Can Cats and Raccoons Mate? Vet-Approved Facts & FAQ

The station Can Cats and Raccoons Mate? Vet-Approved Facts & FAQ by Genevieve Dugal appeared archetypal connected Catster. Copying implicit full articles infringes connected copyright laws. You whitethorn not beryllium alert of it, but each of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, truthful they aren't considered nationalist domain. However, we admit that you similar the nonfiction and would emotion it if you continued sharing conscionable the archetypal paragraph of an article, past linking retired to the remainder of the portion connected Catster.com.

There’s an municipality fable that says the majestic Maine Coon came from the transverse of a Norwegian feline and a raccoon. This story is apt owed to the information that the Maine Coon is simply a immense feline with distinctive markings that are somewhat reminiscent of a raccoon’s stripes. But portion it’s existent that cats and raccoons tin sometimes transverse paths, particularly successful municipality and suburban areas, these encounters don’t extremity successful tiny “cat-coon” oregon “rac-cat” babies. Cats and raccoons cannot mate and reproduce—no substance however adorable specified offspring would be!

Let’s instrumentality a person look astatine wherefore immoderate taxon tin successfully interbreed and wherefore this is not the lawsuit with cats and raccoons. There are besides large tips connected keeping your feline person harmless if they task outside.

Can Two Different Species Mate?

It’s not that predominant successful the wild, but 2 antithetic but related taxon tin so reproduce. This process is called hybridization, and it tin hap successful some animals and plants. When 2 antithetic taxon mate successfully, their offspring is called a hybrid. Most of the time, hybrids are sterile, meaning they can’t person babies (though this isn’t ever the case).

That said, scientists don’t each hold connected however to specify species. The “Biological Species Concept” is typically utilized to abstracted antithetic animals and plants into assorted species. According to this principle, animals that cannot breed unneurotic oregon that tin breed but nutrient sterile offspring are classified arsenic antithetic species.

Some scientists classify taxon based connected notable carnal and biology differences—for example, differences successful color, behavior, habitat, oregon geographic location. Other scientists usage familial differences, which are sections of DNA containing tiny differences called mutations. Typically, members of antithetic taxon are incapable to reproduce owed to these familial barriers. Indeed, this is the precise explanation of the word “species,” which comes backmost to the Biological Species Concept; 2 animals incapable of reproducing are classified arsenic 2 antithetic species.

Image Credit: Tony Campbell, Shutterstock

Are All Hybrids Sterile?

While it’s existent that astir hybrids are incapable to reproduce, determination are instances wherever hybrids tin person babies. This occurs erstwhile a hybrid mates with different hybrid oregon with a subordinate of the aforesaid taxon arsenic 1 of its parents. For example, erstwhile a antheral lion and a pistillate tiger hybridize, they nutrient a liger.  90% of antheral ligers are sterile but astir of the pistillate ligers are fertile and tin beryllium successfully bred backmost to a tiger oregon a lion.

Interestingly, according to the authors of an nonfiction published successful the diary Frontiers, the beingness of fertile hybrids poses a definite scientific challenge, arsenic it contradicts a cardinal rule of the Biological Species Concept, which suggests that 2 chiseled taxon should not beryllium susceptible of mating and producing fertile babies. However, this does not connote that the parents of hybrids are not chiseled species; rather, it highlights that the conception of ‘biological species’ whitethorn not use to each species.

So, Why Can’t Cats and Raccoons Mate?

You whitethorn person heard that cats and raccoons tin sometimes mate, but these claims are not supported by immoderate credible evidence. Scientifically, determination are nary documented cases of palmy interspecies breeding betwixt these 2 animals.

Cats and raccoons beryllium to chiseled families wrong the bid Carnivora. Indeed, cats are portion of the Felidae family, portion raccoons are classified successful the Procyonidae family. If we look astatine the liger, which has a tiger parent and a lion father, we tin spot that adjacent though they are antithetic species, they beryllium to the aforesaid genus, Panthera, which explains their interbreeding success. This is not the lawsuit for raccoons and cats.

How to Keep Your Cat Safe Outdoors

Image Credit: Viktor Sergeevich, Shutterstock

Although cats and raccoons cannot mate, they bash often transverse paths successful the wild, peculiarly successful areas wherever quality improvement encroaches upon earthy habitats. These interactions tin pb to a assortment of outcomes, immoderate of which tin airs risks to your cat. Rabies, for example, is simply a important concern, and raccoons are known carriers of this deadly virus. If your feline gets into a combat with a raccoon, determination is simply a accidental of illness transmission done bites oregon scratches.

Considering the imaginable risks posed by interactions with raccoons and different wildlife, it’s indispensable to instrumentality measures to guarantee your cat’s information erstwhile they task outside.

Bottom Line

Although interspecies breeding is technically imaginable and tin adjacent effect successful fertile hybrids similar ligers, determination is nary technological information proving that specified a narration tin instrumentality spot betwixt a raccoon and a cat. That said, the risks linked to random encounters betwixt these 2 taxon are precise real, specified arsenic the transmission of contagious diseases oregon the hazard of wounded successful the lawsuit of a fight.

Therefore, if you fto your feline roam freely outside, marque definite to show their comings and goings arsenic overmuch arsenic possible, and supra all, ensure that their vaccinations are up to date. Don’t effort to pull raccoons to your location conscionable due to the fact that they look adorable and harmless!

Featured Image Credit: Corina Muresan, Shutterstock

The station Can Cats and Raccoons Mate? Vet-Approved Facts & FAQ by Genevieve Dugal appeared archetypal connected Catster. Copying implicit full articles infringes connected copyright laws. You whitethorn not beryllium alert of it, but each of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, truthful they aren't considered nationalist domain. However, we admit that you similar the nonfiction and would emotion it if you continued sharing conscionable the archetypal paragraph of an article, past linking retired to the remainder of the portion connected Catster.com.