Did you ever witness a cat mimicking a tiger? If not, just look at the Toyger cat breed that resembles a tiger’s appearance. Toyger cat is a little version of a tiger and looks captivating with its unique appearance and vivacious character.
With its wild appearance and adorable nature, the Toyger cat breed is a sheer blend of huge cat looks in a miniatured domestic physique. Are you planning to adopt Toyger Cat?
If so, you must know everything about the Toyger Cat, its characteristics, origin, dietary habits, interesting facts, price, and more. If this fierce-looking feline has captivated your attention, read the entire information about Toyger Cat. Read on!
Contents
Toyger Cat Profile
Toyger is otherwise called a toy tiger because of its appearance resembling a tiger. Toyger cat comes featured with short hair, tiger-like stripes on its body, and rolling gait. If you have a Toyger cat at home, you can almost feel like having a tiger king comfortably sitting in the living area.
Despite having tiger-like looks, Toyger is an excellent cat breed quite popular for its intelligence, playfulness, and sociable nature. Toyger is a friendly feline breed that requires minimal maintenance. Check the complete profile of Toyger Cat Breed furnished below in the tabular form.
| Cat Breed | Profile |
| Official & Common Name | Toyger |
| Other Names | Toy Tiger, California Toyger |
| Group | Medium-sized short-haired |
| Height | 10 to 18 inches |
| Weight | 7 to 15 pounds [3.6 – 6.8kg] |
| Coat Length | Short Hair |
| Coat Colors | Black, White, Orange, and Brown Mackerel Tabby |
| Life Span | 10 to 15 years |
| Coat Pattern | Tabby, Circular Stripes on Head |
| Origin | United States |
| Shedding Amount | Normal |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown to Hazel |
| Hypoallergenic | No |
| Personality Traits | Human-friendly, Stranger-friendly, kid-friendly, Affectionate, Energetic, Playful, Intelligent, Easy to train, Cool temperament |
| Price | $2,000 to $3,500 |
| Perfect for | Families, singles, couples |
History and Origin of Toyger Cat
Toyger is one of the prevalent domestic cat breeds with a tiger-like appearance. The Toyger breed was originally created by an American Breeder namely Judy Sugden in the 1980s. Judy Sugden was daughter of the Jean Mill, the original cat breeder of Bengal cats.
Judy Sugden experimented with mackerel tabbies to create this toy tiger cat breed. Mackerel tabbies come featured with wild stripes and M-shaped markings on their foreheads.
One fine day, Sugden observed that her pet Bengal Cat – Millwood Sharp Shooter had a unique round spotted pattern on the head rather than on the ‘M’ shape temple. It’s usually an area on the cat that doesn’t have any sort of markings in tabbies.
Looking at the pattern in an improper location on the cat drove Sugden to initiate an experiment to figure out if she could create a tiger’s stripes resembling a cat. Immediately, Sugden started to cross-breed Mackerel tabby with a street cat having a unique spotted face imported from India.
Sugden used two felines named Scrapmetal – a domestic shorthair tabby and a big-boned Bengal cat named Millwood Rumpled Spotskin. In 1993, Sugden imported a street cat namely Jammie Blu from Kashmir, India that has unique characteristics like spotting between ears.
Sugden added this street cat to the breeding program and expedited the program. Later, in the same year, two pioneering breeders namely Anthony Hutcherson and Alice McKee joined Sugden’s breeding program.
Once the Toyger breed is created through this project, the International Cat Association has approved the Toyger breed for registration. In 2007, the association enlisted Toyger as a championship breed binding its eligibility for various feline shows.
Finally, The International Cat Association has recognized Toyger as a unique cat breed. However, the Cat Fancier’s Association hasn’t recognized Toyger as a cat breed. Sugden intended to create a Toyger cat breed to bring awareness to the conservation requirements of wild tigers.
Toyger Characteristics
Toygers are the most enchanting pets because of their peculiar coats and shimmering fur. Although Toyger cats are descended from domestic cats, they are bred in such a way that the Toygers mimic wild tigers in terms of their looks and characteristics.
If you are planning to adopt or purchase a Toyger cat, it’s highly important to figure out the personality traits and nature of this cat breed. Wondering what are the Toyger Characteristics?
