People interested in the wild cat hybrids ask: “Could a sand cat breed with a house cat?”. The answer is yes and it is called the “Marguerite”. In 2014 it was a new cat breed. It is a sand cat crossed with a domestic cat. The domestic cat, in this instance, is a female ticked tabby. The pictures immediately below show two young, first filial (F1) Marguerites. ‘First filial’ means first generation so their parents are a male sand cat and a female domestic cat. More on that below. And at the base of the page are pictures of what I believe are second generation Marguerites.
The sand cat is the only true desert living cat. The sand cat’s anatomy has evolved for desert living. The cat’s prey (mostly gerbils) provides all the water it needs. There is thick fur on the undersides of the paws. The ears are very large to pick up the sound of prey when hunting at night.

This wild cat hybrid’s name comes from General Margueritte who lead an expedition. The cat was discovered by Capt. Victor Loche in 1856 in Eastern Algeria.
Sarah Hartwell of the messybeast.com website says about the Marguerite:
“Thought you might like a photo and info regarding the F1 Sand Cat domestic hybrids which are now registered under the breed’s name ‘Marguerite’.


The sire is a pet sand cat who was surplus to conservation breeding; his siblings are used in sand cat breeding programmes so his genetic input wasn’t needed, but it’s a good idea to keep him entire in case he is ever required on breeding loan to a zoo.
His breeding consort is a ticked tabby domestic female and he is also companionable with the pet cats in the household. Their offspring’s head and body shape resemble that of their sand cat sire, being sturdy with stocky legs and large feet; the black “armbands” are also a sand cat trait.
Their ears are relatively wide-set and large, and their muzzles fairly narrow. Sand Cats themselves are tameable (but not domesticated) and these F1 offspring are friendly, especially the males.
As well as being affectionate (including with visitors and the vet), they are very rowdy and rather destructive when playing. One oddity is that they prefer not to jump onto seats, laps, shoulders etc, but climb up instead. They bark like sand cats and also meow, though the mew is an ‘eeing’ sound.”
Here is are a couple of pictures of what I believe are a pair of second-generation Marguerites from the PUREBLISS CATTERY:

The breeder of the kittens above says that they don’t like to be on their own and need to be adopted out in pairs. I am not sure of the logic behind that. They also say that they have sweet temperaments – ‘very soft natured’. I have to say the F2 cats are not that interesting in their appearance. I don’t think this wild cat hybrid has gained any traction as a successful pet to put it simply. And I think the reason is because their appearance compared to the well-known Bengal is muted and less outstanding. Appearance is all when it comes to the wild cat hybrids. These are exotic pets. They need to look exotic too.
Here is another picture from the same cattery:

The information above was ‘early release of information’ in 2014 from Sarah. She was very thankful be given the opportunity to write about this cat. It was hoped the cats would make a public debut over the next few months. Update 2021: I think this was a bit of a non-event. Perhaps the era of excitement about the wild cat hybrid is over. The mainstream wild cat hybrids: Bengal and Savannah are probably enough. There are many others – click here to see a list.
- Click this to read about this new wild cat hybrid on Sarah’s website.
- Sand cat information in plain English.
I have a page on living with wild cat hybrids. Please click here.
Note: this page was written in 2014. It has been upgraded and republished on Nov 30, 2021.
Yes, some people do call hybrid cats “Frankencats”. And yes, I struggle with cat breeds and new breeds. If everything was perfect in the cat world and all cats were homed and well cared for you might be able to justify creating a new cat breed. The cat world is far from perfect, however.
Your opinion is spot on. There is real justification in conserving the natural breeds but these are not breeds in the conventional or Western sense. The Turkish Angora that Harvey supports so well is a moggie, a random bred cat that is more pure bred and has a far better pedigree than the any cat fancier’s Turkish Angora.
Harvey mission is to recognise the real “breeds” which I believe are better described as types of domestic cat or cats from a certain region.
The Siamese cat in Thailand is the original and true Siamese but is also by Western standards a non-pedigree cat. If a person took a Siamese cat from Thailand to a cat show in America, the cat would be shown in the “Household Pet” category (good looking moggies).
The idea of the cat breed is totally modern and human created and nothing to do with the on-the-ground real situation that existed before 1850.
The way I feel about breeding in actual fact is as follows. In my mind it’s important to conserve for example the classic Siamese or the older more healthy versions, the original versions of the more ancient breeds.
In this respect I have to say that the work Harvey is doing is a form of conservation and so I am pro the kind of breeding Harvey is involved in. He is coming out with the kind of useful conservational information about a couple breeds of cat which have been otherwise hijacked and poisoned by the cat fancy.
Also Harvey has the most interesting and to me, useful information about some of the oldest cats in the world.
So Harvey is interested in roots when it comes to genetics and breeding – and I suppose I am too – I always agree with what Harvey says, and I learn alot from him. I think he is doing a good thing for the cat world even though, technically he is adding to the population. There’s a huge difference between what Harvey is doing, researching and learning through his practice – compared – to what the cat fancy is deep into with their extremely morally questionable practices of modifying and changing breeds for the purpose of creating new cats which aren’t bred with their wellbeing and health as the primary parameters for their efforts.
So – if it’s about history and conservation – as is the case with Harvey, I am ok with it. I’ve learn’t alot from Harvey and his site and alot of that knowledge must come from his working with them every day – and that’s a good thing. They Angora is one of the oldest breeds of cat. Harvey lives in the place where the earliest recording of cats have been discovered. His role is clearly very important and creates some balance in the whole breeding world.
Just my opinion.
It had to happen in “CAT BREEDING”. Another new hybrid species born out of cross-breeding a wild and a domestic cat.The “Marguerite” looks pretty and small, excellent for small aprtments.Wonder what would be the cost once it is commercially sold.As for the “BIG CATS” of the forest, seems they might head towards extinction in the wild over the decades as forests and their habitat disappear. We humans might then be left with pet hybrid cats as companions of a once wild majestic species of predator animals.
All too clinical for me, another unnecessary Frankenstein cat produced by a breeding programme which no doubt would have destroyed the kittens if they had been found to be unhealthy or of poor temperament, more hybrids for rich women and men to spend their money on, designer cats to impress with, to keep caged or on leashes, and even more DSH’s – moggies – will go homeless.
DW, I think like you on this one. It is interesting from a cat breeder’s point of view and some wealthier people will no doubt like to buy a Marguerite but do we need a new breed?