# House cat/big cat crossbreed? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 5, 2007, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796 "2007-01-05T07:54:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796/21 "2007-01-06T02:12:58Z")
Ok, I am now hating. Having to explain to my wife why I want to spend $500 on a damn Bengal cat is going to take some work. I’m not a HUGE cat person, but those things are GORGOUS! ---
**Author:** ![snailboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@snailboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snailboy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796/22 "2007-01-06T03:11:15Z")
[QUOTE=Electronic Chaos] I know it’s possible with lions and tigers (but not bears, sadly). [/QUOTE] Don’t underestimate the power of Barry White. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796/23 "2007-01-06T04:36:53Z")
[QUOTE=Electronic Chaos] I know it’s possible with lions and tigers (but not bears, sadly). [/QUOTE] Hmmm…I don’t think [bears](http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/3707/bearsfh6.jpg) roll that way. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796/24 "2007-01-06T04:49:32Z")
Ze goggles - ze do nozzing! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![JCorre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3da27b/32.png) [@JCorre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JCorre)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796/25 "2007-01-06T05:20:55Z")
[QUOTE=Tristan] Ok, I am now hating. Having to explain to my wife why I want to spend $500 on a damn Bengal cat is going to take some work. I’m not a HUGE cat person, but those things are GORGOUS! [/QUOTE] I’m with ya. They [sound adorable too.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTPrwWPeHOU) ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796/26 "2007-01-06T05:49:28Z")
Or you could go for the less expensive [ocicat](http://www.cfainc.org/breeds/profiles/ocicat.html). We have a Ocicat/brown tabby cross and he is one of the coolest cats we’ve ever known. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796/27 "2007-01-06T09:00:10Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] Male lion x Female tiger = liger [/QUOTE] ..bred for their skills in magic. ---
**Author:** ![rocksolid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@rocksolid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocksolid)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796/28 "2007-01-06T14:57:24Z")
[QUOTE=Tristan] Ok, I am now hating. Having to explain to my wife why I want to spend $500 on a damn Bengal cat is going to take some work. I’m not a HUGE cat person, but those things are GORGOUS! [/QUOTE] You can always tell her $500 is a bargain. One of the kittens frm our last litter sold for £1000 (~$2000). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796/29 "2007-01-06T19:10:08Z")
[QUOTE=Tristan] Ok, I am now hating. Having to explain to my wife why I want to spend $500 on a damn Bengal cat is going to take some work. I’m not a HUGE cat person, but those things are GORGOUS! [/QUOTE] They are also great fun and wonderful pets. Many (like ours) love water and will join you in the shower or dip their paws in the bath water and their water dishes. Generally they come as spotted, “marbled” (looking something like a cinnamon bun) and “snow tiger” which are almost white with fainter spots. Purebred Bengals should have spots on their belly, the bottoms of their feet are black, they all have a black tip on their tails. They are heavily muscled (our males weight 13 lbs and 15 lbs). They are great pets, and some breeders may sell as low as $300 if you guarantee not to breed or show them. Don’t ever buy one (or any cat) from a pet store. Oh, yeah, much better to get two at the same time, as they are a hoot wrestling and chasing each other through the house. What the heck, $1000 a couple of cats? Cheap at twice the price. 😃 Actually, of the dozens of cats we’ve had over the years, this is the first time we ever bought any, but no regrets a’tall! ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796/30 "2007-01-06T19:59:51Z")
I used to work with someone whose girlfriend’s mother had an animal that they referred to as “the cabbit.” This animal was supposed to be a cross between a domestic cat and a rabbit. The backstory was something about how the only possible animal the cat could possibly have mated with was this particular rabbit (I don’t remember all the details). The “cabbit” had soft fur like and large feet like a rabbit, was in other ways was like a cat. (Again, I don’t remember all the details.) Before you gang up on me – my friend was an intelligent and reasonably skeptical person, and was thoroughly convinced that this was a cat-rabbit cross. Sp my question is, has anyone here heard of such a thing? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796/31 "2007-01-06T20:08:09Z")
[QUOTE=Tristan] Ok, I am now hating. Having to explain to my wife why I want to spend $500 on a damn Bengal cat is going to take some work. I’m not a HUGE cat person, but those things are GORGOUS! [/QUOTE] You can buy a “pet quality” bengal, with no breeding rights for $200 or so. Ocicats and Bengals look alike to a degree, but the tempement is different. \*\* ratatoskK\*\* no sorry. No “cabbits”. Impossible to breed one. However, some cats do have pelts much like those of a rabbit. Cats already have rather large hind feet. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796/32 "2007-01-06T20:26:14Z")
[QUOTE=ratatoskK] I used to work with someone whose girlfriend’s mother had an animal that they referred to as “the cabbit.” This animal was supposed to be a cross between a domestic cat and a rabbit. The backstory was something about how the only possible animal the cat could possibly have mated with was this particular rabbit (I don’t remember all the details). The “cabbit” had soft fur like and large feet like a rabbit, was in other ways was like a cat. (Again, I don’t remember all the details.) Before you gang up on me – my friend was an intelligent and reasonably skeptical person, and was thoroughly convinced that this was a cat-rabbit cross. Sp my question is, has anyone here heard of such a thing? [/QUOTE] Impossible. Or, as possible as [this](http://natuo2004.up.seesaa.net/image/jackalope.jpg). The evolutionary lines leading to cats and rabbits split about 75M years ago. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796/33 "2007-01-06T20:48:06Z")
