What's a "Toyger"?
Hold up, a house cat that looks like a Tiger? Exsqueeze me?
Life magazine is calling toygers "The next Superpet". Heck, toygers are now an official breed. Could there be a better idea than this!? nooooo [singsong]
Gracias, Toygers.org
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It is a catty.
It is orange.
It is striped.
Therefore, it is good.
the paw... on the other kitteh's head... I cannot take it anymore!
Squeeee!
*explodes into orange and black confetti*
While I don't care for designer pets, I can't lie... the Toygers are very much TEH KEWT!!!
They are SO cute! I love the one that is going "BONK" on the other ones head!
Do these guys get big & bloodthirsty?
(Goldmember Voice)
"And I can schee you are toight as a toyger..."
Yeah, the second from the right with the paw on the head it pretty damn cute.
They're just, like, all orange fuzztastically blue eyed pretty!!!!!!!!!
"It's a liger. It's pretty much my favorite animal. It's like a lion and tiger mixed. Bred for it's skills in Magic."
They're adorable, but they just look like tabbies to me....they look just like my tabby, 'cept she's gray/black/brown and they're orange/black/brown. Did they cross marmies with tabbies to get this coloring and pattern?
Second from right: "Back it UP, dewd... that shiny's MINE."
Lions, and Toygers, and Bears, oh my!
According to this page: http://catsofaustralia.com/toyger.htm (with many more cute toyger pics) Toygers are a cross of tabbies and bengals.
Yeah, the kittens on the far right of the pic have tewtally slayded me ded!
However, I'm just bracing myself for the inevitable slew of howling Nuffs who will scream about indiscriminate breeding, animal mills, fad pets, etc... *sighs*
(No offense meant to the folks here who, like me, disagree with irresponsible humans and thoughtless breeding, or animals inbred to turn them into weird mutant freaks, etc. But at least you all stop and just enjoy the cute, yanno? Just wanted to clear the air on that...Now, back to the SQUEEEEEEE!!)
--TwoDragons
Also not a fan of designer breeds because so many strays need homes. But (sigh) I have to admit I would love one of these beauties - if they didn't cost upwards of (ahem) $4,000!!! Plus, I suspect my ratties wouldn't like it too much if I brought one home.
How about giving a home to the thousands of regular cats out there instead of wasting money on an inbred "designer" cat that will likely have many health problems in the years to come?
The guys on the right with the paw on the head are the best, but lookit the Disapproving Glare(tm) from the guy on the far left.
"Hey you two, settle down, we are having our portrait done and you are just ruining everything!!"
:)
I weel take one of these and one of the torties from the other picture please?
Reg
Great. Next it will be Lyons. Maybe cute little bears. Then they'll devour us in our sleep.
I just can't wrap my noggin around how they manage to get such perfect tiger tails....i mean they look like honest to god tiger tails! *splodes*
Proshness.
Does anyone else find the language on the website just a little creepy, though? "This breed is of and for the computer age. Computer imaging help breeders determine what they want , how far off a cat might be and how to improve the progeny." You'd think they weren't talking about, you know, an actual living, sentient creature.
The world does not need another breed of cat. Three to four million cats and dogs are euthanized in shelters every year. Yes these kittens are cute, but so is every other kitten I've ever seen.
OMG SQUEE!
OMG the kittens are the best. Especially the one second from right who's all "dude, don't even *think* of getting between me and the shiny thing."
As for the whole designer pet thing, why does it have to be one or the other? I think of designer pets as like concept cars: showing the possibilities. *Irresponsible* breeding is a problem, but that's because it's irresponsible, not because it's breeding.
So I think *responsible* breeding of specific breeds is valuable, but that doesn't mean everyone needs to have one, just like not everyone has a concept car or even an exotic production car. My SPCA kitties are pretty darn cute and I'm glad I got shelter kitties (even though at that time I could have afforded a purebreed if I'd wanted to). But the toygers are still cute too!
They are ADORABLE!!!!!!! AWWWWRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!! (turns into a pile of goo)
Is there any way to breed a cat so that it could teach me college calculus and chemistry?
I see the Nuffs have not disappointed me...
But Ex-Network Geek is speaking truth to tha power! Great points!
--TwoDragons
I would argue that the language used to describe these cats is itself irresponsible. I'm sorry, but you just don't talk about living creatures -- human or animal alike -- like calculatable objects or programmable beings. This is also why I don't get along with many theoretical social scientists, business people, financial consultants, marketing agents...
