Brief History
Jaguarundis, Felis yaguarondi, inhabit
most of South and Central America.
Although not native to North America,
some do live in Florida, having been
introduced there in the 1940's. They
weigh from six to twenty pounds.
They have short legs, long tails, and
small ears. They come in a ticked or
tawny pattern, with the melanistic
version being solid black. There
have been no documented matings
of Jaguarundis to domestic cats, but
there is some speculation that the
short legs in the Jaguarundi may
be caused by a similar mutation in
Munchkin cats.
We at Timberline Cattery
have sought to recreate the
look of the Jaguarundi by
making an initial outcross of
our Highland Lynx cats to
Munchkins or other short
legged domestic cats. In
this initial cross, we wanted
to capture the curled ears
and polydactyl feet of the
Highland Lynx and the short
legs and long body of the
Munchkins. We also wanted
to "lose" the gene for short tail
so that these kittens would
have a full tail like the Jaguarundi.
Sasha, pictured above at eight weeks of age, is our first Jaguarundi Curl kitten. She is a silver tawny female. She has small curled ears but does not have the polydactyl feet we want in an ideal specimen. She will be bred back to a full-tailed Highland Lynx male, with the goal of getting kittens with short legs, long bodies, long tails, and short curled ears.
There is no plan to use Munchkins after the initial cross. Outcrosses will be limited to cats in the Highland Lynx breed group. By doing this, we will have cats with the unique Highland Lynx personalities, but in a totally different body more like that of the feral Jaguarundi.
Colors and Patterns
In ideal specimens, coats will be tawny or solid like the Jaguarundi. Spotted coats are also permitted since Jaguarundi kittens are spotted at birth.
Dietary Requirements
A Jaguarundi Curl does not require a specialized diet. They thrive on high quality cat chow such as Iams or Hills Science Diet. Our cats' diets consist primarily of dry chow, but we do give kittens a good quality canned food as a treat in the evenings. Dietary supplements or vitamins used with any other domestic cat may also be used with Jaguarundi Curls.
Size
Jaguarundis range in size from six to twenty pounds. By continuing to use Highland Lynx as the primary outcrosses, we anticipate our males will weigh from fifteen to twenty pounds and our females around ten to fourteen pounds.
Like the Highland Lynx, they will be slow to mature. They may take up to three years to reach their full weight.
Registration
Jaguarundi Curls are registered with the Rare & Exotic Feline Registry, P. O. Box 543, Walnut Cove, NC 27052.
Genetics of the Breed
The curled ears are caused by a dominant gene. Jaguarundi Curls may be either homozygous or heterozygous for the curled ear gene. In other words, it will be possible to have Jaguarundi Curls born with straight ears. They will still be registered as Jaguarundi Curls and may be used for breeding with a curled ear cat of the opposite sex.
There are no known recessive short tail genes in the Jaguarundi Curl breed. By carefully selecting full-tailed Highland Lynx as outcrosses, the short tailed gene will not be introduced into the breed.
The gene for short legs is a dominant gene. All short legged kittens are heterozygous for short legs, which means that all short legged Jaguarundi Curls carry one gene for short legs and one gene for long legs. Therefore, long legged kittens will be born in litters from time to time.
The polydactyl gene is a dominant gene and may be present in its homozygous or heterozygous state. It enhances the overall appearance of the cat.
We made the decision to incorporate curled ears into the breed since feral Jaguarundis have small ears. The gene that curls the cartilage in the ears of the Highland Lynx or Jaguarundi Curls also dwarfs the size of the ear. As we continue to develop the breed, we will selectively breed for very tight curls in the ears to make the ears appear smaller.
We will also be selectively breeding for long thick tails in these cats, once again to mimic the appearance of the feral Jaguarundi. We will have breeding pairs available from time to time for serious breeders.
