Interesting Looking Cat

[Willowy]

There's a breeder in Southern California that does f1 Savannahs and f1 bobcat hybrids.

Hmm. Last I heard, no bobcat/domestic hybrids had ever been proven by DNA. But I looked up their site and the cats look believable. Although some of them have recessive traits like curled ears and polydactyly, which wouldn't be possible in a first generation pure bobcat/domestic pairing. I'd like to get a scientist out there. . .

Yeah, it's definitely possible that he's dumped, or lost, or has a home but is allowed to roam freely (which seems like a very bad idea all around but some people don't see it that way).

It's just that short tail that's throwing me off, lol. Otherwise he does look like a Savannah.

 

[abyeb]

Hmm. Last I heard, no bobcat/domestic hybrids had ever been proven by DNA. But I looked up their site and the cats look believable. Although some of them have recessive traits like curled ears and polydactyly, which wouldn't be possible in a first generation pure bobcat/domestic pairing. I'd like to get a scientist out there. . .

Yeah, it's definitely possible that he's dumped, or lost, or has a home but is allowed to roam freely (which seems like a very bad idea all around but some people don't see it that way).

It's just that short tail that's throwing me off, lol. Otherwise he does look like a Savannah.

That’s what I’ve heard as well- as far as I know, there haven’t been any proven successful matings between a bobcat and a domestic cat.

The TICA breed standard for Savannahs does call for a medium-length tail. But, from a google image search, it looks like Servals have a shorter tail, like the cat in the picture at the top of this article: Big cheetah-like feline captured in Pennsylvania | HeraldNet.com

So, I’m thinking that the big kitty in question could be an early-generation Savannah, or maybe even a pure Serval.

 

[sabrinah]

The f1 bobcat hybrid breeder seemed a bit sketchy since everything I've read said that particular hybridization isn't successful. The breeder also claims their hybrids have DNA proof, which is even more questionable. I was planning on taking my near-future Zoology career in the direction of the wolves, but maybe I'll end up partnering with geneticists and looking at cats!

I worry about hunters killing the kitty because of its appearance. The range of tail lengths in servals seem to be pretty broad, but there are some pictures of servals with fairly short tails. The kitty in question doesn't have the distinctive serval ear coloring so I'm leaning towards Savannah more than straight serval. This should hopefully keep Kitty (I feel like it needs a name at this point) safe from the black market. I haven't gotten any more kitty pictures. My dad has a lot more to worry about than a cat (and he's not a cat person to begin with), so I don't want to bug him too much about it. I would love to see a good picture of Kitty's face though!

 

[StefanZ]

Im pondering on these circle oriented spots. I read once its significant but I dont remember whatit proves. Fresh original ancestry??

 

[sabrinah]

I've been trying to figure out the spot orientation too. Everything I've read said they should have solid spots in rows. I was looking at a breeder that ships cats and a few of the later generation kitties have spots in a circle pattern but none of the early ones do. They also have what they're terming "elite" kittens that are just rare perfect kitties apparently, and their most recent elite has a bit of a circle but they don't say what generation it is.

The Elite Savannah Cat | Select Exotics - Savannah Cats

 

[basscat]

That is a Bobcat.
Just like many cats, bobcat patterns have many forms (rosettes, spots, splotches, to almost or no spots at all).
As a general rule, Bobcats don't have really short stubby tails. Tail on an adult is usually 4 to 5" long. With a considerably shorter appearance in winter/cold weather when their fur is long.
Some Bob's have ear tufts, Some don't.
Some have really distinct ear coloring, Some don't.
Some have beautiful rosette spots, Some have almost no spots at all. (except for belly spots).
But no doubt about it. That is a Bobcat.
There are no Bobcat Hybrids outside of the "Lynx" genus.
And don't try to get close to it or catch it or pet it or use food to draw it near you. I would guess it's wild. If it is, it want's nothing to do with people and will flee if given the chance (unless it's injured, sick, rabid). If nothing is wrong with it and it feels cornered with no escape, it'll shred you.
If you try to entice it with food, the same will happen. They are EXTREMELY food possessive.
I don't think a Mt. Lion would try to take food from a Bobcat twice.....

 

[abyeb]

That is a Bobcat.
Just like many cats, bobcat patterns have many forms (rosettes, spots, splotches, to almost or no spots at all).
As a general rule, Bobcats don't have really short stubby tails. Tail on an adult is usually 4 to 5" long. With a considerably shorter appearance in winter/cold weather when their fur is long.
Some Bob's have ear tufts, Some don't.
Some have really distinct ear coloring, Some don't.
Some have beautiful rosette spots, Some have almost no spots at all. (except for belly spots).
But no doubt about it. That is a Bobcat.
There are no Bobcat Hybrids outside of the "Lynx" genus.
And don't try to get close to it or catch it or pet it or use food to draw it near you. I would guess it's wild. If it is, it want's nothing to do with people and will flee if given the chance (unless it's injured, sick, rabid). If nothing is wrong with it and it feels cornered with no escape, it'll shred you.
If you try to entice it with food, the same will happen. They are EXTREMELY food possessive.
I don't think a Mt. Lion would try to take food from a Bobcat twice.....