Toyger Cat is a highly sociable, energetic, and affectionate feline that displays a wide array of characteristics. In general, Toyger cat characteristics involve both physical traits and personality traits.
Physical Traits
- Toygers are exceptional cats that come featured with tiger-like striped patterns covering the entire body.
- On the head of the Toyger cat, we can witness a circular stripe pattern making them unique among domestic cats and resembling wild tigers.
- In terms of physique, Toygers have a lean and long body quite identical to tigers.
- Toygers feature long heads and small eyes quite similar to tiger eyes.
- The legs of Toyger cats are pretty much low to the ground resulting in them resembling their walking gait like the wild tigers.
- Toyger is one of the long-lived cat breeds having a lifespan ranging between 8 to 13 years and sometimes more.
Personality Traits
Toyger Cats are descended to be companion pets and as a result, they have a friendly and relaxed nature. Below are some of the personality traits of Toyger cats.
- With a perfect temperament and personality, Toygers can easily mingle with pet owners and their family members.
- Toyger cats are an ideal adoption to households with kids and multiple pets as they’re highly affectionate and always ready to play with.
- Toygers are extremely energetic and if you are a normal person, you will nowhere a comparison to this cat’s energy levels.
- Due to their high intelligence, Toygers are easily liable to be influenced by boredom. Hence, Toygers often love to be involved in fun time and engage in various playful activities.
- One of the interesting characteristics of Toyger cats is that these felines can be trained easily. Also, Toygers can be taught to execute various tricks like how to walk easily on a leash and how to play catch up.
- Toyger needs a lot of attention from their owners and loves to play with them around the house.
- Just like the way being friendly with humans, Toygers can easily get along with other animals or pets in the house.
- Some of the positive personality characteristics of Toyger include ease of managing, ease of training, cool personality, soothing temperament, etc.
In the tabular form furnished below, we have included all the Toyger Characteristics ranging from low to high levels.
| Personality Traits | Level |
| Energy Level | Above Average |
| Kid-Friendly | Average |
| Intelligence | High |
| Shedding Amount | High |
| Affectionate | High |
| Exercise Requirements | High |
| Vocalization | High |
| Grooming Needs | Medium |
| Trainability | Above Average |
| Sociability | Average |
| Health Issues | Minimal |
| Pet-Friendly | High |
| Adaptability | High |
| Stranger-Friendly | High |
| Friendliness | High |
| Playfulness | High |
| Loneliness | Can be left for a few hours |
| Inquisitiveness | High |
Toyger Cat Appearance
Toygers have a quite distinctive tiger-like appearance with vertical orange and brown or black-bordered stripes. Although toyger appears more like a miniature version of a tiger, there are no congenital traits of a tiger in the cat’s DNA. In terms of appearance, Toygers mostly resembles a mackerel tabby feline in an improvised and glamorous version. As it is a new cat breed, certain design aspects of the cat are still under discussion.
However, The International Cat Association has described that the markings on the cat’s body are considered as the dark markings present on a bright orange background on the outer side of the cat’s body. The stripes on the top of the toyger’s body are vertical, more thick, broken, and in vertical random patterns.
On the legs of the toyger’s cat, we can witness horizontal stripes alongside black feet and a black tail tip. Beneath and inside the cat, we can witness a white ground color highlighted by the gold glitter scattering over the top. Every Toyger cat has a unique marking on its body.
Despite being created from a tabby and domestic cat, the fur pattern of Toygers is random instead of appearing with mackerel stripes or round rosettes. Usually, a toyger cat’s head features circular markings that we cannot see in any domestic cat breed.
The exceptionally patterned fur coat of this cat is non-hypoallergenic. Apart from the coat markings, toygers own heavy-muscled frames and long sagging upper body. With big bones and a large set of shoulders, these cats are quite habituated with the rolling characteristic of big wild felines.
As mentioned already, an ideal toyger cat has a height of 9 to 13 inches and weighs between 7 and 15 pounds. Toyger cats appear quite similar to wild cats on the stroll when they walk in a relaxed manner around the house with their huge paws and lengthy toes.
Toyger Cat Care
Necessary care is required for a Toyger to lead a healthy and happy life at the owner’s house. Just like many domestic cats out there, Toyger also requires a similar care routine from the pet parent.
