what the tests show. She is 4 1/2 years old and I got her when she was just 9 weeks old. I have never had a pedigreed cat. Some have had obvious hints at their breed history, but 1 especially was a surprise package. He was a brown and black tabby with white bib and socks from the Humane Society.
When he got his kitten shots, the vet was startled at his meow. The vet immediately held him up and examined his body, face, etc. Then he told us our tabby kitten was without a doubt half Siamese.
I was not familiar with Siamese cats at the time other than from pictures, so I had not recognized the very distinctive Siamese meow. As he grew, he showed numerous Siamese traits, e.g. very talkative, followed us like a dog, loved walking on a leash, very active and mischievous but also very affectionate and devoted to us.
The current one whose ancestry intrigues me because of her unique traits does something that is exclusive to only one cat breed. When she is very happy and excited, she does a butt and tail wiggle in which the butt and tail totally vibrate for several seconds. It looks just like a male cat spraying, but that is not what she's doing. This is an Egyptian Mau trait, but they are rare cats and very expensive. People don't just let them run loose to mate with strays. She has some physical and behavioral traits of a Mau but does not have the Mau spotted coat.
She also is very quiet and rarely meows. When she does meow, it is not at all like a Mau. I have watched videos and listened to cat vocalizations. She sounds EXACTLY like an Abyssinian. Her ears and face are shaped like an Aby. She is clownish like an Aby, and very active and playful, even now at age 4. She was so hyperactive as a kitten that she wore me out. A leaper and climber, much more than most cats, and so agile and graceful that it's like watching a champion Olympic gymnast.
So I learned that Maus and Abys are cross bred with wild Asian leopards to produce the Bengal cat breed. They add American shorthairs to the mix to tame down the wildcat temperament. They are not certified and sold until after 4 generations to be sure they are domestic enough for a pet. There is a Bengal breeder in my area.
So I suspect that my cat's mother, whose Mau and Aby traits are even stronger than my cat, came from a breeding program but did not conform to the coat standards and was not suitable for breeding or selling. Her body conformation is great for this breed mixture, but her coat pattern is calico.
My cat has her mother's colors, but they are distributed like a marbled Bengal. My cat also is very slightly heavier and thicker than her mama (but not overweight), probably because her father was a neighborhood stray.
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