These were separate hybrids between domestic cats and the Asian Fishing cat (F viverrina), a spotted wildcat species.
The Machbagral (Bagral) was bred in the USA/Canada) using the Fishing cat and a black domestic cat that carried the spotted gene. The aim was to create a domestic cat with the appearance of a small black panther with a shadowy spotted pattern. The breed stalled due to poor fertility in the F1 hybrids. The F1 hybrids resembled the Fishing Cat and were large, very rounded and had thick, dense fur. They had a silvery to charcoal-blackish background colour with black spotting and markings similar to the wild parent. They were friendly, house-trainable and had voracious appetites. They were also intelligent, active and inherited the wild parent's attraction to water.
The second of the Fishing cat hybrids was the Viverral, which began in 1995 and would not be considered genetically stable until 2001 when fifth generation Viverrals were born. This suggests it progressed beyond the F1 generation. Fishing Cats were bred to early generation Bengals. The progeny resembled the Fishing Cat, but with a more domestic temperament. They were large, muscular and solid. The breed standard required an agile and very muscular cat with a spotted coat, a wide nose, prominent whisker pads and large round eyes in a smallish head. The face was slightly convex profile and short rounded ears with wide bases. The tail was thick, low-set and medium in length. The coat was short and plush with a randomly spotted pattern of black, brown or tan spots. Unlike the Machbagral, the Viverral had a dramatic contrast between the base color of the coat and the spots. The underbelly was pale cream or white and also spotted and there were white spectacles around the eyes. However this breeding programme also seemed to stall and nothing more was heard for a decade, so it is presumed to have become extinct.
Undeterred by the failure of the above two breeding programmes, a third hybrid known as Jambi began independently, but with similar aims to the Viverral.
