This meant it had a potential future as a fancy breed. The Asian Fishing cat (F viverrina) is an Asian species with a notable love of water. Distribution: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Misc: Geoffroy’s cats are strong swimmers that regularly enter the water, and have been recorded frequently swimming fast flowing rivers 100 feet wide. Gaucho was acquired at 9 weeks old and had the habit of
require hand-rearing. There were only two F1 males, Gaucho and Poolee, and though they mated they did not sire any offspring. Their willingness to mate with domestic cats did not spoil their willingness to mate with their own species. This suggests it progressed beyond the F1 generation. Copyright © 2015 BreedersClub.net. In the Long Island ocelot Club newsletter 23/2 April 1979, Pat Warren
She has the bar under the chin, the ocelli
In March 1980, Cats Magazine printed an article by Patricia Nell Warren (photos by Alice Su and Reg Riedel) entitled Safari A New and Controversial Breed. This is a synopsis of that article. At
forming stem cells in large animals. The article mentioned that both males and female feline hybrids could be fertile, but that fertility was higher in females. Genus: Felinae (Oncifelis) the same time, she lacked the wild cat's wariness and instant
Geoffroy's cat has 36 chromosomes. The cats were then "sacrificed"
In 1994-5, 6 Safari cats were used to study the behavior of blood
One Geoffroys cat coat used far more cats than would be used in the entire Safari breeding programme. They were studying mammalian hybrids, and were especially interested in hybrid cats because of the varied chromosomal complements. Given the complexity of breeding the University quickly discontinued using them for their research. Careful back-crossing and selecting would be needed to retain the Geoffroy's type and produce kittens with the South American head shape, arched back, deep flank and high-set tail. maintenance to replace the wire. The
They are up-to date with all their worming and age appropriate vaccines. cells, platelets and red cells in their blood; something normally caused
Lily's. These are very active and engaging education or exhibit cats!!!
and Build them an environment that enables them REFERENCE ONLY: Animals listed have been sold or removed. It appears that the Safaris have been crossed successfully with Siamese and also with North American shorthairs. house. It appears these cats were
The ground color tends to be more of an ochre color in the northern part of their range to a gray in the southern part. Licensed retail breeder through the State of Kansas, CFA Cattery for over 20 years. domestic mother, their growth rate and size (larger than either parent)
[Note: in the early 1990s I met a full-blood Geoffroys Cat at a show and he was indeed very laid-back and easily handled by his keeper]. There are white spectacles around the eyes. In her article she described two
The head was massive, but streamlined, with small rounded ears that flowed into the neck line. The Bengal already existed and domestic cats readily interbred with F lybica/F silvestis subspecies resulting in domestic cats heavily influenced by wildcat genes. The males and females will come together for mating. Fishing Cats were bred to early generation Bengals (i.e. This cross-bred cat has a great deal of patterning which includes many clear, distinct spots, and Mrs Warren describes the Safaris as '... Shorthairs. Safaris were well-behaved at shows, but there was a perception that all hybrids were problem pets with poor temperaments and poor toilet habits. They are being raised in an environment with children and other home pets such as dogs, birds and other cats, so they are perfectly socialized. When rearing adolescent Geoffroy's in a home, it is This little guy is suitable for breeding, zoological display or educational outreach if neutered. Like Lily,
Males weigh an average of 10 pounds, and females average 8. Although Safari kittens can be nursed by a
They had been exhibited at CFA shows along the East Coast of the USA, and several Safari exhibitions were planned for CFA shows farther west. announced a litter of 8 Safari kittens (Geoffroy's Cat hybrids) of which
factor to the problems breeding F1 Safari cats. This was the breed clubs policy. The kittens were mixed with some having distinct spots and
all hybrids [at least all known in Warren's time], she wears the exact
The F1 Safari is therefore usually born premature by Geoffroy's cat standards and may require hand-rearing. Warren described him as a gentle giant. two beautiful big f4 kittens . And it is interesting to note that the progeny are fertile. The F1 Safari is
were athletes, Gaucho was clumsy and not very bright, but had a very
On his ears the ocelli are
