Lykoi Cat Breed Description

Active: Lykois (a.k.a. Wolfcats) are an active cat that enjoys games, playing around with people and independently, and loves a good hunt. While they still love to rest and cuddle, they are a high-energy cat.

Size: Lykoi cats are medium in size, typically weighing between 5 - 10 pounds.

Characteristics: Lykoi cats have a very unique character and look very different from other cat breeds on first appearance. Their wild, coarse-looking hair that is in patches around the body can vary dramatically between cats with some being virtually hairless and others being mostly covered in hair. There will be no hair near the eyes, nose, chin, backs of ears or muzzle and they tend to have only a little bit of hair on their legs or feet. There werewolf-like face houses large, oval-shaped eyes that are typically gold, green or blue. They have large ears that sit high on the head, are wide at the base and have pointed tips. Lykois have long, muscular bodies and long legs that are quite powerful and provide them with a great deal of agility. Additionally, they have a very long tail that has a full coat.

Temperament: While you might be scared to encounter a werewolf in real life, these werewolf-lookalikes are nothing to run from. Lykois have a very gentle and loving personality, and are actually an ideal pet for families even with young children. While they are loving and affectionate, they are also a very independent cat. They are commonly compared to hunting dogs because they are intelligent and love to play hunting games - pouncing and ambushing on any toys or objects they can get their paws on. They are intrigued by water, curious and fun-loving so, while they are a great lap-cat at times, their high energy is best for an active household.

Care: Grooming your Lykoi will be fairly easy as they are a pretty low maintenance. They do molt and so shedding will be heavy during that time but otherwise they simply need occasional bathing to prevent skin oil buildup. Lastly, routinely trim their nails and clean their ears to keep your Lykoi feeling (and smelling) good.

Coat: The Lykoi cat is partially hairless but does have a coat on portions of its body. The coat appears coarse but feels soft and can range in color from completely white to completely black but often has a mix of those two colors. The hairless areas of the cat feel leathery in texture.

Origin: The Lykoi cat breed is one of the newest cat breeds in existence today. The word "lykoi" is a Greek word that translates to "wolf cat" and it is for good reason - these intriguing cats look very much like a werewolf. In 2010, two different litters of domestic shorthair cats with the Lykoi gene were found and presented to Patti Thomas who also worked to learn more about the breed with Johnny and Brittany Gobble. Leslie Lyons conducted tests to determine that there were no genetic disorders and, once that was confirmed, furthering the breed began.

While there appears to be no health issues within the breed as of now, it is still quite early because health issues typically do not arise until a cat is 6 or 7 years old and there are not yet any Lykois that age. Primarily, Lykoi cats are bred with black domestic shorthair cats. Currently, the only association that recognizes the Lykoi cat breed is TICA (The International Cat Association) which has granted Lykois Advanced New Breed status.