Would it be possible to interbreed a house cat with a large cat such as a lion or tiger? (see below)?

Yes, I know it wouldn't be likely to actually have them mate due to size and the fact that the big cats would eat the domestics but, in theory, could they be breed to produce, say, a small lion or tiger? Would their genes permit this? Thanks.

Would it be possible to interbreed a house cat with a large cat such as a lion or tiger? (see below)?
I don't believe this is possible. If I remember correctly from my undergraduate education, the big cats (Lions, Tigers, Leapards, etc.) are actually more closly related to domistaced dogs than domesticated cats. Of course we know that cats and dogs can't mate, so I'm sure the big cats couldnt' mate with their smaller cousins.
Reply:No, the domestic cat differs too much from lions and tigers. However, lions and tigers HAVE been interbreeded, and the domestic cat has been interbreeded with many wild cat species, such as the bengal cat, lynx, bobcat, and the European wild cat.
Reply:That would depend on the DNA of the animals to be bred. To form a sperm or unfirtilized egg, the male and female donate one half of their DNA strands. A fertilized egg combines the two DNA strands to form a complete blueprint for a new offspring.





All true dogs (let's exclude hot dogs etc. %26lt;G%26gt;) are decended from the wolf and can theoreticall interbreed with all other dogs. Frogs and dogs can not interbreed because they have different numbers of genes and their DNA halves will not match.





The question you ask can only be answered based on the genes and DNA of large and small cats. Good luck.
Reply:you know, there's only one true way to find out...