What Is a Water Leopard?

The journey to create a fishing cat hybrid has been long and full of trials. The first attempt was the Machbagral, or Bagral, bred in the USA and Canada. This effort involved crossing the Fishing Cat (F. viverrina) with a black domestic cat that carried the spotted gene. The goal was to create a domestic cat that looked like a small black panther with shadowy spots. Unfortunately, the breed faced poor fertility in the F1 hybrids. These hybrids resembled the Fishing Cat with large, rounded bodies and thick, dense fur. Their silvery to charcoal-blackish coats with black spots were quite striking. They were friendly, house-trainable, and had voracious appetites. Intelligent and active, they inherited their wild parent's love for water. However, due to fertility issues, the breed did not progress further.

The second attempt was the Viverral, which began in 1995 and reached genetic stability in 2001 with the birth of fifth-generation Viverrals. Fishing Cats were bred with early-generation Bengals, resulting in progeny that retained the Fishing Cat's appearance but had a more domestic temperament. These cats were large, muscular, and solid. The breed standard required an agile and very muscular cat with a spotted coat, wide nose, prominent whisker pads, large round eyes, and a smallish head. The face had a slightly convex profile, short rounded ears with wide bases, and a thick, low-set, medium-length tail. The coat was short and plush with a dramatic contrast between the base color and the spots, and the underbelly was pale cream or white with spots. Despite these promising traits, the breeding program stalled and eventually became extinct.

Undeterred, a third attempt known as Jambi began independently with similar aims to the Viverral. However, like its predecessors, it faced its own set of challenges and did not achieve lasting success.

The Water Leopard, is the latest and perhaps the most enchanting attempt yet. Like the previous attempts, the Water Leopard is a fishing cat hybrid. About 1.5 times the size of a domestic cat, the Water Leopard is stout and stocky with short round ears and bold black spots on a silvery-grey background. This fishing cat hybrid is the product of a Fishing Cat and a Stud Book Bengal (STB) cat.

Extremely friendly and affectionate, Water Leopards are also litter box trained and get along well with other pets, including dogs. They have an affinity for water and a voracious appetite. They love to eat almost as much as they love to swim, making treat training surprisingly easy. Their intelligence combined with food motivation may allow us to see cats in a truly different light.

With their keen intelligence and trainability, Water Leopards could pioneer a new role for felines in everyday households. This latest attempt at establishing a fishing cat hybrid breed holds much promise and even more mystery.

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