A Guide to Hybrids

[KingHarry]

Written by summerrain

Hybrid Cats

Hybrid cats are a cross between a domestic house cat and a small wildcat. For example, the Savannah cat was created by crossing a domestic housecat with a Serval. The Bengal was originally created by crossing a domestic housecat with an Asian Leopard Cat (not to be confused with the Leopard). Some crosses occur naturally, some will happen artificially. Hybrid cats are far more likely to happen in domestic settings (human houses) than they are to happen in the wild, as wildcats tend to be rather picky about who they take as a mate.

Non-Hybrids

There are several domestic cat breeds around the world that are named after wild cats, but are not actually hybrids. One of the more well-known examples is the Ocicat, which was created from the Siamese and Abyssinian to create a domestic cat that bears a physical resemblance to the Ocelot, which was not used in the Ocicat's creation at all. The Desert Lynx, Pixie-Bob, and American Lynx were once believed to be Bobcat hybrids, but recent DNA testing has proven them to be all domestic. Though the Highlander, formerly called the Highland Lynx (not to be confused with the Highland Wildcat from Europe, or the British Longhair which is sometimes referred to by the same name), has its foundation in a hybrid cat, on its own there is not enough wild blood for it to be considered a hybrid cat on Carried Home.

Filial System

Now, the biggest point of confusion for those of us who don't know much about cat breeding is the Filial ranking system. This is simply a way to determine how much wild blood is in a particular cat, and by extension, the potential for traits and health problems their wild parent might give them. Here's a simple explanation, using the Savannah cat as an example.

Breeding a Serval to a domestic cat results in F1 Savannah kittens. These kittens have 50% wild ancestry. Most male F1 cats, if not all of them, are infertile because even though their genetics are similar, they aren't 100% compatible at this stage. A number of F1 females can have fertility issues as well, depending on the wildcat parent.

Breeding an F1 mother to a domestic father results in F2 kittens. These have half the wild blood of their mother, only 25%. Most male F2 cats are also infertile.

Breeding an F2 mother to a domestic father will give you F3 kittens. These have only about 12% wild blood, making them much closer to regular housecats. The percentage keeps dropping by half with each successive breeding to another domestic cat. 

Once the kittens are of the F5 generation, they are considered fully domestic. At this point, their percentage wild blood is around 3%.

When a Savannah has three generations of Savannahs (or variant hybrid), without other domestic cats or the wildcat foundation, it's considered STB, which stands for Stud Book Tradition. It is officially a purebred Savannah. These cats will have some variation on the average domestic cat in terms of size and health, and will likely have one or two quirks from their wild ancestors.

Some Common Hybrids

Italics = hybrid not found or rarely found in North America

Savannah = Serval x Domestic 

- Savannah cats are large cats, the tallest of the F1 generation reported as being 20 inches at the shoulder. They are incredible jumpers, able to reach 8 feet from a standstill, though this seems to be the more extreme end of the F1. They generally have shorter tails and even the STB cats can chirp like their Serval ancestors. Some even have a snake-like hiss. F1 and F2 generation can weigh 8-20 pounds. Later generation Savannahs are closer to domestic cats, generally weighing 7-15 pounds. Males are generally sterile until the F5 generation or so due to the genetic differences. 

Bengal = Asian Leopard Cat x Domestic (Illegal in Hawaii)

- Bengals are larger than the average housecat, with males ranging from 10-15 pounds, and females from 8-12 pounds. Males of the F1-F3 generations are generally sterile, and around F4 they take on a temperament resembling traditional domestic cats. STB Bengal cats usually carry the recessive gene for long fur, though long furred kittens aren't always recognized as "breed standard". 

Kellas Cat = Scottish Wildcat x Domestic / Scotland 

Bristol = Marjay x Domestic / Central & South America

Domestic x Rusty Spotted Cat / India only

Chausie = Jungle Cat x Domestic 

- While technically a hybrid, high content hybrids are rare in recent years due to the low ratio of non-domestic to domestic cats involved in this breed's creation. They are considered fully domestic by the F4 generation, unlike most hybrid cats, and are reported fully fertile by that point as well. In general, these cats are smaller than a Maine Coon but larger than a Siamese. They have long, leggy bodies and generally range from 15-25 pounds, built for running and jumping. They are prone to plant-based allergies.

Punjabi = Indian Desert Cat x Domestic

While bobcat hybrids have been reported, recent DNA testing has proven those reports false. It is unknown at the current time whether bobcats are even genetically similar enough to the domestic housecat to be able to hybridize. Bobcat hybrids are allowed on the forum.

Details of other possible hybrids can be found here. If you are not sure if your idea is allowed or not, ask a member of staff.

A Note on Big Cats

While big cats can cross with each other, there is too much genetic difference between big cats like lions and tigers for them to breed.

Rules for Hybrids

In order prevent overpowered characters, there are some limits on hybrids on Carried Home.

A hybrid character may not have more than 50% wild blood.

One member may not have more than two hybrid characters of 25% and over wild blood.

If you wish for a hybrid character to have multiple different breeds of wildcat in its ancestry, you must purchase a hybrid item for every breed present.

Anything F6 or below does not need the hybrid character item unless you wish to give it more than one minor trait relating to its wild ancestors - e.g. a F6 Savannah can be tall than average (though not the height of an F1 Savannah), but it cannot also hiss without the item. If you are unsure whether or not your character would be allowed, ask a member of staff. If you ask nicely, deals can often be made when it comes to character creation.

Remember that unless your cat was at some point a kittypet, it will not be purebred. You will not have, for example, a purebred clan born Bengal. You may have, though, a mixed cat with a Bengal pattern and a family story that, many, many generations ago, one of their ancestors were the offspring of a wild beast.

Any hybrids with 12.5% wild blood or over (F1 - F3) automatically have reduced fertility. They have an increased chance of stillborn kits and, unless you buy the hybrid fertility item, can only have a maximum of three kits in a litter.

If you are making a hybrid that is common enough that there are lots of photos of it on the internet (e.g. Savannah, Bengal, Chausie) it is preferred that you use a photo of one of these hybrid cats instead of its wild ancestor - so a Savannah cat character has a Savannah fc instead of a Serval. If there are not many photos of the hybrid, you can use the wild ancestor as a fc, but remember that the character you are making is only 50% wild at most and thus will not be exactly like a wildcat. Also remember that art is always an option!

If in doubt, ask. Staff are always happy to help, and we would rather you discussed an idea with us beforehand than we have to tell you that you can't do something once you've already come up with the idea!