The major care for Toyger is grooming needs, physical activities like playtime, and regular exercise. This care routine for Toyger must be easy to do for both the cat and the cat owner.
Grooming a Toyger
In terms of physical care, toygers need relatively minimal maintenance compared to other cat breeds. But, frequent brushing is required for their short hair. Although toygers are considered short-haired cats, they shed their fur excessively. As a result, toyger cats need frequent grooming at least once a week.
Apart from fur brushing, it’s equally important to maintain the overall hygiene of the cat. It includes frequent ear cleaning, trimming nails, and tooth brushing. Regular fur brushing of cats helps diminish excessive shedding in toygers. Moreover, regular grooming helps enhance your bond with the cat.
Proper Attention
Taking care of the Toyger cat also includes giving them proper attention whenever required. Few people assume that cats don’t need much attention from their pet parents like the way dogs yearn for.
Even, cats seek attention from their pet parents, and especially toyger cats crave more for the owner’s attention and love because of their sociability. Whenever you go out leaving the Toyger cat alone at home for a long period, it may develop stress and anxiety due to separation.
Once you reach home, you may witness a lot of claw marks and scratches on your couch, furniture, and carpet. This is due to severe anxiety in toyger cats. Hence, don’t leave the cat alone for extended periods.
Exercise and Training
Toyger felines are naturally energetic and active creatures, unlike other cats who often take long naps and act less active. Toyger cats love to indulge in various playful activities and roam all around the house.
These cats like to play with interactive toys, cat puzzles, and other pet-specific toys that enliven their instinctive inquisitiveness. Toyger cats may not need exclusive exercise like leash walking as they are naturally active even indoors.
Just providing some toys helps in engaging the Toygers in independent playtime which in turn becomes an adequate exercise for them. If you are particular about training your toyger cat then, you can train them how to leash walk, and fetch. With their high trainability characteristic, toyger cats will quickly learn how to walk on a leash and fetch and other feline agility courses.
Vet Care
Frequent vet visits are also required for the overall well-being of the cat. Just like other cat breeds, toyger cat also needs annual vet checkups. Make sure your toyger cat gets timely vaccine shots to prevent the attack of life-threatening diseases.
Feline vaccines are given for a variety of diseases such as feline calicivirus, feline herpesvirus type I (rhinotracheitis), panleukopenia (feline distemper), and rabies.
To prevent some other illnesses like feline leukemia virus or chlamydophila felis, the veterinarian may suggest the pet parents give related vaccines to their cats.
Diet and Nutrition of a Toyger Cat
Toyger cats are medium-sized felines that don’t consume food in vast amounts and also, they don’t need special dietary requirements. As per the vet’s suggestions, feed the cat an appropriate amount of food. Although you feed adequate food, all your toyger cat needs is a highly nutritious and well-balanced healthy food.
Take necessary suggestions from the veterinarian regarding the Toyger cat’s nutritional requirements and dietary needs. Considering the vet’s recommendations, provide healthy food to the cat. However, the diet needs of a toyger cat are almost similar to a domestic short-haired cat.
Make sure you provide the best quality dry and wet food to the Toyger cat alongside clean water in a fresh bowl. Whenever you feel like giving a delicious treat to your furry friend, just give it meat in limited amounts.
The types of meat you can provide your cat include beef, lamb, fish, poultry, and venison. These are the best meat options that can be fed to a Toyger cat. Keep in mind that overfeeding leads to quick weight gain in felines which is not at all good for their overall health.
Moreover, obesity leads to the cause of other health problems and also lessens the feline’s lifespan. So, before giving any new food to your cat, consult the vet nutritionist and prepare a perfect diet plan for the Toyger cat.
In case, if you are feeding a Toyger Kitten then, you must be even more careful about its dietary needs. Each cat has its own needs, likes, and dislikes when speaking about food. In general, every feline must get 41 different nutrients from the food it consumes.
However, the nutrient proportion relies on various factors like the cat’s age, breed type, health, and lifestyle. If you have recently adopted a Toyger kitten then, your responsibility increases.
To improve the growth and enhance the energy levels of Toyger kittens, you must provide balanced nutrients in their diet compared to an inactive senior Toyger feline.
