Here is the new hybrid that can cost over 800,000 HUF

The caracat, a hybrid of the caracal and Abyssinian, has been in existence since 2007, and fortunately, no official cat registry organization recognizes it. Its creation was due to a fortunate accident, and then they sensed a business opportunity, so it may not matter that much that it's not officially recognized as a breed.

Caracals and Abyssinians are impressive animals on their own, and their union resulted in an equally beautiful creature. However, the production of a caracat has serious consequences, so we can’t bury our heads in the sand!

Why do we need a new breed?

The answer is simple: we don’t. However, humans are often greedy and tend to fall into the misconception that they should do something just because they can. This is how hybrid cat breeds emerged, which often come with fatal health problems and significant behavioral issues.

It all started with the Bengal. Originally, the breed was intended to meet the demand for keeping leopard cats as pets in the 50s and 60s. They wanted to create a cat that resembled its wild relative, especially in terms of external characteristics. Thus, the Bengal was born, followed by the Savannah, Chausie, Serengeti, Toyger, and Cheetoh.

In many cases, these cats cannot adapt to the opportunities provided by living in a house. This makes their own and the owner’s life a hell. However, there is no stopping, as the attached diagram shows; as long as there is demand, there will be supply.

The creation of the caracat

To unravel the history of the caracat, we need to go back to 1998, in snowy Moscow. A domestic cat ventured into the enclosure of a male caracal at the city zoo, and the two animals got along so well that they couldn’t resist mating. The female cat gave birth to a tuft-eared offspring. Unfortunately, very little information remains about the kitten, except that it did not have descendants. Nevertheless, this incident was enough to pique the interest of cat enthusiasts.

In the early 2000s, American felinologists Joy Geisinger and Allison Navarro attempted to breed a caracat by crossing a caracal with an Abyssinian. They succeeded, but for unknown reasons, they abandoned breeding a few years later. In the 2010s, Ukrainian felinologist Anna Kuzmina made progress in breeding the “F1,” the first generation of caracats, but the Russians proved to be the most effective. The most well-known breeder of the breed is Irina Nazarova at the Kataleya cattery.

The further away the generations are from their wild ancestors, the milder and shorter the tuft on their ears, and the smaller they are. A caracat averages 15-25 kg and can reach up to an adult’s waist, standing on all fours. It is often mentioned that the caracat is hypoallergenic because it sheds less. However, the problem is that the allergen is not in the cat’s fur but in its saliva and skin cells.

The problems start here

According to owners, the personality of a caracat is more dog-like than cat-like. It retains some cat-like traits, such as meowing – its voice is more robust and louder than that of a domestic cat. It loves to jump high and has a much greater need for movement than an average cat.

Let’s set aside for a moment the ethical aspect of breeding two species that, in the wild, are unlikely to mate. (But even if they do, why do we consider it normal to force this?) A 15-25 kg animal, one of whose ancestors is still a wild predator (in some cases, just one generation away), loves to jump high and has a prey drive – how safe is it next to a person who doesn’t understand it but just wanted an exotic cat that no one else has?

Caracats can only be fed raw meat, and so far, only females are capable of reproducing. The breeders’ task now is to create males that can produce offspring. If a sensitive person who genuinely cares about animals reads these last few lines, it is impossible not to be horrified. When will we realize what we are doing?!