OK, now we’ve got to be honest with you: here at IndulgeYourPet, we find the name “Toyger” a bit silly and not nearly cool enough or POWERFUL enough to “capture” the essence of this cat. When you learn “why” these cats were created, you must start asking yourself…
“Couldn’t they have come up with a better name?”
Maybe something like:
- Urban Tiger,
- Mini-Tiger,
- Or Tigerit?
As it stands now when you say the name “Toyger,” it makes us think of a “toy tiger,” and these guys are anything but a toy!
Which brings us to…
Why we wanted to write this article about the Toyger, which is to shed some light on these little guys so that if you ever find yourself fortunate enough to be able to get your hands on one, you’ll have a better idea if adopting one is a good idea for you. After all, cat breeds will have different personalities; some may agree with your lifestyle, others may not. And the last thing you want to do is adopt a cat that doesn’t meet your expectations.
So, without further ado, let’s dive right in.
Toyger Cat Breed Fast Facts
Country of Origin: United States of America
Size: Medium
Weight: 7 to 15 pounds
Eyes: Round
Shape of Head: Oval
Lifespan: 13+ years
The Toyger Cat is a domestic breed that resembles a tiger. The reason why the breeder decided to develop this breed is quite interesting, so let’s get into it.
Origin of the Toyger Cat
While the Toyger cat does seem to have the “look” of an ancient breed, truth be told, they only date back to the mid to early 1980s. During this time, a cat breeder named Judy Sugden was inspired by the markings on her cat “Millwood Sharp Shooter” to attempt to develop a cat that looked like a miniature Tiger.
This “inspiration”…
It led her to begin interbreeding “Shooter,” a domestic shorthaired tabby, with three other cat breeds, including a Bengal cat named “Millwood Rumpled Spotskin,” to ultimately create what we now know as the Toyger. And while creating a domesticated cat with the “looks” of a baby tiger is undoubtedly “cool” enough, Judy Sugden has gone on to share that her reasons for doing this go beyond just creating a beautiful-looking cat; it also had a lot to do with her passion for wanting to save real tigers in the wild.
So…
If you do end up adopting a Toyger in the future, or you just love the looks of this cat, take a moment and check out this site: https://www.savewildtigers.org/ and see what you can do to help out the cause. NAsfor the Toyger, while they are not “officially” recognized by the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) yet, they were recently recognized by The International Cat Association in 2007, so we hope other organizations will soon follow suit.
Physical Characteristics
A Toyger is a medium to large cat. They’re muscular and have thick coats with dark tabby stripes, which gives them that “tiger look.” That plus their orange or tan coats, long bodies, and high shoulders. They also have small and round ears, which, combined with their oval eyes, have a bit of a “wild” or “feral” look about them, which is precisely what you want if you’re looking for a cat that looks like a baby tiger…. Right?
Temperament and Personality
The Toyger cat is friendly. Whether it be other pets around him or more humans, they’ll gladly interact with all of them. They’re also great with kids because they love to socialize, and what other way to get rapt attention than from curious kids? Plus, they’re very patient, so they don’t get upset quickly, and I’ll be in on all the games.
And while…
Most cats will get angry when someone pulls at their tails or picks them up roughly; the Toyger cat will not. We’re not implying one should go around removing their seats, but it’s worth mentioning if you have a small child around the house who tends to grab and pull things.
Toygers…
I can also adapt to changes pretty quickly as well. So… if your baby is on the way and wants to move to a bigger house, a Toyger cat will accompany it. They’ll have a new baby and a new home. And they don’t get super nervous around new people. So, if you and your family have many friends or family coming over and your Toyger cat has never met them, that’s a problem for them. They’ll probably walk to the front door with you to meet new friends.
But be warned…
These guys are brilliant. And while they love to learn tricks and play with toys, they can get bored, mainly if they are an “indo” or” only” cat. This is why you’ll provide your Toyger with many toys and try to find those that will “Chal “enge” the mind so that they won’t get too quickly. You’ll spend some time with your Toyger each day for general “play” time.”
Yo” see…
These guys tend to have a lot of “energy,” so” you want to give them plenty of time to run and play. This is when having a child in the house can be helpful to your Toyger and can keep a child busy. Because Toygers lToyger’slimb, look up if you’re lost as to where your cat went. They’re on your fridge, high shelf, or a bookcase.
And if you’re…
Suppose you are worried about how you’re going to find a way to help your Toyger burn off some of this natural energy that they have. In that case, don’t worry because Toygers are one of those rare types of cat breeds that actually like going out for walks, so put them on a leash and let them join you on your daily morning walk.
Potential Health Concerns
Toygers don’t have specific problems among their breed. Sometimes, cats have a hereditary disease that may be passed down to their offspring, but not the Toyger Cat. Still, this doesn’t mean they’re health issues. Like everything else that breathes, a cat is susceptible to developing a disease common among all cats… heart disease.
This heart disease…
It is known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This means that the left ventricle of a cat’s hearcat’sckens. This is a problem because the left ventricle receives oxygenated blood from the lungs, feeding it to the rest of the body. This causes the heart to beat faster and eventually causes the heart to be oxygen-starved. This kills heart cells, leading the heart to win too quickly, slow, or irregularly defeated.
Sadly…
There is no cure for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, but specific treatments can help a cat because it decreases the chances of it experiencing particular symptoms. These symptoms could be rapid breathing, open-mouth breathing, and lethargy. But this isn’t the disease that could affect the health of your loved one. This is why we here at indulgeYouPet like to have our readers spend a minute or two and consider “possibly” purchasing a pet insurance policy for their new loved one.
Will a pet insurance policy be a good “fit” for “ver” one?
No, probably not, but until you fully understand how these policies work and how much they cost, how will you ever know if purchasing one might be right for you? This is why we decided to write our own Best Pet Insurance Companies article so that our readers could quickly understand some of the pros and cons of owning a policy like this and find out how much it might cost to get one.