Thanks so much for your expert input! That makes a lot of sense. The lack of ear tufts was throwing me off.

 

[basscat]

abyeb
No tufts's's's...

 

[abyeb]

abyeb
No tufts's's's...

I guess I’ve never examined handsome Gibbs’s ears closely enough.

I’m curious, does he grow tufts in the winter, or is he tuft-free year-round? Please forgive me for my lack of bobcat knowledge.

 

[basscat]

I guess I’ve never examined handsome Gibbs’s ears closely enough.

I’m curious, does he grow tufts in the winter, or is he tuft-free year-round? Please forgive me for my lack of bobcat knowledge.

No tufts ever. Short and Tan fur in the summer. THICK and Gray fur in the winter. (He looks like a different cat from summer to winter). He has light hazy rosette looking spots.

 

[sabrinah]

The only thing that I'm not sold on is the ears. The cat in the picture doesn't have the right ears. One of the number one ways recommended for bobcat and bobkitten identification is black ears with a white patch, and the cat visiting homes on a daily basis apparently doesn't have those, unless the white has been completely covered in mud or something.

 

[Willowy]

Yeah, but high-content Savannahs are supposed to have white-patched black ears too. That's supposed to be one way to tell the cat is high-content. Maybe he just has defective ears .

 

[sabrinah]

That's what I thought with Savannahs but some of the f1 kittens I looked at had brown ears that faded from dark to coat color without a patch. Or they just played in the mud and got the white patch dirty. Who knows. Maybe Kitty is the elusive bobcat hybrid Imagine how beautiful a Bobcat/Bengal hybrid would be! But really though, if Kitty is actually a male bobcat I hope he doesn't make a habit of trying to force himself on the nearby domestic females. He's hanging around a neighborhood filled with cats (my dad said the neighbors seem incredibly irresponsible so some of their kitties may not be spayed/neutered) every single day and he could do serious damage to a female in heat. I'm sure he would prefer his own species but if the opportunity presents itself... On the other hand, maybe it's better if a female is pregnant with a litter that's likely all going to be stillborn. That way at least there isn't a contribution to the cat population.

 

[basscat]

Guys and Gals, that's 100% Bobkitty.
Not to be mistaken with it's distant relative show below...the Bobturd.

 

[pipperoo]

Sabrinah - has your dad sent pictures to the local office of the state wildlife agency? It would be interesting to hear their take and whether they would want to track/possibly catch and tag the animal.

 

[sabrinah]

That's not my dad's thing. He doesn't care enough to tell anyone anything. And in his defense he's busy caring for my grandpa who is very, very sick with cancer. To him it's just a cool, pretty cat he gets to see everyday that might keep the mice population down. Honestly, he probably wouldn't care if it decided to kill the neighbor's cats, chickens, any small dogs, etc. He thinks cats outdoors are annoying, yet he thinks its cruel that I don't let my cat outside unless on a harness and leash.

I think Kitty looks pretty young and I worry that if it's choosing to eat from the food bowls the cat lady neighbors has out it won't properly hone it's hunting skills. I mean it has a consistent food source every single day, so it doesn't have to hunt except for fun. I visitied there once and there was A LOT of cats running around the area so hunting might be a bit scarce. It also clearly isn't scared of humans, so someone could easily turn Kitty into fur coat. That house is LOUD and there's a lot of people there visiting my grandpa, yet Kitty still comes.

 

[Willowy]

I wonder if it's a bobcat who was bottlefed and then let go, so that he's not scared of being near humans but doesn't get too close.

It's so interesting! I almost want to run out in the California woods and find him, lol.

 

[sabrinah]

He's fascinating! I really want to know why his ears are just completely wrong. Are they dirty? Did he get stained with motor oil? Where is the white spot?!?!? All the skins I've seen (science, not hunting) have the same ears. What makes him different? If they aren't dirty a DNA test would be interesting to see if there's a mutation that altered the standard ear color. Since that's one of the recommended way to tell a very young bobkitten from domestic kitten it could really screw up the process. Have they even looked at bobcat DNA that closely?

Bottle feeding is an interesting thing to consider. I was wondering if maybe his mother had the litter near a home and the people there gave them meat scraps or something.

 

[basscat]

sabrinah , God ran out of color on that cat with the unique spots...none left for the ears.
Seriously though, there's no set in stone rules on features.
My conclusion is a combo platter of what's most likely-vs-what's least likely and what's definitely not.....and narrowed down from there.
But when it gets right down to it....Just it's over-all build, look, stance, demeanor..combined with a few features.
Bobcat....and a uniquely pretty one at that.

 

[Willowy]

Bottle feeding is an interesting thing to consider. I was wondering if maybe his mother had the litter near a home and the people there gave them meat scraps or something.

That's another idea. People do (legally or illegally) find orphaned (or not :/) baby animals, raise them, and then let them go when they get big, fairly often. I was just looking at the local laws, and in this state I can keep one "native furbearer" in captivity without any kind of license or regulation. Although it probably is illegal in California. But most people who do it don't get caught.