The toyger is a breed of domestic cat, the result of breeding domestic shorthaired tabbies (beginning in the 1980s) to make them resemble a "toy tiger", as its striped coat is reminiscent of the tiger's.^[1] The breed's creator, Judy Sugden, has stated that the breed was developed in order to inspire people to care about the conservation of tigers in the wild. It was recognized for "registration only" by The International Cat Association in the early 2000s, and advanced through all requirements to be accepted as a full championship breed in 2012.^[2][3] There are about 20 breeders in the United States and another 15 or so in the rest of the world, as of 2012.^[3]

In 2020, 469 toygers are registered on the Pawpeds Database.^[4]