Established by hybrid pioneers Dale Hummel, retired Professor of Animal Science, and his family in 1988 when the Bengal breed was still in its infancy, Select Exotics has grown into a state-of-the-art cattery. Since the early days of existence when they struggled with whether the idea of creating the Savannah was even plausible, they have expanded their horizon by breeding the illusive Safari cat, continuing with a small, but high quality Bengal program and creating the Habari and Jambi cat hybrid breeds. Select Exotics holds the distinction of being the longest standing, one owner/breeder of the elegant, ever-popular Savannah cat. Dale’s knowledge of animal genetics, nutrition, and health, plus his access to leading vets and academicians in animal research are impressive credentials and assets that set Select Exotics apart. They have been invaluable to Select Exotics. For instance, when researching the possibility for the yet unknown Savannah breed in 1994, Dale is tremendously encouraged by Dr. Favero, a fellow graduate student pursuing his PhD in reproductive physiology.

Further encouraged by visits with leading geneticists at UC Davis and Cornell, Dale’s plan for mating the large African Serval with the much smaller domestic cat is set into motion. Years of work and many disappointments later, Select Exotics achieves success! And not only is Select Exotics successful, breeder Joyce Scrouf’s program for a Serval/domestic cross bears fruit as well. Reassured by Joyce’s accomplishment, Select Exotics realizes their creation of a Serval hybrid isn’t a once in a lifetime fluke. The Savannah is, indeed, feasible and re-creatable. Being the longest standing, single owner cattery/breeder of Savannahs, Select Exotics feels its extraordinary felines are due to the years of hands on experience and carefully calculated matings. Attempts at Retrieving the Safari Cat In 2002, Select Exotics launches a program to retrieve the forgotten Safari cat, a cat more difficult to breed than the Savannah. While the similar size of the Geoffroy’s cat and the domestic affords an easier mating, problems arise due to chromosomal differences.

It is rare to have a female recognize her pregnancy as self and carry to term. There also appears to be a sex-linked lethal gene affecting the male kittens, making males extremely rare. In recent years the Safari program has been tabled, due to unforeseen behavioral anomalies within the breed. It was found that the Safari cats are quite inclined to go to the bathroom in water and will often retaliate by going elsewhere around the house if there is not water available. In addition, after a couple years of age many of the Safari cats tend to get quite territorial towards visitors into the home and have been known to show aggression towards them in an effort to “protect” their home and family. Although Bengal pioneers, Select Exotics no longer breeds the Bengal cat. In recent years the demand for the Savannah has become so great that all efforts have been focused towards creating the highest quality Savannahs possible. Select Exotics constantly endeavors to produce the best in wild-looking, healthy cats that are loaded with personality.

As Select Exotics’ program evolves, consultations with leading geneticists and veterinarians will continue. This insures everything possible is done to produce the quality clients have come to know and expect. Both Dale and Holly hold college degrees. Both have hands-on knowledge and diverse animal backgrounds since childhood. Kittens For Sale Kansas City MoExperience, plus their deep, sincere love and respect for their cats, have richly contributed to Select Exotics’ success in exotic feline breeding.Yorkies For Sale In Port Arthur Tx Dale and Holly have also been blessed with four wonderful children. Great Dane Puppies For Sale Northern CaliforniaDylan, Tara, Chase and Kadie all help to socialize Select Exotics’ kittens, roles they most certainly enjoy.

To learn more about the Hummel family, go to the Our Family page. A felid hybrid is any of a number of hybrid between various species of the cat family, Felidae. This article deals with hybrids between the species of the subfamily Felinae (feline hybrids). For hybrids between two species of the Panthera genus (lions, tigers, jaguars, and leopards), see Panthera hybrid. There are no known hybrids between the two subfamilies of Felidae, the Felinae and Pantheridae, nor between the latter's Neofelis (clouded leopard) and Panthera genera. By contrast, many genera of Felinae are interfertile with each other, though few hybridize under natural conditions, and not all combinations are likely to be viable (e.g. between the tiny rusty-spotted cat and the leopard-sized cougar). A caraval is a cross between a male caracal (Caracal caracal) and a female serval (Leptailurus serval)), while a male serval's and female caracal's offspring are called servicals. The first servicals were bred accidentally when the two animals were housed together in the Los Angeles Zoo.

