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March 21, 2007—Sumatra, a registered "toyger," displays the rusty colored fur and unique black stripes of the relatively new breed.

Toygers have been registered with the International Cat Association (TICA) since 1993. This May they will join more familiar purebred felines, such as Persians and Siamese, that can be judged as championship cats at TICA-sponsored cat shows.

Toyger creator Judy Sudgen said she hopes the playful pets will inspire more people to care about wild tiger conservation.

"We use part of the price of the kittens to help the conservation of tigers, since that's our inspiration," she said.

For now the toyger is a work in progress, and fanciers hope to produce cats that more closely resemble tigers within the next few years.

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