Toyger — questions to ask before paying a deposit
A responsible breeder will have these readily available. Deflection is a red flag.
Erythrocyte pyruvate kinase deficiency (PK deficiency)can shorten life or cause chronic pain
An inherited haemolytic anaemia carried from the breed's Bengal ancestry, causing intermittent lethargy, weakness, jaundice and weight loss with unpredictable onset and severity. UC Davis names Toyger directly, not only Bengal, as an appropriate breed for this test.
Ask to see: PK deficiency DNA test on both parents, showing an N/N (clear) result
UC Davis VGL — PK deficiency test (https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/pk-deficiency-cat)
Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA-b)can shorten life or cause chronic pain
An inherited, autosomal recessive blindness carried from Bengal ancestry, starting around seven weeks old and worsening until vision is severely compromised by about two years old. UC Davis names Toyger directly as an appropriate breed for this specific test.
Ask to see: PRA-b DNA test on both parents, showing an N/N (clear) result
UC Davis VGL — PRA-b (Bengal) test (https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/pra-bengal)
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)can shorten life or cause chronic pain
A thickening of the heart muscle inherited via the breed's Bengal ancestry. No validated DNA test exists: a candidate Bengal-associated mutation (MYBPC3 A74T) was later found at high frequency in several unrelated breeds and in cats with no heart disease, so it is not used as a diagnostic or breeding test.
Ask to see: A recent echocardiogram report from a veterinary cardiologist for both parents. No DNA test exists for HCM in this breed
EveryCat Health Foundation (Winn) — SNP analysis in Siberian cats with HCM (names Bengal among affected breeds with no identified mutation) (https://everycat.org/grant/mt08-001-snp-analysis-in-siberian-cats-with-hcm/) · Echocardiography and MALDI-TOF Identification of Myosin-Binding Protein C3 A74T Gene Mutations in Bengal Cats (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9312240/)