Brief History
Feral bobcats, Lynx rufus, inhabit most of North America, from as far south as the Florida Everglades and northern Mexico north into Canada. The bobcat is somewhat larger than domestic cat breeds. It is a powerful animal with long legs and a muscular body and is noted for its short tail. The Desert Lynx combines many features of the bobcat with those of domestic cats, creating a very unique breed of cat.
Breed Characteristics
Desert Lynx cats are strong, muscular cats with domestic cats, creating a very unique breed of cat. medium in length with longer hind legs, and toes may be tufted. They are very alert, intelligent cats. Males are larger than females and slower to mature. These cats come in both long and short hair.
The head is large but not round, with a full, well-developed muzzle that is almost square in appearance, with prominent whisker pads. The ears are large and set wide apart, usually with
feathering and tufts on the tip. The wide set eyes are large and expressive, set at an angle, with colors ranging from gold to green, with blue eyes in the snows. The tail may be the bobcat tail, which may come half way to the ground, or it may be lacking entirely, as in the Manx, or it may be any length in between.
Desert Lynx are affectionate and outgoing to people they know. We always advise people to plan on giving Desert Lynx cubs longer to adjust to a new environment than they might give other domestic breeds. Once they make the adjustment, however, they are an absolute delight.
When buying a Desert Lynx cat for a pet, always look at the pedigrees to make sure the cat is at least three generations removed from the bobcat. The feral nature of the bobcat is then completely gone.
Do not expect Desert Lynx to just sit around your house all day. They are active cats, abut they are not curtain climbers, as are some of the more active domestic breeds. They are usually not very vocal.
When company comes, do not expect a Desert Lynx to greet them at the door. Typically, when our doorbell rings, the cats head for cover. Only after people have been in the house for twenty minutes or so, will the cats begin to venture out, but seldom will they voluntarily allow strangers to pet them.
Desert Lynx do get along well with dogs, children, and other breeds of cats.
Colors and Patterns
Desert Lynx officially come in three coat patterns in all melanistic colors--ebony, blue, sorrel, fawn, chocolate, and lilac--including silvers, sepias, minks, and snows. The coat patterns are tawny (ticked), leopard (spotted), and clouded leopard. However, it is not uncommon for them to occur in red and cream colors.
The leopard pattern is a spotted tabby pattern. It is marked by spots of the darker color, most prominent on the sides of the body and the belly. The spots may vary in size and shape, but should be evenly distributed. Preference is given to rosette spots which are formed by a part-circle of spots around a distinctly lighter center. Contrast with ground color may not be as distinct as in some spotted breeds. It reflects the camouflage qualities of the bobcat coat. A dorsal stripe runs the length of the body to the tip of the tail. The stripe is ideally composed of spots. The markings on the face and forehead are typical tabby markings, with the underside of the body having distinct spots. Legs and tail are barred. In the sepia, mink, and snow subdivisions, it is desirable for ghost leopard spots to appear on the bodies.
The tawny pattern is a ticked tabby pattern marked by ticking on the body hair with various shades of the marking color and ground color, with the outer tipping being the darkest and the undercoat being the ground color. The body may exhibit a barely perceptible spotted pattern. The tail, legs, and face will have tabby penciling. Necklace tracings will are also frequently seen.
The clouded leopard pattern, while derived from feral modifications to the classic tabby gene, is different from the classic tabby pattern, with as little bull's eye similarities possible. The pattern gives the impression of marble, preferably with a horizontal flow. Vertical stripes are undesirable. Contrast should be good, with distinct shapes and sharp edges. The belly must be spotted.
Dietary Requirements
A Desert Lynx which is at least three generations removed from the bobcat does not require the specialized diet a bobcat would require. They thrive on high quality cat chow such as Iams or Hills Science Diet. Our cats' diets consist primarily of dry chow, but we do give kittens a good quality canned food as a treat in the evenings. Dietary supplements or vitamins used with any other domestic cat may also be used with Desert Lynx.
Size
Bobcats range in size from fifteen to thirty-five pounds. Twenty to twenty-five pounds is the average size. Desert Lynx are not that large. Most Desert Lynx males will regularly weigh in at about seventeen pounds. Females are generally smaller, averaging ten or eleven pounds.
As in any feral/domestic breed, the size of the cats gradually reverts back to the size of the domestic cat used in the program. This is not to say that the size of the Desert Lynx is not impressive. The average "alley cat" male probably weighs around ten pounds. Desert Lynx males are considerably larger, although they are slow to mature. They frequently take up to three years to reach their full weight.
Registration
Desert Lynx are registered with the Rare & Exotic Feline Registry, P. O. Box 543, Walnut Cove, and NC 27052. As of January 1, 1995, all Desert Lynx must have at least 12.5% bobcat blood to be classified as stud book cats.
Breed Grouping
Highland Lynx and Desert Lynx are part of the same breed group in the Rare & Exotic Feline Registry. In other words, Desert Lynx and Highland Lynx may be bred together. The curled-eared kittens may be registered as Highland Lynx, and the straight-eared kittens may be registered as Desert Lynx. The breeds are identical except for the ears. The curled ears of the Highland Lynx are caused by a dominant gene which both curls the ears and somewhat reduces the size of the ears. When the two breeds are bred together, the straight-eared kittens resulting from the breeding do not carry any genes for curled ears. Therefore, breeders wishing to work with Desert Lynx only would not have to worry about getting curled-eared recessive genes in Desert Lynx who have Highland Lynx in their
ancestry.
Thanks Again to Joe Childers with Timberline Cats for this Great Information