Toyger Cat Health Issues
Toyger cats are quite healthy but, may develop a few genetic health issues. As Toygers are a relatively new cat breed, it could be pretty much difficult to understand the health problems of the cat.
One main health problem in Toyger Cat is heart murmurs. Some other health issues that Toygers are easily susceptible to are rolled ribs, flat chest cages, and heart murmurs. With frequent vet check-ups, proper prevention steps, and immunizations, you can treat even these few health problems in the toyger cat.
Though Toygers aren’t susceptible to potential health conditions, it’s important to monitor the cat’s health persistently.
Heart Murmurs
Feline Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy [HCM] causes heart murmurs in Toyger cats. Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is a health condition that thickens the heart walls in felines. If left untreated, the feline’s heart turns inefficient. As a result, the Toyger cat may suffer from various health conditions enhancing the risk of blood clots.
Sometimes, the cat may or may not exhibit a heart murmur condition. The major symptoms of heart murmur include lethargy, congestive heart failure, breathing with open mouth, difficulty breathing, and heavy breathing.
HCM condition has no cure but, there are specific treatments that help diminish the risk of severe health complications in the cat. Usually, heart murmur conditions in cats may turn worse as the cat gets old.
Other Potential Health Conditions
As the Toyger cat is descended from the Bengal cat breed, there’s a risk of getting affected by potential health conditions such as pyruvate kinase deficiency, progressive retinal atrophy, and Luxating patella.
Hence, it’s important to perform a DNA test on the Toyger cat to diagnose whether the cat is affected by these conditions or not. Some of the minor health conditions in Toyger cat include Asthma and Obesity.
Pros and Cons of Having a Toyger
Toyger Cats are very well-mannered felines that are pretty hard to find everywhere like other cat breeds. Although it’s quite difficult to find a toyger cat breed on your own, it makes a great addition to the family by giving proper care. Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of the Toyger Cat breed. Check it out!
| Pros | Cons |
| Highly Energetic and Active | Costly Cat Breed |
| Easy to Train | Difficult to find these breeds at adoption centers and hard to adopt them from breeders |
| Family-friendly and kid-friendly | Susceptible to Heart Murmurs |
| Pet-Friendly | Can’t stay alone for a long period |
| Stranger Friendly | Sheds more frequently |
| Playful with other cats, and dogs | |
| Fiery Appearance with a pleasant nature and disposition | |
| No Breed-Related Health Problems |
What to Consider Before Adopting Toyger Cat?
Planning to adopt a Toyger Cat? If so, you must consider a few things beforehand. As a responsible pet parent, you must consider the health and happiness of the cat before adopting. Consider a few vital factors before adopting a Toyger Cat and welcoming it into your sweet home.
Cat’s Age
The age of the cat is important before adopting one. Choose either a kitten or cat for your home depending on you and your family members’ choice. If you choose a kitten, you need to be more careful and kittens prefer socialization.
If you choose to adopt an adult Toyger cat, it acts responsibly. Hence, you can leave it alone at home and the cat can manage itself entertained and engage in some playful activities.
Characteristics
Another important factor to be considered is the cat’s characteristics. Check the personality traits and physical traits of the cat like its friendliness with other pets, humans, strangers, and kids.
See if the Toyger cat is more chatty or pretty much quiet and less friendly. Consider the adaptable nature of the cat so that you can get an idea of whether it can adjust to your home environment or not.
Health problems
As the Toyger cat is a rare breed, you need to know the health conditions of this cat. Make sure you get to know everything about past health conditions, ongoing medications, and other illnesses being suffered by the cat.
Understand the cat’s health conditions and find out the right treatment options for the same. Get to know the Toyget cat’s health status before adoption check whether it needs any special care and have knowledge about the treatment cost.
Vaccine Shots
Vaccination is one of the key factors that must be considered before adopting a Toyger cat. By giving timely vaccine shots to the cat, you can prevent the cat from getting affected by basic sicknesses to life-threatening diseases.
Find out whether the Toyger cat has been given the necessary vaccinations already or not. Get to know if the cat has been dewormed, neutered or not, undergone viral testing or not, etc.
Nutritional Requirements
Every cat has different nutritional needs. Get to know what kind of nutrients the Toyger cat requires in its diet. The amounts of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients will be different from one cat breed to another breed. Understand the Toyger cat’s food habits before adoption.
