One person is responsible for the initial development of the toyger in 1980—Judy Sugden—the daughter of Jean Mill, the original breeder of the Bengal cat (a cross between the domestic cat and the Asian leopard cat).
Sugden, also a Bengal breeder, was working with mackerel tabbies, often referred to as tiger-striped with an “M” pattern on the forehead. Sugden noted that her tiger-striped cat, Millwood Sharp Shooter, instead of having an “M” pattern on its head had two spots similar to the circular pattern seen on a tiger’s head.
Sugden started a breeding program with two cats—Scrapmetal, a domestic shorthair tabby, and Millwood Rumpled Spotskin, a big-boned Bengal. In 1993, Judy imported Jammie Blu, a street cat from Kashmir, India, that had all spots between his ears, rather than the regular tabby lines.
Joining Judy in 1993 in this pioneering work were Anthony Hutcherson and Alice McKee. That same year, The International Cat Association also accepted the Toyger for registration only. The toyger is now listed as a championship breed in the association. Sugden is also the founder and driving force behind the Toyger Cat Society. As a relatively new breed, it can be a challenge tracking down active toyger breeders. The International Cat Association lists only a handful worldwide. While the toyger cat is a work in progress, it appears that a solid foundation has been established for this relatively new designer cat.

According to Sugden, its body is both larger and longer than a typical cat, in order to sport the bold vertical striping found in the tiger. The typical tabby striping and rosettes are broken up and elongated to better resemble that of the tiger. The vertical orange stripes of this toyger are narrowly bordered with black or very dark brown, much like that of the Sumatran tiger, a critically endangered species found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. One of Sugden’s main goals in the development of the toyger is to help prevent the extinction of big cats by enticing cat aficionados to pursue toyger ownership over wild or hybrid species.
The ideal head has circular markings, which cannot be found on any other domestic cat breed. The nose would be broader at the base with the jowl area correspondingly wider. The shape of the head in profile is described as a “half hexagon.”
The International Cat Association describes the markings as “dark markings on a vividly bright orange background on the outer to top portions of the cat with a whited ground color on the undersides and insides…enhanced by the scatter of gold glitter over the top.” Each cat’s markings are distinct.

A toyger’s personality is laid back, outgoing, friendly to all, and able to get along well with other cats, even dogs, and children. They are intelligent and easy to train.