Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Cat/raccoon?

My friend found an animal on her lawn which she swears has to be half cat and half raccoon. I don't think it's possible, but has it ever happened?Cat/raccoon?
Biologically impossible. They're not anywhere near closely-enough related to hybridize.





She may have seen a Maine Coon cat:





The Maine Coon is a large longhaired cat which evolved naturally in the USA from cats imported by early settlers. Harsh winter conditions favoured a type of cat with long fur. Tabby, the original colour pattern of domestic cats, was most common as it offers the best camouflage for a feline predator. Many Maine Coons had extra toes, probably because sailors considered six-toed cats ';lucky'; and a disproportionately large number of polydactyl cats arrived with English settlers.





The confusion between cat and raccoon may have begun with early colonists in North America. Although cats did not arrive in America until they accompanied colonists, Count de Buffon's Natural History (1767) suggested that wild cats existed in pre-colonial America and that a hunter presented a wild cat to Christopher Columbus. These were described as greyish or brown/grey creatures, the size of a normal house cat, with long banded tails. The description strongly indicates a raccoon.





Tabby cats have striped or swirled dark markings on a lighter background and a ringed tail. The tail resembles that of the indigenous raccoon. With no understanding of natural selection favouring a well-camouflaged longhaired cat, the explanation offered for this appearance was that the cats were natural hybrids between cats and raccoons.





This is genetically impossible. However, impressionable (or merely stupid) individuals have attempted to mate cats with raccoons. One woman who tried this reported ended up with ';an almighty scrap and a pile of fur'; when the two animals fought.





http://www.messybeast.com/marten-cat.htm鈥?/a>Cat/raccoon?
About 10 years ago I found 3 baby raccoons. They kind of resemble kittens but they have ';hands'; and they use them to eat and do things. We kept them and one was killed by a dog and then one went crazy and we kept the other one for a few years. As it gets bigger she will see what it is.

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Not possible.





I have, however, seen very large long haired tabbies with striped (ringed) tails that look like they could be a cross. But genetically a raccoon isn't anywhere near on the family tree--you can't mate the two. No offspring are possible.
There's no way it's some kind of cat/raccoon mix. Pre-zygotic barriers will prevent that. It could have just been a fat cat. haha I love those things
um no way, maybe a maine coon cat?





mine looks like a little rabbit/cat but of course it's not
Not to me
possiabe and imposable maybe i dont know

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