Personal Space
Once you have adopted the Toyger cat, it becomes quite difficult and requires time for the cat to get adjusted to the new environment. So, make sure you set up a personal pet space in the house.
This way, the cat feels more comfortable in its space until it gets accustomed to the surroundings. Provide them with everything like a litter box, food bowl, water fountain or water bowl, interactive toys, etc., handy.
Multiple Pets
Are there multiple pets in your home? If so, you need to adopt the Toyger cat that could mingle with other pets under one roof. Check whether the cat has a sociable personality so that they can easily adjust to other cats and dogs in the house. If you don’t check it, the cat may suffer from stress and anxiety issues because of multiple pets at home.
These are the key considerations that must be checked by the pet owner before adopting a Toyger cat into your home.
Fun Facts about Toyger Cat
There are several interesting facts you might be not aware of Toyger Cat breed. We have compiled a list of fun facts about the Toyger Cat breed. Check it out!
- Toygers were created through a unique cat breeding program. The daughter of a popular breeder developed the Toyger cat breed by involving different cat breeds in the breeding program. Toyger was bred from a tabby cat, a large Bengal Cat, and another tabby featuring spots between ears.
- As of 2020, a total of 500 Toygers were found across the world. Only 19 breeders were registered with The International Cat Association [TICA].
- A popular toyger cat named Pippa has an exclusive Instagram account that has more than 30000 followers. Even, this cat has her publicist.
- Toygers love to play with puzzle toys and a variety of problem-solving toys.
- Toygers are excessive chatters.
- The Cat Fanciers’ Association [CFA] hasn’t officially recognized the Toyger cat breed despite gaining prevalence all over the world since the 1980s.
FAQs
Here are some of the frequently asked questions related to Toyger Cats, their behavior, personality traits, characteristics, pros, cons, health issues, and more. Check it out!
Is Toyger Indoor Or Outdoor Cat?
Toyger is capable of leading life outdoors but, their minimal hunting skills, climbing, and attacking abilities are pretty much low. As a result, Toyger cats can easily get into trouble.
Hence, keeping them indoors in a safe and secure garden is highly suggestable. There are high chances of Toyger cats being stolen because of their popularity and scarcity.Is Toyger Cat Family Friendly?
Yes, Toyger Cat is a Family-Friendly Feline and it has been designed to adapt easily to family life. Still, Toygers do not always bear the naughty behavior of kids and sometimes the odd behavior of adults. Toygers are instinctively friendly and affectionate provided they remain the same when they get the same treatment from the owners in the house.
Can Toyger Become A Good Pet?
Yes, Toygers are good pets and remain the same if they receive the same amount of love and affection from the pet parents. As they are designed to be family-friendly cats, they are always sociable and turn out to be good pets.
Does Toyger Get Along With Other Pets?
Yes, Toyger cats are not just family friendly but also pet friendly. They love to play and interact with other animals and pets in the same household. However, each cat has its behavior and traits.
Where Can We Buy A Toyger Cat?
Toyger Cats are the rare cat breeds usually found in the United States. As per the breeders list on The International Cat Association Website, there are a total of 7 breeders in the US.
Across the world, there are about 30 Toyger breeders. However, you can find a purebred toyger feline through a breeder in your location. Also, you can find this breed at a purebred rescue center.How Much Is A Toyger Cat?
As Toygers are rare cat breeds, they come in a whopping price range. The cost of Toyger Cat depends on the region you live in, the quality of the cat, etc. The Toyger Cat Price may range between $2,000 and $3,500.
Conclusion
Well, this is everything you need to know about the Toyger Cat. Toyger is the most attractive and rare cat breed with wild looks and an affectionate nature. Toyger attracts everyone with its captivating appearance. It’s a perfect addition to any family.
With fewer maintenance needs, few genetic health conditions, high intelligence, quick trainability, and more, Toyger is a great cat breed that easily adapts to any household.
We hope this article has given adequate information about the Toyger Cat breed, its characteristics, availability, price, dietary needs, care, personality traits, health conditions, etc.
If you have any queries about this rare cat breed, let us know in the comments section. For more articles related to different cat breeds, their characteristics, food habits, health problems, and more, stay tuned to this website ‘TheCrazyCats.Net’.
