‘Designer’ hybrid dogs (and cats?) are no healthier than purebred dogs

Labradoodle

Three crossbreed dog breeds are no healthier than their purebred progenitors as per the findings of a study. I would suggest that the findings probably apply as well to domestic cats but the study is purely about three selected hybrid dog breeds. Read on… This is a study (citation at base of article) that …

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Making the Scottish wildcat purebred again by de-introgression (infographic)

Restoring the Scottish wildcat through de-introgression

I think this story very much lends itself to an infographic as the technique described for attempting to restore the hybridized Scottish wildcat to its pure former pure self is essentially straightforward although technically it is a very tricky process that might not work satisfactorily. In order to be a success, it has to …

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Scottish wildcat is ‘genomically extinct’ as there are no purebred Scottish wildcats in 2023

Scottish wildcat

A recent study has once again looked at the concerning situation regarding the extinction of the Scottish wildcat which is actually a European wildcat living in Scotland. About 15 years ago scientists knew that the Scottish wildcat was near extinction because of hybridisation with domestic and feral cats in Scotland. Acceleration of wildcats mating …

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3-way cat hybrid: Maine Coon, American Curl and Siamese

3-way hybrid: Maine Coon, American Curl and Siamese

People are interested in domestic cat hybrids because they look different. This cat is basically a Maine Coon with curled back ears and some vague pointing on the coat. But when you look at the cat, he/she looks like a strange Maine Coon. The dominant feature is the huge Maine Coon muzzle and then …

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Can tigers mate with: leopards, jaguars and lions?

Can tigers mate with lions, leopards and jaguars?

The best source for information of this kind is Sarah Hartwell’s messybeast.com. She is quite clear on this. While lions, jaguars and leopards can all mate with each other to ‘form viable hybrids’, the tiger can only successfully mate to produce viable offspring with the lion. When a tiger mates with the leopard the …

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Can domestic cats breed with wildcats?

Domestic cats can and do mate with many species of wild cat

Yes, domestic cats can and do mate (breed) with wildcats. There is a slight complication in answering the question to do with definitions. The word ‘wildcat’ means the species of wild cat called ‘wildcats’! They are one species of small wild cat divided into four subspecies. They are the ancestor of the domestic cat …

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Ocelot-cougar hybrid is viable

There is a nice reference in Wikipedia to a purported ocelot-cougar hybrid. A mating of a puma and an ocelot can happen but in my travels over the internet you only see it happen in an artificial environment. You see it with captive cats managed by people who either deliberately facilitate mating between two …

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Can a cat have a baby with a bobcat?

1960s purported bobcat hybrid but a tabby domestic cat

The question is interesting because it is loosely formulated. What it is asking is can the domestic cat mate with a bobcat to create hybrid offspring and the best answer comes from Sarah Hartwell when she writes about “domestic hybrid with bobcat and lynx”. I will quote her verbatim because the answer demands a …

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