Lykoi Breed History

The Lykoi cat breed is also known Werewolf cat – this is due to its werewolf-like appearance. This comes from a naturally occurring gene that’s found within the feral cat population. The Lykoi breed itself was created in 2011 by Patti Thomas, Brittney Gobble, and Johnny Gobble.

Basically, two unrelated litters had some unique kittens, so the Gobbles carefully evaluated their health to be certain that their unusual appearance wasn’t the result of a disease or illness.

In order to prove that the appearance was, indeed, due to a gene, Johnny Gobble had two of the unrelated cats breed, and they produced the very first Lykoi that was actually intentionally bred. Ultimately, it was determined that this gene was recessive, so to reduce inbreeding, outcrossing with black domestic cats continued, especially since the mother to one of the litters was a black Domestic Shorthair.

The Lykoi cat breed is also known Werewolf cat – this is due to its werewolf-like appearance.

Breed Traits

Lykoi cats are highly intelligent and are known for being problem solvers. They enjoy being with people, playing alone, and playing with toys. And when there’s more than one Lykoi in the same space, they get along really well.

These cats also like to play fetch, chase, and hunt, and they enjoy sitting contentedly in a warm lap whenever they aren’t active as a result of their high energy level.

Overall Description

This is a partially hairless breed with a unique color and coat, which is a combination of black and white hair. The fur is short to medium length, and it features coarse or fine hair, though it will be distributed thinly over the cat’s body.

The Lykoi is the only cat that has a roan coat pattern, and its partial hairlessness could vary from cat to cat. For example, some might be totally hairless, while others might be almost totally full of fur. However, these cats will molt the majority of their fur at least one time, and they’ll always be without hair around the chin, muzzle, backs of the ears, nose, and eyes. They also have sparse fur on the feet and legs.

Because of the lack of hair on the face, the Lykoi are often referred to as werewolf cats. They’re medium in size, their ears are set on a wide base, and they’re pointed and tall, with a lean body that isn’t bulky. These cats also have tails that are shorter than the body, along with medium legs, further giving them the look of a werewolf.

Colors

The Lykoi breed has a distinctive black/gray coat that could include white within the mix. If there’s more white, the cat will appear even more silver. The skin color is pink until exposed to sunlight, at which point it can become tan and ultimately darken to a black hue.

Kittens are born completely black, but within 2-4 weeks, the color pattern will become apparent, along with the hairlessness.

Grooming Requirements

A Lykoi will keep its coat clean, but because it has patches of fur, its skin could accumulate excess oil. Regularly bathing your cat could keep this oil under control, especially during molting.

Photo credit: steptacular/Wikimedia;Seregraff /Bigstock