Charlie isn't your average cat.
"His dad was a full-fledged bobcat," said Brandon Charvat, who runs Mandan Sporting Goods and whose family owns the 5-year-old feline hybrid.
He came by Charlie in 2014 after his family's previous cat died, as a surprise for his wife, Brittney, and their children. Through a friend's connection in Oregon, he adopted Charlie at 5 weeks old, bred from a domesticated bobcat named Rowdy and a pixie-bob, another sort of hybrid.
Charlie is a bit secretive and skittish by nature, not a cat to go up and pet, and will decide when he wants to accept someone, Charvat said.
"But he's nice if you get to know him," he said.
Charlie shows a few unique traits. His deep meow is characteristic.
"It'll wake you up in the middle of the night," Charvat said. "It carries. He's so loud when he meows, it's crazy."
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Charlie was born with a bobbed tail and keeps 1-inch claws. But in five years, Charvat said he's never seen him claw their furniture.
His family doesn't let Charlie outside, and he requires an annual fee, classified as an exotic animal.
Beth Carlson, North Dakota's deputy state veterinarian, said the state has licensed a few small, exotic cats, including Charlie, a bobcat in Devils Lake and another bobcat and a Canadian lynx in Williston.
Primary concerns in keeping exotic pets in North Dakota are the health and safety of domestic animals, wildlife and people, Carlson said — such as exotic sheep or goat hybrids interbreeding with bighorns, or monkeys, which are genetically similar to humans and could spread certain diseases.
A non-traditional livestock license — which covers exotic animals — is available from the state Department of Agriculture for a $15 annual fee and one-page application.
"You're supposed to have a license before you get the animal, but we're typically pretty easy to work with if people say, 'Oh, jeez, I didn't realize I needed a license,'" Carlson said. "They don't usually get penalized. We just work with them, provided they work with us to meet the requirements."
Charvat said Charlie was neutered and microchipped once in North Dakota.
His hybrid genes may contribute to a shorter lifespan of 7 or 8, Charvat added. Charlie, who weighs 23 pounds, is also on a special blend of food to keep up his protein after some kidney issues.
"He's not getting the protein like he would if he was out in the wild, catching rabbits or doing whatever," Charvat said.
Charlie isn't the family's only unusual pet. Three years ago, the family adopted a kitten named Paisley, later determined to be completely deaf.
And two years ago, the Charvats adopted an English mastiff named Bentley from a breeder in Tioga.
Charvat said he and his wife aren't strangers to assorted animals: His mother kept horses and a couple Great Danes, and Brittney has always had cats.
Charlie gets along well with Paisley, Charvat said. And he pretty much keeps to himself indoors.
"He's Charlie," Charvat said. "I don't know what else to say."