[nmh]

I don't know WHY this is so startling.

My cat is part ASIAN LEOPARD and EGYPTIAN MAU.

She's gorgeous. Long body, glitter, green eyes with a blond background with black and brown spots - even on her tummy and black bottomed paws. Her tail is black and white like a raccoon. She is VERY intelligent and likes to chirp. She is a direct mix between the leopard and the domestic Egyptian Mau. She LOVES water and will join you in the shower or the bathtub - whether you want her company then or not. She's commonly known as a Bengal.

What's the big deal about this "hybrid" in bears?

Ever hear about "ligers"? They are 50% tiger and 50% lion. It happens all the time.

[VadeRetro]

Not really big news. The carnivores radiated some tens of millions of years ago on the main branches, with the divergences at the ends of those branches being pretty recent in some cases. Bears and raccoons are thus pretty related, never mind one kind of bear and another.

Your cat sounds like a real hoot to live with.

[akorahil]

Ever hear about "ligers"?

A liger is like my favorite animal ever. They're bred for their magical ability...

[ArrogantBustard]

Hmmmm ...

Are "Ligers" fertile? How about your cat?

This polar/grizzly cross is ... mules are not.

[Jack Black]

are you saying you have a pet leopard-hybrid? Or are these all cat breeds like siamese and calico that your talking about? Is't a 1/2 leopard a very dangerous animal to be taking showers with?

[Pyro7480]

[sandbar]

I had a cat that was half bobcat, half house cat. It happens out the woods sometimes.

[Savage Beast]

I like Siamese cats, not because of their appearance particularly, but because they are very affectionate and people-oriented much like dogs. I like the way Abyssinians look and have had some, but they tend to ignore people; whereas the Siamese follow me around etc. much like dogs. I much prefer them to alley cats, Abbies, and Persians because of their personalities. (I'm basically a dog person.) What are Bengals' personalities like?

[Yaelle]

Awwwwwwwww. We just lost our 11-year-old Bengal to cancer. Wile E. was more Aby than Mau, that's for sure. Lots of Abyssinian traits. I got him from the creator of the breed, is it Jean Mills? Something like that. One of her huge 2nd generation mixes from the Asian leopard cat had some feathers sticking out of the chain link at about 5 feet off the ground in its huge outdoor pen. She said, "Oh, no, he caught a bird again... in flight."