Oh, gosh, I'm so glad that you are really on the ball with her! These hybrids so often get the short shaft, as pets. Unfortunatly, it sounds like in her previous home, she did. Honestly, it tends to mess with any cat's personality when they are declawed, and with a wild cat, it's far crueler. The filing of the teeth is not so bad, except that they will now be more prone to future dental problems, so keep a watch for that. It's a good idea to brush them if she'll let you, and if not use the anti-plaque water attitives, treats, food etc. Caging this sort of cat at night is soooo bad for her development, which I get the idea, you really are intune with, and I'm really glad . The thing is that alot of people get into the idea of having a wild cat without really understanding the level of care needed for they're proper development. So they try to take the easy way out by declawing etc, and then wonder why the cat acts funny and has different behavioral problems. Again, I don't get that feel from you, but it sounds like that's exactly the attitude she dealt with previously. Now, as for the fun part of adding a wild playmate for her... I think it's a great idea! She needs someone like her to play with. I would probably say to try a male. You know... I know of exactly the breeders you would want to contact to get a species match for her, depending on whether the 2nd factor in her genetics is lynx or jungle. It's probably a good idea to match the species mix, as closely as you can. Could you email me and we can speak more freely? I don't think I can post links to the breeders' sites here, since I'm not sure they would pass the Cat Hobbyist requirements as breeders. Genuinely, though I think they are the best breeders of this type. If you send me pics, and give me the background that you know on this cat, I can probably tell you which the 'mystery componant' was, and thus send you in the correct direction for breeders. Just so you are aware though, depending on which breeder you have to go to, costs could range between 500-2000 dollars for the second cat, and you may have to travel a distance to pick your cat up, because some of them won't ship. Because these cats don't come with papers though, since they can't be registered with any of the cat associations, it's important to go with someone reputable, or you can't be sure what you are getting. Reputable in the exotic cat business often equals expensive, because the cats are very costly to breed and raise correctly and humanely. I'd love to hear from you, you can contact me at jconey@stny.rr.com Can't wait to hear from you! Also, I recommend the ExoticsHobbyist forums here at PetHobbyist, as opposed to CatHobbyist, because these aren't your average kitties LOL. You'll get lots more advice over there!
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Jennifer



My alley cats: Othello, Vladimir, and Maxwell.

My Bengal: Razzle Tazzle.

My Himalayans: Krueger, Jinx, Dumplin', Dervish, and Precious. Thank you, Jennifer, Sandy, and Rita for trusting me with your babies!!!

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