The birth of Caracal cats is completely accidental and it happened in a zoo in Russia at the end of the last century, when a wild Caracal was bred with a domestic cat that was around. The result was a cat with a wild personality and character similar to the Caracal, but smaller in size and different in color, which is why it was discarded and forgotten.
However, crossbreeding was done intentionally afterwards, because the interest for this mix had increased, considering that this cat resulting from the crossbreeding was easier to tame than a wild Caracal.Crossbreeding with the Abyssinian cat was considered the best mix for the little Caracal to be born with the closest colors to the wild Caracal, as the coats of both parents are similar. However, the fact remains that it is morally questionable to cross these two felines and that the offspring can have serious problems. Read on to learn more about the curious Caracal cat, its origin, character, characteristics, care, and he alth.
Origin
- Europe
- Russia
Physical Characteristics
- Thin tail
- Big ears
- End
Size
- Large
Average Weight
- 10-14
Life expectancy
- 10-15
Character
- Active
- Smart
- Shy
- Solitaire
Hair type
- Short
Origin of the Caracal cat
The Caracal cat is a feline resulting from the cross between a male Caracal and a domestic cat, mainly of the Abyssinian breed. The caracal or African lynx is so called because it has plumes on its ears similar to those of the lynx, which consist of small black hairs up to 6 cm in length, with which they manage to locate the origin of the sound. However, they are not actually related to lynxes, but rather to servals. It is a solitary, medium-sized nocturnal cat that lives in the steppes, savannahs and stony and sandy deserts of Africa, Arabia and India. It feeds on multiple preys, but especially on birds, for which it is able to make leaps of 4 to 5 meters to hunt them.
" The first cross between a Caracal and a domestic cat took place completely accidentally in 1998, at the Moscow Zoo in Russia. The news appeared in the German magazine Der Zoologische Garten, Vol.68. This crossing led to the birth of a young that they called bastard who was forgotten and sacrificed because he did not have the colors that a Caracal should have."
Today it is one of the most sought after hybrid cats, especially in the United States and Russia, as they are considered easier to tame than wild caracals. For this reason, they were bred in captivity to meet the increased demand for these cats. These days it is best to cross them with an Abyssinian cat as it is closest in color to the caracal. This crossbreeding is carried out in captivity, with "artificially" educated caracals, because in the wild caracals see cats as prey and not as equals with whom they could mate and father.Thus, breeding this hybrid is morally questionable due to its entire process and, as we will see, the he alth issues the offspring may have.
Caracal Cat Characteristics
The Caracal is smaller than the wild Caracal, but much larger than the little Abyssinian cat. The weight they can reach can reach is 13-14 kg, for a size of about 36 cm high and a length of up to 140 cm, including the tail.
The coat color is similar to the Caracal if mixed with an Abyssinian cat. In this way, the Caracal is characterized by its copper-orange hair with dark stripes or bands (ticking) or by the same coat tones as the Caracal (brown, cinnamon and black, with a white chest and belly). The coat is dense, short and soft. In addition, in the Caracal cat, it is also possible to see that it has black tufts at the end of its long ears (called feathers in the caracal), the black nose, large eyes, a wild look and a strong body but stylized and aesthetic.
Caracal cat character
First generation hybrids, i.e. those that are directly derived from the cross between a Caracal and an Abyssinian, tend to be more restless, energetic, playful, hunter and savage than the second or third generation.
It depends on how lucky you are with the first generation specimens, they may or may not be good pets, as some may have nasty, annoying, violent and destructive wild instincts in the home. Others, however, adapt well to the house and, although their wild instincts sometimes surface, at other times they look like a normal cat, but more independent and solitary.
Keep in mind that specimens that have a high percentage of Caracals genetic material, instead of a common meow, usually roar or emit a mix between squeak and roar.
How to take care of a Caracal cat?
The diet of the Caracal cat is closer to that of the caracal than that of the domestic cat. It must therefore be based on meat or dead prey (small birds, rodents or small mammals) because they are strict carnivores. They eat more and require more kilocalories per day than a standard domestic cat due to their larger size and greater strength, energy and vitality. However, some eat dry or wet food for large cats. Find out what cats eat in this other article and what is the BARF diet for cats, because when it comes to caring for a Caracal cat, this type of diet is the most recommended.
In addition to considering nutritional needs, it is important to provide the Caracal cat with adequate environmental enrichment. If in the domestic cat this aspect is essential to avoid stress, anxiety, boredom and frustration, for the caracal it is even more so.Likewise, this feline generally has a greater need to explore and hunt, so it is convenient to walk around.
On the other hand, Caracal cats can be affected by the same infectious and parasitic diseases as domestic cats, requiring vaccination and deworming. Brushing is also important, as well as monitoring the condition of their ears and teeth to prevent disease.
Caracal Cat He alth
The main problem for Caracal cats occurs at the end of gestation, during childbirth. You have to think that a Caracal male is crossed with a female of the Abyssinian breed. To begin with, the Abyssinians are cats that are not characterized by having large litters, and they only give birth to two babies. If we add to this that she is crossed with a feline much larger than her, she will produce only one huge cat or two smaller ones, but larger than what she usually gestures.Thinking about whelping in these conditions is quite unpleasant and these females spend a lot of time in pain, many times requiring veterinary assistance. It is also not impossible to imagine a female dying during childbirth, losing a lot of blood or suffering damage to her reproductive system during the process.
Once born, many Caracal kittens die within a few days because the gestation of the two felines is different. That of Caracals is about 10 to 12 days longer than that of domestic cats. Others suffer from gut issues such as inflammatory bowel disease, difficulty digesting cat diet, greater susceptibility to disease, or increased urine marking due to their wild and territorial nature.
Can you adopt a Caracal cat?
There are very few caracal specimens in the world, no more than 50, so it is extremely difficult to get one.In addition, this breeding is cruel, so we must first think of the damage it causes to Abyssinian cats by forcing them to reproduce against nature in order to satisfy a type of typically human whim.
Caracal Cat Pictures
