Desert Lynx
The Desert Lynx like the Highland Lynx and Alpine Lynx have been breed to
resemble the wild bobcat and lynx that are seen in the wilds. All the breeds are
totally domestic and wild blood can not be proven by DNA. Through generations of
selective breeding with different breeds of domestic cats, the breed has
incorporated many characteristics similar to those cats of wild blood. The
breeders working with these breeds have done a good job with that because look
how they look like a wild cat!
Desert Lynx are medium in body length with longer hind legs, and toes may be
tufted. They are very alert, intelligent cats. Males are larger than females and
slower to mature. These cats come in both long and short hair.
The head is large with a full well developed muzzle that is almost square in
appearance and the whiskers pads are prominent. The ears are nice and large and
should be somewhat far apart and set nicely on the head. It is not unusually for
the ears to have tufts on the tips. The wide set eyes are large and expressive,
set at an angle, with colors ranging from gold to green, with blue eyes in the
snows. The tail may be the length of the bobcat tail, which may come half way to
the ground, or it may be lacking entirely, as in the Manx, or it may be any
length in between.
The coloring and coat patterns of the Desert Lynx are stunning! The cat patterns
are all eumelanistic and melanistic colors--ebony, blue, sorrel, fawn,
chocolate, lilac, red, and cream --including silvers, cameos, sepias, minks, and
snows. The coat patterns are tawny (ticked), leopard (spotted), and clouded
leopard. Solid colored cats, as well as cats in classic and mackerel tabby, do
sometimes occur.
The leopard pattern is a spotted tabby pattern. It is marked by spots of the
darker color, most prominent on the sides of the body and the belly. The spots
may vary in size and shape, but should be evenly distributed. Preference is
given to rosette spots which are formed by a part-circle of spots around a
distinctly lighter center. Contrast with ground color may not be as distinct as
in some spotted breeds . A dorsal stripe runs the length of the body to the tip
of the tail. The stripe is ideally composed of spots. The markings on the face
and forehead are typical tabby markings, with the underside of the body having
distinct spots. Legs and tail are barred. In the sepia, mink, and snow
subdivisions, it is desirable for ghost leopard spots to appear on the bodies.
The tawny pattern is a ticked tabby pattern marked by ticking on the body hair
with various shades of the marking color and ground color, with the outer
tipping being the darkest and the undercoat being the ground color. The body may
exhibit a barely perceptible spotted pattern. The tail, legs, and face will have
tabby penciling. Necklace tracings will are also frequently seen.
The clouded leopard pattern, while derived from modifications to the classic
tabby gene, is different from the classic tabby pattern, with as little bull's
eye similarities possible. The pattern gives the impression of marble,
preferably with a horizontal flow. Vertical stripes are undesirable. Contrast
should be good, with distinct shapes and sharp edges. The belly must be spotted.
Outcrosses to either unregistered or purebred cats are permitted. However, such
crosses should be carefully chosen to complement the overall type of the Desert
Lynx cat.
Desert Lynx, Highland Lynx and Alpine Lynx are part of the Same breed group in
the Rare & Exotic Feline Registry. In other words, Highland Lynx, Desert Lynx,
and Alpine Lynx may be bred together, with offspring registered as follows:
All white kittens (including straight and curled coats and straight or curled
ears) are registered as Alpine Lynx.
All non-white kittens with straight coats and straight ears are registered as
Desert Lynx..
All non-white kittens with straight coats and curled ears are registered as
Highland Lynx.
The curled ears of the Highland Lynx are caused by a dominant gene which both
curls the ears and somewhat reduces the size of the ears. When these breeds are
bred together, the straight-eared kittens resulting from the breeding do not
carry any genes for curled ears.
Non-white kittens do not carry the gene for white color. Therefore, breeders
wishing to work with Desert Lynx only would not have to worry about getting
curled-eared recessive genes in Desert Lynx who have Highland Lynx in their
ancestry. Breeders not wishing to work with the Alpine Lynx would not have to
worry about white kittens as long as neither parent is an Alpine Lynx.
These breeds are identical in body type.