The offspring were tawny with pale spots. If a female servical is crossed to a male caracal, the result is a car-servical; if she is crossed to a male serval, the result is a ser-servical, etc. The blynx or lynxcat is a hybrid of a bobcat (Lynx rufus) and some other species of genus Lynx. The appearance of the offspring depends on which lynx species is used, as the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is more heavily spotted than the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis). These hybrids have been bred in captivity and also occur naturally where a lynx or bobcat cannot find a member of its own species for mating. At least seven such hybrids have been reported in the United States, outside of captivity. In August 2003, two wild-occurring hybrids between wild Canadian lynx and bobcats were confirmed by DNA analysis in the Moosehead region of Maine. Three hybrids were identified in northeastern Minnesota. These were the first confirmed hybrids outside of captivity. Mitochondrial DNA studies showed them all to be the result of matings between female Canada lynx and male bobcats.

A male Canada lynx × bobcat hybrid was trapped in 1998, radio-collared and released, only to die of starvation. The female hybrid was fertile.[] In November 2003, a spotted lynxcat was observed in Illinois, 500 miles (800 km) from normal lynx territory, but it may have been an escaped hybrid pet. The hybrids closely resembled bobcats with larger bodies and smaller feet, but had some lynx-like features: long ear tufts and almost completely black-tipped tails. The Canada lynx is a protected species in 14 US states constituting the southern part of its historic range, but the hybrids are not protected and may be shot by hunters. However, some of odd-looking Lynx may be colour morphs of either bobcats or Canada lynx rather than hybrids. This poses the danger that protected Canada lynx are being killed. A jungle lynx is a hybrid between the bobcat and the wild jungle cat species (F. chaus, not to be confused with the Jungle Cat breed, detailed below), bred as an exotic pet. Later generations can include domestic genes, as they may be crossed to Savannah, Egyptian Mau, Serengeti, and Pixie Bob domestic breeds, and have also been crossbred with the wild caracal.

The Euro-chaus is a man-made hybrid between the European wildcat (Felis silvestris) and the jungle cat species. It should not be confused with the Euro-chausie, which is a cross between the domestic Chausie breed and a European wildcat (see below). The marlot is a hybrid between a male margay (Leopardus wiedii) and female ocelot (L. pardalis). In May 1977, the Long Island Ocelot Club (LIOC) announced the birth of a marlot bred by Barbara Brocks using captive-bred parents. There was no description of the marlot, but the parent species both have rosetted or marbled patterns on a sandy background. There were attempts to breed the margay with the oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus) by Dutch breeder Mme Falken-Rohrle in the 1950s. These appear to have been unsuccessful. The domesticated descendant of the African wildcat, known as F. silvestris catus, has been hybridized with several wild felid species. These wild–domestic hybrids have sometimes been called "feral–domestic hybrids", but this is a misnomer, because feral refers to a domesticated population species which has reverted to living without human caretakers.

Most of these are artificial hybrids (i.e., bred intentionally by humans), though natural hybridization has occurred (see below). Some pairings have given rise to more than one variety, bred for distinctive appearances and different percentages of wild felid genes. They may thus form distinct breeds with separate breed standards, though many of these hybrids are not recognized by any major breed registry. Several are the result of accidental cross-breeding in zoos, or experimental hybridization (as with wolfdogs) for the exotic pet market. Three-way hybrids of a wild–domestic hybrid to another wild species These crosses are of dubious viability due to genetic divergent between these genera The Jaguarundi Curl is not a jaguarundi hybrid. It is a short-legged experimental domestic breed developed from the Highland Lynx/Highlander and Munchkin breeds, named after the short-legged wild feline. The Ocicat is not a hybrid between a domestic cat and an ocelot. It is derived from Siamese and Abyssinian domestic breeds of cat, and gets its name from its markings which resemble the spotted markings of an ocelot.