Breeding "Domestic" Large Cats

[EricMartello]

I'm aware of the fact that there are people who think wild animals like wolves and tigers make good pets...and that is retarded. I don't think a wild animal should be kept as a pet because it's bad for the animal and most people just cannot handle it. However, I am wondering if there has ever been an attempt to breed large domesticated cats...or is even possible genetically.

Can we breed cats as we do dogs, so that we can create something that would be essentially a domesticated jaguar? In other words, the resulting animal would have the physical traits of the jaguar and the temperament of a common house cat, so you wouldn't need to worry about it going all primal on your ass and eating your neighbor's kids, but you could have a very unique pet and maybe train it to be a good "guard cat".

 

[lxskllr]

I don't know about that whole "training cats" thing. My cats are as trained as they want to be, and only comply with my wishes when they coincide with theirs :^D

 

[xjaysen]

Hmm, interesting. I've seen those "Hybrid" wolf/dogs although cool, I think the closer you get to the dominate animal (jaguar in this instance) you're asking for trouble. The problem with these animals is they're unpredictable... but then again - I know nothing.

 

[jlee]

If that could be safely done, it would be epic and I would totally want one.

 

[EricMartello]

Yeah, that's the idea of domesticating the animal. You make it predictable by removing it's "wild" side through breeding. Wolves and dogs are classified as part of the same animal family, yet wolves are obviously not ideal for pets. Dogs are bred to be human-friendly, but it is possible to breed dogs that look like wolves and act like say a german shepherd...I would guess that has to due with their genetic similarity.

I don't know about cats but if I could get a domestic jaguar I'd be ecstatic. Yeah and I know, cats aren't really responsive to training like dogs are. They're more like do what they want when they feel like it, but no reason not to try.

 

[T9D]

....

 

[guyver01]

i think siegfried and roy know a thing or two about breeding large domestic cats...

and we all know how that turned out.

no matter what you do.. you can remove the cat from the wild, but you cant remove the wild from the cat.

 

[0roo0roo]

i'm sure you could, but it would change the look of the animal, as tested by russian fox breeders that selected for tameness they got floppy ears and spots and started to bark like dogs
effort and expense to fund generations of big cats is just a barrier i guess.

 

[Mrvile]

As having owned both, cats are very different than dogs. Even our dinky little housecat can kick my ass when it feels like it...a domesticated jaguar of any sort is just asking to get Roy Horn'd in the face.

Our big german shephard, on the other hand, was always well behaved.

 

[TruePaige]

Personally, I own a cat of hybrid lineage, a Bengal. Compared to other cats she has much more refined capabilities. She can jump from sitting down straight up 7 feet~ onto ductwork, is quick, quite smart (hard to quantify for the purposes of a forum, just catches on to things a bit quicker) and when playing can be quite the aggressor, even against larger male cats.

When looking up wild-ish cats I also read up a lot on bigger yet somewhat domesticated cats and smaller ones.

A bigger one would be like a Serval.

http://www.lasplash.com/uploads/1/serval-on-computer.jpg

Looks a lot like a big version of my Bengal.

Here is a Bengal for reference:

http://www.torreymaobengals.co.nz/images/bengal_cat_posing.jpg

Also another smaller cat is the Savannah, though they are a bit more lanky when full grown than Bengals.

http://www.candcsavannahs.com/images/svatshow.jpg

For reference, what takes place with the Bengal and Savannah is that they take a small wild cat and breed it with a domesticated cat to acquire the first generation, and then interbreed them to maintain the traits.

I received my Bengal from a lady who loved their unique personalities (like mine loves drinking from fountains, playing in bath water..etc..) and their loving personalities but had far too many animals after her husband died. Since it was one of my dream cats I jumped at the chance to give a cat a good home and get her. She is a sweetheart.

Starting new breeds is a long and delicate process and making sure wild animals aren't causing havoc among their owners is part of that process. I don't really worry that they have bad homes, I've seen quite a few people keep raccoons they've nursed back to health and, though they are handfuls, if you are prepared to give them the room they need to roam and the love to succeed you can provide a valuable home and security they otherwise would have never had.