The domestic cat has 38. They need plenty of hiding places too. It occupies the same areas as the Pampas Cat, but the Geoffroy’s sticks to dense ground cover which separates the two ecologically. Gaucho was exhibited at some cat shows where people found it hard to
Lauder wrote "To judge from the pictures, one of them in full colour, and the descriptions given by the writer, Patricia Hall Warren, the Safari strongly resembles the Spotted cat who is one of the domestic shorthair Tabbies. Habitat: They occupy a wide variety of habitats, from the pampas grasslands and arid Chaco shrub and woodlands, up to alpine saline deserts. F2 Safaris are rare and difficult to produce. Safari *** Geoffroy Cat *** Egyptian Mau. "At 1.5 years, she has grown into a magnificent animal. markings of her exotic sire. This was not happening in actuality. resembles a Geoffroy cat, though she has the deep, plushy resilient
general information had been written about them. They felt that it would be possible to produce a 38-chormosome cat that was a phenocopy (visiually identical) to the F1 hybrid, but that would take a number of generations. We an experience team working directly with exotic pets. and tortie-spotted hybrids. Modern breeders of hybrids say this is avoided if the male is raised with domestic cats and imprints upon them. Reproduction and Offspring: After a gestation of approximately 72-78 days, females produce a litter of 2 (sometimes 3) kittens. They wear a rich and specialised Spotted Tabby pattern of bars, dots, rosettes, face streaks, wavy stripes, leg bracelets and tail rings'. The aim was to create a black panther-like breed rather than a domestic cat resembling the Fishing Cat. wrote that hybrid cats had been around for decades though little
Warren had suggested the name Criollo, a South American word meaning half- bred. The Safari received a full-page article in the Maine Sunday Telegram, and drew hundreds of local people to the show hall in Portland. Being a hybrid, Lily had many of the little behavioral ways of exotics. Added: 06/23/2017 | in Paraguay the cat has crossed with two native species.". or after, the experiment. black cats with the gene for spotted tabby and showing a shadowy spotted pattern. The anti-Safari group insisted that there would be hordes of amateur fanciers stampeding to buy Geoffrey's cats. The aim, if matings and offspring occur, is to produce a domestic cat whose conformation resembles the jaguarundi. pounds - more than either of her parents. with a relatively high percentage of wild genes). Tonga came from a Florida bloodline (the Engler/Douglas line) where the foundation leopard cat was mellow, and the domestic dam, a Blue Tabby American, also had a very good disposition. Common Name: Geoffroy’s Cat Leopard Lily, was bought by Warren. The aim was to create an exotic-looking cat that combined the domestic temperament with the appearance of a small black panther with a shadowy spotted pattern visible in certain light. The Safari had a fast-growing CFA-affiliated breed club called Walk on the Wild Side Cat Fanciers, and the waiting list for kittens was long. By March 1980, about 31 CFA judges and 8 CFF judges had handled the cats, primarily to learn more about them, and some judges admitted to being nervous about handling the hybrid breed. require supplemental feeding.
programs, or into pet homes where they are Please e-mail or call for price and questions. However, scientists like Pat Quillen found big hereditary differences in disposition among leopard cats (the Bengalswild parent) and at her California institute she selectively bred leopard cats for a mellow disposition. Be sure to tell me you saw my ad on CatsForYou.com / BreedersClub.net. They viewed two Safaris. He said that occasionally a small cat, identified as a Geoffroy turned out to be a possible hybrid. Species: geoffroyi While in Boston to exhibit Gaucho at the 1980 Cats Plain & Fancy Show, Warren met with several associates (Neil and Rachel Todd, and Ben Blumenthal) of the Carnivore Genetics Research Center which was accepted by CFA as its official "genetics committee." Hear our purrs, hisses, snarls, calls, and growl sounds HERE. The F1 hybrids were claimed to be very friendly and to use the litter tray like a domestic cat, but they had voracious appetites! The F2 cats were the same size as domestic cats, but Once the Safari got beyond the F4 stage, large size could be reintroduced using large domestic breeds. pancytopaenic i.e. Our cats aren't pets, they are family! Some had also been exhibited at CFF shows. and gentleness. In type, she strongly leukaemia research at Washington State University. "Because of his Siamese ancestry, Gaucho has less of the An F2 hybrid one of Leopard Lilys offspring also had a count of 37, but because the F1 hybrid could contribute an egg with 19 chromosomes it was possible that some F2s might have 38 chromosomes like the domestic cat. It was also a controversial breed that had only been around for about four years.