Desert Lynx Cat: Pictures, Care, Guide & Temperament

These loyal, loving cats were initially bred to resemble the Bobcat with a bobbed tail and long, lean legs. While their origins are based in the wild, they are fully domesticated, intelligent, and loving family pets that retain their wild looks, paired with a sweet and family-oriented nature.

Breed Overview

The Desert Lynx is rocketing in popularity, and their playful and eager temperament doesn’t make it difficult to see why. The Desert Lynx will happily follow the family from room to room and always stay close to their favorite people. Due to their intelligence, they need interaction and mental stimulation to keep them happy, and they don’t do well being left alone. They’re also said to enjoy the water; however, every cat is different.

Desert Lynx Cat Characteristics

Desert Lynx Kittens

Desert Lynxes have high energy and love to direct it all into playfulness. Often described as dog-like, these cats are Velcro breeds, meaning they want to stick with you wherever you go. You may not be able to use the washroom without a furry companion, but the cats make up for this in their loving, affectionate nature.

Since they’re a hybrid mix (meaning cross-breed), they don’t have as many health problems or conditions as pure-breed cats.

Temperament & Intelligence of the Desert Lynx Cat

The Desert Lynx is known for its sweet and familial nature and the amount of time it wants to spend around its family. Because they’re incredibly intelligent, the cats are easy to train. However, this can manifest in boredom-related behaviors if they’re not stimulated enough.

For example, if you’re out of the house for a large part of the day, it may not be best to have a Desert Lynx Cat as a pet. They need lots of interaction with their humans and need to be mentally stimulated by playing. They can be clingy cats, preferring to spend time with humans.

Are These Cats Good for Families? 👪

The Desert Lynx can be an excellent family pet, as they are gentle creatures that can become lap cats given a chance. They are often compared to dogs in how they treat their families: being protective, playful, happy, and always excited to see every member. They bond with their owners closely, and it can be a lot of fun training them due to their high intelligence.

Who says an old cat can’t learn new tricks? Like any pets, we recommend supervising your Desert Lynx around young children. While the Desert Lynx is gentle, intelligent, and quite often stoic in personality, they may still react if they’re accidentally hurt. However, if supervised, the cats make excellent family pets due to their playfulness and willingness to interact with the whole family.

Does This Breed Get Along with Other Pets?

This breed will get along with other pets as long as they’re socialized as kittens around dogs and other cats. They can be comfortable with members of their own species and dogs. However, be cautious around small pets since cats are natural hunters, and keeping mice and rats away makes sense.

Things to Know When Owning a Desert Lynx Cat

Food & Diet Requirements

The Desert Lynx doesn’t require anything special regarding food. Because it is a typical domesticated cat, it doesn’t need a specialized diet or anything you can’t buy from a retail pet store (unless directed by a vet).

However, cat owners should provide a high-protein, quality diet for any cat, and cats are obligate carnivores, so they must eat meat. They cannot live on vegan diets, and diets that are very high in fillers may not be the best for your cat, so we advise feeding a high-quality diet along with plenty of fresh water.

They also need taurine, like all cats, to survive, as it keeps their hearts working. However, this is added to all commercial cat food, and the levels are balanced in any cat food sold.

Exercise 🐈

The Desert Lynx is an active cat, and it will explore the garden or around your home. They’re medium-sized cats, and while they don’t need much space, providing vertical space, such as placing shelves at different levels on your walls or providing them with tall cat trees, can help them exercise those long, lean legs and help keep them mentally sharp. It helps prevent destructive behavior and also helps prevent health problems like obesity.

Training 🧶

This breed is very intelligent, and training is usually a breeze. First, find out what motivates your cat, such as food, cuddles, or a toy, and be patient yet direct with your commands. The Desert Lynx can quickly pick up commands, and there has been some success in training them like a dog due to their dog-like personalities.

They’re also known for being absolute people lovers, so use this to your advantage and give them lots of praise when training.

Grooming ✂️

The Desert Lynx can come in both short and long-hair varieties. The short-haired variety should be brushed regularly: once every two weeks should suffice. With longer hair varieties, more grooming will be needed, as longer hair gets tangled very quickly, and matted fur can be uncomfortable for your cat.

Matted hair will pull on the skin underneath, which can cause a lot of pain for your cat and even be life-threatening if it becomes infected. Regular grooming keeps your cat’s fur tangle-free, helps remove any dead hair from the coat, and keeps the fur glossy and healthy.

If you start grooming your cat as a kitten, it’ll get used to it quickly, and for longer-haired cats, we recommend daily grooming just for a few minutes a day to ensure there’s no matted fur.

Health and Conditions 🏥

Desert Lynx cats don’t have any health problems particular to their breed, but as with any pet, general health and wellbeing should be checked regularly by the vet. However, due to the fact they are bred from Maine Coon cats, there is a potential for some heart problems (dilated cardiomyopathy), but as the Desert Lynx is a crossbreed, it is not as likely as with a purebred cat.

Bobtailed breeds are also potentially more likely to suffer from hip dysplasia, a painful condition in which the hip joints will dislocate from the sockets, but this won’t be true for every Desert Lynx.

Male vs. Female

There isn’t much difference between males and females of the breed. Males grow slightly larger; however, as they’re medium-sized cats, there are no actual differences except small changes in appearance. For example, males of any breed tend to have broader noses and jowls on their cheeks (particularly if they aren’t neutered) and are generally bigger than females.

Females tend to have daintier faces and frames and will be very vocal when they come into the season.

Personality-wise, while always down to the individual, male cats tend to be more laid back if they are neutered, and if they aren’t neutered, they will sometimes wander for miles, having large territories that they feel must be defended with their life.

If your male cat is unneutered, be prepared to deal with many fighting injuries, and it is best to get them neutered as soon as possible to keep them safe. Female cats come into season at around 4 months of age, and having them spayed at this age considerably reduces the likelihood of having an accidental litter of kittens.

3 Little-Known Facts About the Desert Lynx Cat

1. Desert Lynx Cats Are a Big Mix of Breeds

Desert Lynx cats were originally bred from four breeds: the Bobcat, the Maine Coon, the Manx cat, and the Pixiebob cat. The Pixiebob is a hybrid breed itself but lends diversity to the Desert Lynx while retaining the chance of a bobbed tail.

2. A Desert Lynx Cat’s Tail Can Vary Significantly in Length

Some Desert Lynx’s tails are very short (almost non-existent), while others are up to ¾ of a full-length tail.

3. Many of Them Are Polydactyl

Polydactyl cats have more than five digits on any paw (front or back), usually 6–7. This is a genetic abnormality that may be present on one or more feet.

Final Thoughts

The Desert Lynx cat is a relatively new breed that is taking the world by storm, as its striking looks, stunning eyes, bobbed tail, and beautiful personality makes it shine. The cats are tenacious, loyal, and always willing to spend time with their humans. They want nothing more than to sit on your knee, lounge on the sofa with you, or follow you around the house, occasionally chatting with you on the way.

They’re never happier than when they’re around their human companions, and Desert Lynx cats would suit active families who spend plenty of time with their pets.

Featured Image Credit: SUSAN LEGGETT, Shutterstock