 

[KMFJD]

My brothers cerval grew too fast, now has two vertabrea's touching on her back and can't use her back feet....beautiful cat..what a shame

 

[Sea Moose]

I would like have a pet hyena, they are cute

 

[BladeVenom]

I'm aware of the fact that there are people who think wild animals like wolves and tigers make good pets...and that is retarded.

LOL! Where do you think pets and domestic animals came from? Read biology instead of Harry Potter. Dogs didn't come about by someone waving a magic wand; they came from people keeping wolves as pets. Or are you some kind of animal rights extremist who think keeping pets or domestic animals is akin to slavery?

I think Servals would be a good choice for domestication.

If you're at all interested in science, read about domesticated foxes.

 

[Red Squirrel]

That would be awesome to do that. I think an exotic pet like that would be cool. Would sure keep you warm at night.

 

[Sea Moose]

LOL! Where do you think pets and domestic animals came from? Read biology instead of Harry Potter. Dogs didn't come about by someone waving a magic wand; they came from people keeping wolves as pets. Or are you some kind of animal rights extremist who think keeping pets or domestic animals is akin to slavery?

I think Servals would be a good choice for domestication.

If you're at all interested in science, read about domesticated foxes.

I think that most intelligent wild animals can be domesticated. As long as you have them in care from birth.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I think that most intelligent wild animals can be domesticated. As long as you have them in care from birth.

I think that's the key. Even a "house cat" that is born outside of human contact is very hard to domesticate. But if it's born in the presence of humans in a proper breading place such as vet office or in someone's home then that cat will interact with humans better. My cat for example was born in a vet office so lot of people touched her as a kitten and what not. She is a super playful cat and actually likes people. She's like a dog, she runs to the door if there's someone lol.

 

[DrPizza]

Cats kill mice. (My kitten even had another mouse in her mouth this morning.) Cats kill chipmunks. Cats kill rats. Some cats kill squirrels. Some cats kill rabbits. Cats kill prey that they're large enough to take down. A 150 pound domesticated cat isn't going to stop at squirrels and rabbits.

 

[Oceandevi]

With 20 or 30 generations of selective breeding, I think you could domesticate almost any mammal.

Obviously this is easier with animals that reach breeding age quickly.

 

[lizardth]

They did it with foxes! Why not big cats too!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domesticated_silver_fox

 

[Sea Moose]

Cats kill mice. (My kitten even had another mouse in her mouth this morning.) Cats kill chipmunks. Cats kill rats. Some cats kill redsquirrel. Some cats kill rabbits. Cats kill prey that they're large enough to take down. A 150 pound domesticated cat isn't going to stop at squirrels and rabbits.

Fixed

 

[DrPizza]

Quote: Originally Posted by DrPizza View Post Cats kill mice. (My kitten even had another mouse in her mouth this morning.) Cats kill chipmunks. Cats kill rats. Some cats kill redsquirrel. Some cats kill rabbits. Cats kill prey that they're large enough to take down. A 150 pound domesticated cat isn't going to stop at squirrels and rabbits. Fixed

Our cats don't kill red squirrels. They don't get a chance - if they're anywhere near the house, I shoot them on sight.

 

[Juddog]

Good breakdown of the hybrids here:
http://www.exoticcatz.com/specieshybrids.html

 

[Evadman]

I would love to have a leopard that wouldn't kill me while I slept.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Our cats don't kill red squirrels. They don't get a chance - if they're anywhere near the house, I shoot them on sight.

I wish we HAD squirrels around here, they can be a lot of fun especially when the cat sees them. There is one chipmunk though but have not seen him around much. Hopefully I see him more next summer. This year I was too busy with construction to pay attention, I only put peanuts out a few times.

I miss camping, when I did not work. I used to tame red squirrels, they are actually quite affectionate when you get to know them and they're so cute and fluffy. *snorgle*

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

this is a cool looking F2 Savannah