tiger cat

American  

noun

1. any of several felines, as the ocelot or margay, that resemble the tiger in coloration or ferocity but are smaller.

2. a spotted marsupial cat, Dasyurus (Dasyurops ) maculatus.

3. a domestic cat having a striped coat resembling that of a tiger.

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tiger cat British  

noun

1. a medium-sized feline mammal, Felis tigrina, of Central and South America, having a dark-striped coat

2. any similar feline with tiger-like markings, such as the margay

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Etymology

Origin of tiger cat

First recorded in 1690–1700

Example Sentences

The watchful beggar tenderly holding an alert gray tiger cat in his lap has been bestowed with an attribute of clever endurance.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 31, 2023

She likes Manhattan's frowsy 14th Street, almost all animals, has a 15-lb. tiger cat more than a yard long which hunts rabbits and eats them warm.

From Time Magazine Archive

Last fortnight Professor John Archibald Wheeler, of Princeton University, almost let this monstrous tiger cat out of the bag.

From Time Magazine Archive

Right in the middle of the bed, curled up like a cushion, was a tiger cat with a white bib.

From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz

The cat—a huge tiger cat with gray-green eyes and black stripes along his body—was sitting on his hind legs, switching his tail around his forepaws.

From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden