeds are prohibited.

The price of the toyger

The cheapest options are kittens with color defects and minor physical disabilities. Such toygers will cost about $250. Individuals with a full package of documents and a distinct pedigree are evaluated at least in $400 - $500. Representatives of the breed and show classes are the most expensive. The cost of promising toygers can exceed $1000.