New breed among highlights of LondonCats show in Surrey

New breed: The Marguerite

A new breed of cat descended from a wild African species is set to be among the highlights of an exhibition showcasing the finest of felines.

Three Marguerites will make their debut at the International LondonCats show in Surrey this weekend.

The animals are descended from a desert-dwelling sand cat and have the appearance of the wild breed, but are domestic pets.

Sandy, a male, and two kittens will be shown alongside other exotic breeds such as the Lykoi and Sphinx at the event at Leatherhead Leisure Centre.

Marguerites were bred by specialists Jacky and Tim Bliss after they obtained a wild sand cat, Trevor, which its previous owners did not want, and bred it with a British crossbreed.

Paw-father: Trevor, the wild sand cat was bred with a British cat to create the Marguerite

There are 20 Marguerites, all descended from Trevor. Mrs Bliss, 63, told the Standard: “This is the first time an African sand cat hybrid has been seen at a public show in the world because this is the first time a successful breeding programme has been completed.

“The two kittens and cat we are bringing to the LondonCats show are second and third-generation hybrids, whereas other sand cat offspring have died.”

She said sand cats are “different to those more aggressive wild cats. Sand cats lie flat and hide if they are scared, they don’t attack, and they’re not hyperactive. We are trying to keep those traits in the hybrid domestic cat offspring and they are so sweet-natured.”

The couple, who have a wild animal licence and are in contact with geneticists about the programme, named the breed after explorer Jean Auguste Margueritte, who led an expedition into the Sahara that first recorded the sand cat in the 19th century.

Mrs Bliss said: “We are not selling any at the moment but will do in the future — to knowledgeable owners where they will be safe.”

At LondonCats, in its second year, specialists will enter hundreds of pedigrees from 50 breeds to compete to be named best in their category. About 1,000 Londoners have also put up their cats for the best household pet title.

Organiser Steven Meserve, 42, said the event, backed by the International Cat Association, was “Crufts for cats”. It runs from 9am to 5pm tomorrow and on Sunday. Tickets are £5 and children under 12 go free at ticketsource.co.uk/londoncats

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