Re: potential bobcat male/domestic cross- approval of breeders for project?
There has never been a documented case of a bobcat being able to breed a domestic and produce offspring.
As a breeder of hybrid cats (Chausies), I would not let my girls go into an attempted breeding program with a Bobcat. However, with enough searching, you can allways find whatever you look for. You might be able to find an unregistered cat with the traits you are looking for.
Good luck.
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Replying to:
Hi,
I am young but full of plans. I have the idea of getting a male bobcat kitten and a female domestic kitten, raising them together, then hopefully breeding them. I would breed only one or two small litters, keep the kittens, then spay every cat I had. I would not be doing hybrids for money but for the fun of it, and to have some beautiful and interesting cats to love. I want to wait about ten years, to get enough money, facilities and (gulp!) permits to do this.
Of course I would need a permit for the bobcat male and not for the domestic queen or her hybrid offspring. I do not want to use a common cat as the female side of my hybrid cross. Preferrably, the ideal queen would be a large brown tabby Maine Coon of good bloodline, for a variety of different reasons. The large size and bobcatty-looking appearance of Maine Coons would facilitate a natural mating between my queen and the bobcat, and they have a somewhat longer gestation which would ensure that the kittens were not born premature.
But the tricky thing is, if I got breeding rights for the female kitten that I wanted, would the breeder consent to it if he knew that I planned to breed her to a Bobcat, and that complications might be involved? The breeders I've come across are so scruplous with their cats that this dream of mine may never happen.
Don't misunderstand me here. I have a great love of cats and a respect, almost a reverence, for the breeder who cares enough about their kittens to be selective with buyers. But some of the contracts for owning or breeding that I have read are so intricate that they bar any normal, mistake-making mortal from owning or breeding one of their cats! For example, clauses like,
"The cat shall receive frequent and kind human attention. The cat shall receive a monthly veternarity checkup, the cat will not be declawed"...etc etc etc. I am willing to comply to these rules, and I respect the fact that the breeders are protective of their felines, but they are protective to the point of being overprotective, so that a person like me feels intimidiated and frustrated by the nitpicky little details of their law.
Essentially my question is, would a breeder give me the right to breed a female kitten if he knew I was going to breed to a Bobcat?
Thanks.
Mark