The Highlander

The origins of the Highlander cat that is on registry today go back to a litter of Highland Lynx kittens that were born in 1995. The litter was the result of breeding a Jungle Curl cat and a Desert Lynx, both wild cat hybrids. Over the years, these cats have been cross-bred with other Curl breeds as well as other Jungle cats to obtain the Highland breed that is registered with TICA today.

The Highlander cat is known for being very friendly and playful. They are very inquisitive and develop deep bonds with their families. They have "dog-like" characteristics, play fetch, come when called and like water!

The most predominant feature of the Highlander cat is its ears. Highlander kittens are born with straight ears, however, in the first few days after birth their ears begin to curl, giving them a unique feature. The Desert lynx has staright ears with black points on the tips. Desert lynx cats look very much like bobcats in their appearance, because their gene pool contains the bobcat gene. The breed appeared after mixing a bobcat with a domestic cat. These cats possess many features of their wild ancestors, such as ear tufts and neck ruffs, but they have stockier bodies and shorter legs. They can be reserved with strangers, but very interactive and open with their owners. There are both long-haired and short-haired species.

The Highlander and Desert lynx has a large, muscular body. Male Highlander/Desert cats can weigh upwards of 20 pounds, while female Highlander cats are typically smaller weighing between 10 to 14 pounds.

Even though the Highlander cat has ties to wild cat hybrids, they require no special dietary requirements or medical care. Providing routine veterinary checkups and a healthy diet of high quality cat food as you would with any cat breed will suffice. Also, strong strudy toys are a must as they can be rough with their toys.