Create 'mini tiger' from cats

Do you want a tiger in the house? Not possible, because you will be in trouble with the law. But you can satisfy your dream with the mini version of the tiger, created by crossing between cats.

Judy Sugdem, an amateur pet breeder in America, has created special cats that look exactly like tigers. She calls them a toyger (pairing " toy " meaning toys and " tiger " - tigers). Worldwide there are currently only 350 toyger uncle who are cared for by 25 animal houses.

Except for the small physique and modest weight of the cat, the toyger possesses quite a few characteristics of the tiger's appearance: the dark yellow fur with striking black stripes, white circles around the eyes, majestic gait. All of these are the result of crossbreeding between cats but have nothing to do with tigers.

Judy began the process of finding a toyger nearly 20 years ago. At first, she tried for Bengal cats (Asian leopard and domestic cats) to breed with melon cats. Their offspring are mated to Kashmir cats. Just like that, just selecting and breeding, Judy finally obtained the first toyger to make her happy.

But for them to be the perfect version of the tiger there is still a lot to do. According to Judy's calculations, at least until 2010, the toyger generations really deserve the new " home tiger ". Compared to today's toyger, they will have shorter ears, smaller eyes, wider jaws and more nose. Matching the unique quality is a startling price. Currently, a toyger costs $ 4,000. The price will increase when the toyger is completed.

A toyger version. (Photo: Nationalgeographic)

Like prototypes, toyger has superior hunting instincts far beyond ordinary cats. Rats, birds and small animals are difficult to escape from their claws. However, they are not "cold-blooded" , many wild. In contrast, toyger is very mischievous and friendly. They like to caress and be ready to sleep with people.

Unlike most cats, toyger swim well and like to play with water. They can play for hours in children's baths, or go wandering in the rain freely. In this respect, they can really match the tiger.