Yes, the cats are cute, but I wish I didn't go to the link. Ugh.
Will a Toyger eat me if I die in the house?
Please. I am Ugoff.
my cat is... like... orangier and stripier.
and she was free.
http://www.picato.net/cat/?CatID=313&cID=1517&mp=5
see?
Toygers--why not just get a bobcat? All the attitude plus the lethal claws...in a smaller size!...hee
my aunt has a bobcat. He's the most awesome thing i have ever seen.
I want one like now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
they are so cute, yes that foot on the other cat is so tocking cute too..
I saw an interview with the scientist who has been working on this. She's not a breeder for pets, so it doesn't surprise me that the site talks about the cats like objects.
I volunteer at an animal shelter and know how many animals already need homes.
However, this sciencist is doing this work with the hope of learning how we might be able to save species on the verge of extinction. The larger picture here is gene studies, using computer models to predict the traits of offspring of 2 specific sets of genes. It's kind of cool research, actually.
It is a good thing these kitties are so cute, so they get homes. Most research animals aren't so lucky!
So much of teh freakin cute...
TwoDragons, I'm a bit confused: Define a Nuff? Cause though I totally turned into a pile of goo just looking at these Toygers (or at a Schnoodle, for that matter - SO SIMULTANEOUSLY CURLY AND BEARDED!), I still have issues with the whole designer pet thing - issues, even, with established purebreeds, if the animals are bred entirely to buy into a fad and make the breeders money, without regards to the animals as living beings (their living situation, problems in later life, etc). I wholeheartedly appreciate teh cute, but I acknowledge the problems that it brings. Does that make me a Nuff? Are you saying we shouldn't have these conversations, or just that we should confine them to a place that isn't CO?
I'm with Whitley on this one. My little boy was a stray off the street, and he is more tiger than any of these (albeit cute) cats put together:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v105/firelily7/bigyawn.jpg
The Toygers ARE cute. Love the little guy with his paw on the other little guy's head.
I would totally love to have a bobcat for a pet.
EXSQUEEZE ME!! i have to use that one sometime.
Darcy --
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105793/quotes
[Instead of saying "Excuse me, I beg your pardon?"]
Wayne Campbell: Ex-squeeze me? Baking powder?
I adore tigers, and these cats are gorgeous, but I read that article when it came out a few weeks ago and it left me feeling just a little disturbed. These kitties are being designed for people who want an image, not necessarily for people who love animals.
If that makes me a nuff, so be it...
They ARE adorable, however they look a lot like tabby cats to me...
Another hybrid hype pet that's going to cost a fortune, and people are going to scramble to get instead of just rescuing and saving a life.
what is a nuff! Although these kitties are adorable and I hope they get loving homes, I agree with auntie mame. designeer pets.. as in designer cars and designer purses.. hmm... I think I'll go snorgle my cats now ^_^
They are way cute. I can just never see paying money for a kitteh, though, when it seems like every week someone is trying to give me one. I have four, and that is MORE than enough. But these are lovely cats, from a strictly aesthetic point of view. Love the glowy eyes and the well-developed muzzle.
great, a cat that also makes a good fur coat --- I can see it now. They'll be bred in China and Americans will be duped into buying fur trimmed coats as they are now with dog fur
I can't see paying for a kitty either, but I love cats and I love tigers...
Three words:
They. are. perfection.
Aww kittens! They're all 'rawr rawr we're big tigers OOH SOME STRING'
Oh dear.
Are the available from Amazon yet?
I got the best of both worlds, once. A Scottish Fold from a shelter. Best cat in the world, he was.
So stylish and beautiful - very Tony Tigers.
I just hope I never see Paris Hilton nuzzling one.
Of course I'm going to adopt a cat, but that doesn't keep me from wishing I had one of these babies :D I LOVE tigers, and frankly all of you who have marmies and think they look more tiger.... XD Well, think what you like, this babies look more like itty bitty tigers than any marmie or tabby I've seen.
I'm sitting on the fence of disliking designer pets and loving the fact that we're capable of creating such creatures, which brings promise to saving an endangered species in the long run. Yes I want more kitties to be adopted, yes I want strays to have homes, and I feel sad nearly every time there's a storm because I know there are strays out there who need shelter...
However...
Being able to recreate the tiger species...
Off of that, these babies are adorable and I only wish I could make my own and snuggle and keep them forevveeerr