Things You'll Need:
- Cat
- Your Eyes
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Step 1
Begin by looking at the cat’s form. The toyger should be slightly larger and heavier than the average housecat, though similar in shape. It should have a deep chest, wide shoulders, and muscular limbs, but not be stocky. The cat’s strength is belied by its rounded contours and joints. The haunches are rounded, as are the shoulders, and joints of the limbs, giving an overall impression of good health but nothing particularly amazing. The tail should be very long, with very little tapering until it meets the blunt tip of the tail.
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Step 2
Look at the cat’s head. It should be of average size and shaped like an oval. A deep cylindrical muzzle should dominate its features. The nose should be blunt, wide, and almost flat. Below this the jaw should be wide and very powerful. The ears should be set far back and to the outside edges of the skull, with the tips of the ears in line with the cat’s widely set, almond shaped eyes.
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Step 3
Examine the creature’s fur. It should be thicker and more robust than the average housecat, somewhere between a shorthaired cat with long fur and a longhaired cat with short fur. The fur will shorten slightly along the tail and lengthen around the jowls and throat, though not enough to create a noticeable ruff. The cat should be a tabby with sharp edged vertical stripes of dark brown or black, against a base color of dark orange like a pumpkin, or white. The stripes encircle the legs, neck, and tail completely. This is the most telling characteristic of the toyger, if the cat has these markings and fits the overall description then you’re looking at a toyger.