[QUOTE=ratatoskK] I Before you gang up on me – my friend was an intelligent and reasonably skeptical person, and was thoroughly convinced that this was a cat-rabbit cross. Sp my question is, has anyone here heard of such a thing? [/QUOTE] Never heard of that, but here in AZ we have Jackalopes (cross between a jack rabbit and an antelope.) They are rare, but many sightings have been recorded. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796/34 "2007-01-06T21:03:37Z")
[QUOTE=Renee] > **[Savannah cat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah_(cat))** > > The Savannah is a breed of hybrid cat developed in the late 20th century from hybridisation of a serval (Leptailurus serval) with a domestic cat (Felis catus). This hybridisation typically produces large and lean offspring, with the serval's characteristic large ears and markedly black spotted coats. F1 and F2 male Savannahs can be very large, and in 2016 an F2 male attained a world record for tallest cat at 48.4 centimetres (19.1 in). However, show-eligible F4–F5 cats range from 5.0–8.2 On 7 A... We had one of these as a patient at the vet clinic I used to work at. They’re a cross between an african serval and a house cat. Pretty cool. [/QUOTE] Your link did not work. Try this– > **[Savannah cat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah_cat)** > > The Savannah is a breed of hybrid cat developed in the late 20th century from hybridisation of a serval (Leptailurus serval) with a domestic cat (Felis catus). This hybridisation typically produces large and lean offspring, with the serval's characteristic large ears and markedly black spotted coats. F1 and F2 male Savannahs can be very large, and in 2016 an F2 male attained a world record for tallest cat at 48.4 centimetres (19.1 in). However, show-eligible F4–F5 cats range from 5.0–8.2 On 7 A... ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796/35 "2007-01-06T21:19:10Z")
[QUOTE=ratatoskK] I used to work with someone whose girlfriend’s mother had an animal that they referred to as “the cabbit.” This animal was supposed to be a cross between a domestic cat and a rabbit. The backstory was something about how the only possible animal the cat could possibly have mated with was this particular rabbit (I don’t remember all the details). The “cabbit” had soft fur like and large feet like a rabbit, was in other ways was like a cat. (Again, I don’t remember all the details.) Before you gang up on me – my friend was an intelligent and reasonably skeptical person, and was thoroughly convinced that this was a cat-rabbit cross. Sp my question is, has anyone here heard of such a thing? [/QUOTE] Yeah, right. And [Maine coon cats](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maine_Coon) are a cross between a cat and a raccoon :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796/36 "2007-01-07T04:01:22Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] Your link did not work. Try this– > **[Savannah cat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah_cat)** > > The Savannah is a breed of hybrid cat developed in the late 20th century from hybridisation of a serval (Leptailurus serval) with a domestic cat (Felis catus). This hybridisation typically produces large and lean offspring, with the serval's characteristic large ears and markedly black spotted coats. F1 and F2 male Savannahs can be very large, and in 2016 an F2 male attained a world record for tallest cat at 48.4 centimetres (19.1 in). However, show-eligible F4–F5 cats range from 5.0–8.2 On 7 A... [/QUOTE] Or you could read post #10. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796/37 "2007-01-07T07:14:51Z")
> [@](#): > > Before you gang up on me – my friend was an intelligent and reasonably skeptical person, and was thoroughly convinced that this was a cat-rabbit cross. > Sp my question is, has anyone here heard of such a thing? Not as an actual crossbreed; but [Manx cats](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manx_cat) are sometimes thought to be “cabbits” since 1) they have big hind legs 2)small/non-existant/stumpy tails and 3) they kind of hop when they walk or run. It’s just an adaptation to the lack of a tail. There are no known true cat/rabbit crosses, and the prospect seems pretty unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![Malienation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Malienation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malienation)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796/38 "2007-01-07T08:14:55Z")
Hmmm, so house cats couldn’t crossbreed with big cats. So, is the small cat/big cat divide the only thing to worry about? I mean, is it that small cats can breed with small cats, and big cats can breed with big cats, but small cats can’t breed with big cats? Of course, by big and small cats I’m referring to the 2 categories of cats, not cats by size. What’s the deal? ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796/39 "2007-01-07T15:40:34Z")
[QUOTE=Gaudere] Manx cats are sometimes thought to be “cabbits” since 1) they have big hind legs 2)small/non-existant/stumpy tails and 3) they kind of hop when they walk or run. [/QUOTE] That’s interesting, and it describes the “cabbit.” Perhaps the parent was part Manx, or the “cabbit” had Manx Syndrome, described in your link. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796/40 "2007-01-07T16:15:44Z")
[QUOTE=Malienation] Hmmm, so house cats couldn’t crossbreed with big cats. So, is the small cat/big cat divide the only thing to worry about? I mean, is it that small cats can breed with small cats, and big cats can breed with big cats, but small cats can’t breed with big cats? Of course, by big and small cats I’m referring to the 2 categories of cats, not cats by size. What’s the deal? [/QUOTE] [This thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=402882) provides information on current classifications of cats. As has been mentioned there, although “big cats” in the sense of the genus _Panthera_ is a natural group, the term “small cats” has no taxonomic validity. Some cats that are not in the genus _Panthera_ are more closely related to them than they are to other “small cats.” While genetic distance is not the only factor determining whether two species can interbreed, there is a negative correlation between genetic distance and the likelihood of producing a viable hybrid. Therefore it is unlikely that all of the “small cats” can interbreed, since some of them are more distantly related than they are are to _Panthera._ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-cat-big-cat-crossbreed/386796.md?page=3)