OK, now we’ve got to be honest with you, here at IndulgeYourPet we really find the name “Toyger” a bit silly, and not nearly cool enough or POWERFUL enough to “capture” the essence of this cat.
Plus…
When you actually learn “why” these cats were created, you really have to start asking yourself…
“Couldn’t they have come up with a better name?”
Maybe something like:
- Urban Tiger,
- Mini-Tiger,
- Or Tigerit?
Because 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…
Different cat breeds are going to have different personalities, some may agree with your lifestyle others may not. And the last thing that you want to do is adopt a cat that simply isn’t going to 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 reasoning behind 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 1980’s.
It was during…
This time that a cat breeder by the name of 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”…
Led her to begin interbreeding “Shooter” a domestic shorthaired tabby with 3 other cat breeds including a Bengal cat by the name of “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 certainly “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.
Now as for…
The Toyger, while they are not “officially” recognized by the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) as of yet, they were recently recognized by The International Cat Association in 2007, so it is our hope that other organizations will soon follow suit.
Physical attributes of a Toyger cat
A Toyger is a medium to large cat. They’re muscular, and they have a thick coat with dark tabby stripes along it, which gives them that “tiger look”.
That plus…
Their coats are orange or tan, their long body and high shoulders.
They also have small and round ears which when combined with their oval eyes, they definitely have a bit of a “wild” or “feral” look about them which is exactly what you want if you’re looking for a cat that looks like a baby tiger…. Right?
Temperament and Personality of a Toyger cat
The Toyger cat is a friendly cat. 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 upset easily, and they’ll join 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. Now were not implying one should go around pulling their tails, but it’s something worth mentioning if you have small child around the house who has a tendency to grab and pull things.
Toygers…
Can also adapt to changes pretty easily as well. So… if you’ve got a baby on the way and you want to move to a bigger house, a Toyger cat will go along with it. They’ll love the new baby and the new home.
And they…
Don’t get super nervous around new people. So, if you and your family tend to have a lot of friends or family coming over and your Toyger cat has never met them, that’s no problem for them. They’ll eagerly walk to the front door with you to meet some new friends.
But be warned…
These guys are really smart. And while they love to learn tricks and play with toys they can get bored particularly if they are an “indoor” only cat.
This is why…
You’ll want to make sure to provide your Toyger with a lot of toys and try and find those that will “challenge” his or her mind so that they won’t get bored to easily. You’ll also want to be sure to spend some time with your Toyger each day for some general “play” time.
You see…
These guys do tend to have a lot of “energy” so you want to be sure to give them plenty of time to run and play. This is when having a child in the house can be really useful cause your Toyger can definitely keep a child busy.
Particularly because…
Toyger’s love to climb, so if you’re ever at a loss as to where your cat went, just look up. They’re probably on your fridge, on a high shelf, or a bookcase.
And if you’re…
A bit worried about how your going to find a way to help your Toyger burn off some of this natural energy that they have, 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.
Common health problems of the Toyger cat breed
Toygers don’t have any 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 that they’re immune to any health issues. Like everything else that breathes, a cat is susceptible of developing a disease that’s common among all cats… heart disease.
This heart disease…
Is known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This means that the left ventricle of a cat’s heart thickens. This is a problem because the left ventricle is what receives oxygenated blood from the lungs, which in turns feeds that blood to the rest of their bodies.
This causes…
The heart to beat faster, and eventually causes the heart to be oxygen-starved. This kills heart cells, and leads the heart to beat either too fast, too slow, or any other irregular beat.
Sadly…
There is no cure for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, but certain treatments can help a cat because it decreases the chances of it experiencing certain symptoms. These symptoms could be rapid breathing, open-mouth breathing, and lethargy.
But this isn’t the only…
Disease that could affect the health of your loved one. Which 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.
Now will a pet insurance policy be a good “fit” for everyone?
No, probably not, but until you fully understand how these policies work and how much they cost, how will you ever be able to 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 as well as find out how much it might cost to get one.
