Meet The Designer Cats With Wild Blood

Breeders who want to create a new and original breed start their genetic mix 'n' match wherever the jaguars and servals prowl.

Designer cat breeds, like the Bengals and Savannahs, are born from a breeder's desire to own wild cats, so they mate typical domesticated breeds with wild felines until they achieve the desired look.

Jean Mill was the first American breeder to breed Bengals, a cross between domestic cats and wild Asian leopard cats, and her cool looking designer cat continues to inspire breeders to mix it up and see what happens.

(YouTube Link)

Vox created this informative video to trace the roots of designer cat breeding in America and show what it takes to make those "small cats that look like big cats" that drive pet people crazy.

Newest 4

Newest 4 Comments

At a cat show, I'd think the cats would quickly reach sensory overload and become irate. All those people waving stuff around to get a reaction from the cats! I hope they have adequate time to de-stress between showings.

Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)

I don't want to be a killjoy, but I wonder what happens to the culls from these projects. Selective breeding requires eliminating a lot of unsuitable offspring.

Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)

The wildness isn't bred out of these "cool looking designer cats" and that causes conflicts when people bring them into their homes. The Wildcat Sanctuary in Minnesota which is a no-kill big cat rescue organization can no longer accept them and gets dozens of calls a month from people looking to give them up. The stories are heartbreaking.
www.wildcatsanctuary.org/education/species/hybrid-domestic/what-is-a-hybrid-domestic/

Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)

Do you research before buying one. These cats tend to have higher IQs and become easily bored, are very territorial, and love to hunt small animals (including pets).

Get Updates In Your Inbox