I know next to nothing about cats so I’ve been watching videos about cat behavior.
This video came up and I wonder what you think of the issue. I had no idea that people were doing this and I agree that it’s a bad idea.
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Interesting topic.
I’ve always been fascinated with hybrids and exotics. But I would never own one, especially a F1. Too many risks on behaviors and personality. When we lived in AZ, the bobcats were very acclimated to humans. Man, I wanted a hug. I saw one near our house that was the size and appearance of a Savannah. Tried to get close in case was a pet. He made it clear, he wasn’t. I’ll try to find his picture.
I feel the same about doodles.
I get tired of the push to “adopt, don’t shop” for cats or dogs. 4 of my 5 cats are shelter cats, foster fails. The 5th is a well bred Maine coon. My 4 dogs all came from breeders.
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I know that “designer dogs” can have issues with both health and temperament, but breeding wild cats to house cats seems like a very bad idea.
Breeding an F-1 horse, to be successful, must be done very carefully, and even then you never really know what you will get.
This wild cat/house cat combination seems much more risky because, as horse breeders know, you never know what temperament or physical traits may pop up from further back in the pedigree. At least horse/zebra F-1s are sterile.
It seems foolish to breed a cat that may arrive in the world with a truly wild cat temperament.
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Wow this guy is brilliant. Love his insights. I work in a municipal animal shelter.
Much as I love my pets (horses, dogs, cats, ducks, chickens) I hate exotic pets that really don’t belong in the unnatural human environment and I really oppose “domesticating” more animals.
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He had a T.V. show on Animal Planet titled “My Cat From Hell” where he helped people with their cat issues. There are episodes on you tube. Here is one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8LlguM49Cs and another https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGIBLx2zhmc
He has many cat behavior videos on you tube as well.
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He’s so good with cats.
Imo if you want one of these cats, get a dog instead. None of us need a designer cat like this.
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Hopefully people will be smarter than that. Of course you never know…
I am stunned, I must say, how some people came close to letting their romantic relationships be ruined by their dangerous pets.
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It’s nice that many of the people are willing to learn and put in the work though (just like people must do to make solid citizens of their horses.)
I own a cat that the vet and have speculated could be part bobcat, or perhaps part Bengal or Savannah Cat. (This is the Itty Bitty, for those of you in the know!)
I would NEVER purposely breed for that combo, after having known her. I love her, but she is a holy terror, and has a prey drive that worries me. Even when she was little (I mean, 6-8 weeks and new to the house), she wasn’t afraid of ANYONE, even 20lb Hammie. She’s not allowed out of the house, because I’m pretty sure that would cause Armageddon. She definitely has an alpha personality, and the size to go with it. If she is a hybrid, then she’s probably an F2 or F3, but even that is too much for me.
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Ain’t that the truth! 95% of the available dogs in the shelters near me are pit bulls, although the shelters have a policy of not calling them that, which seems really irresponsible. I love pits, I think they are adorable, but I know I can’t meet their needs. I also love dobermans, bull terriers, coonhounds, and scotties, but they would all bring potential challenges I’m not interested in dealing with. It’s extremely helpful to know what you’re getting, even though there are no guarantees. There are reasons certain dogs (and horses) are used for certain things, and nobody disputes that a beagle can be a good rabbit hunter, or that an arab can be a good endurance horse. But for some reason people don’t want to admit that a pit can have qualities that might not be right for the average person. When I was a kid, adopting from a shelter was great, because there were always litters of mutts due to so many pets being left intact back then. You’d go to the shelter and see a litter of cocker spaniel/schnauzer crosses lol. That is not the situation now, it’s all adolescent or adult pits, at least where I live. So I guess I went off topic, but yeah, I don’t want a wild cat, my run-of-the-mill adopted domestic shorthair is plenty wild enough for me.
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Do they at least go for Staffordshire terrier, or are they the asses that call everything a “lab cross”?
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lab cross here. My last two shelter dogs I had to go almost 100 miles to find a non pit, and they are called lab crosses. Pits are supposedly not allowed in this town but they are all over, and the vet waiting room is full of them.
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I’m in a wolf dog Facebook group. Again, while I admire wolves, I’d never own one - high content, , low content, or anywhere in between .
Same idea, only capable and willing to do major harm to humans. It’s a special skill set to maintain them safely.
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I think hybrid cats should be banned. Just because the wild cats are smaller, doesn’t make them any less worthy of the same protections that lions and tigers have.
In addition, what no one is talking about is the breeding itself. In some cases, the wild cat is much bigger, and certainly much more dangerous, than a domestic cat. Anyone who’s had the misfortune of witnessing domestic cats court can appreciate the horrors that can occur when trying to couple a domestic with a wild cat.
It isn’t worth the vanity of having a “wilder” cat in your house than your neighbor. It isn’t worth the “likes” that feed your ego when you post pictures of your hybrid. We’re taking about wild animals that do not deserve a life of imprisonment for your ego. (Not directed at anyone here).
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I remember you story of Itty Bitty and how she had that look. Is she aggressive toward people?
It’s scary to think of any the F1s being stray and feral and breeding with other feral cats. That could really become a serious problem. ( know that won’t happen with Itty Bitty.)
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No, and to be honest she’s not aggressive towards all the cats in the house, not even when Schuyler and Mulligan were kittens. But Tiny and Taffy are her main targets, especially Tiny. She views them as prey. And when she’s lasered onto one of them, you CANNOT get her focus off them. She grew up with Tiny; there was no reason for her to turn on him, but she did.
At the vet, she’s perfectly well-behaved. Everyone there loves her. But they do respect her, for sure. I’ll bet she’s in the 15lb range, easily.
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Do you play with her like the guy in video advises? If so, does it help with her aggression at all?
I would like to see people stop deliberately breeding cats with dwarf legs.
I don’t think an F1 cross of two domestic horse or even dog breeds is the same as an F1 cross of two distinct species.
Your fugly Clyde/QH husband pack horse is not the same level of potential chaos as a Zorse. Your annoying oopsiedoodle is not the same level of chaos as breeding coydogs or wolf-dogs.
I thought Bengal cats were solidified into an actual breed. They are really cool but I don’t think I need one.
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I don’t think anyone said it was “the same”. 
