The Wild Cat Breeds of the World
Wild cat breeds are not a new trend amongst cat fanciers. In 1875 at the Crystal Palace an Ocelot won in the category "Wild or Hybrid between Wild and Domestic Cats" and today there are many wild cat/domestic cat hybrids that are recognized by cat associations.
Examples of wild cat/domestic cat hybrids are the Bengal, the Savannah, the Ashera, the Toyger, the Safari, the Chausie, the Caracat, the Serengeti, the Sokoke, and the Ocicat.
More on these cats in Hybrid Cat Breeds and Exotic Cat Breeds.
A Serengeti Cat
A lot of controversy surrounds wild cat breeds.The gene pools of natural wild cats are being seriously diluted due to wild cat/domestic cat hybrids. An example of this is the Scottish wild cat that has been so extensively bred with domestic cats that its gene pool is now on the brink of dying out.
Wild cat/domestic cat hybrids do not always make good pets, after all, a part of the cat will always be wild and you cannot suppress the natural hunting instinct of a wild animal.Unscrupulous back yard breeders will cross-breed animals that do not make suitable pets and these animals end up in shelters due to “behavior problems.”
These wild cat/domestic cat hybrids are often seen as just a status symbol, kind of a “keeping up with the Joneses.” People do not take the time to find out what it entails to own one of these kinds of cats and when things go wrong, the cat ends up being labeled as a problem animal.
Wouldn’t the money spent on trying to create these wild cat/domestic cat hybrids be of better use to try and conserve the natural species of wild cats that are in danger of dying out? I am in no way against these different cat breeds but if you are considering such an animal as a pet, ensure that you do your research well. Find out about the reputation of the breeders and get references from people who have bought cats from them. Spend time with some of the breeder’s cats to get an idea of their personalities and their temperaments.
