SMALL WILD CATS -- GENERAL

SMALL WILD CAT

The small cats are not as well known as their big relative but they are living in every continent but Australia.  Their hunting techniques are just as perfect as their big brothers.

Small cats are sharing the same ancestry 50 millions years ago.  The cat family evolved into 28 species of small cats and numerous subspecies. They spread across the world exploiting various ecological niches.  Cats, whether big or small, are known as perfect hunters. They track down and ambush or chase their prey.

APPEARANCES

The group of small cats stretches from the African black-footed cat which is smaller than the domestic cat and measures 35 cm to the puma and or mountain lion which reaches up to 2m. Although the puma is as big as a jaguar and bigger than a leopard but it is still belongs to the small cats group.

AFRICAN BLACK-FOOTED CAT 

All small cats are covered in soft fur with darker stripes, spots or mottled patter on a background colour or a yellow or greyish brown and distinctive, usually striped facial markings.  The exceptions are the puma and jaguarundi which have a uniform colour.  They are long tailed and short legged and walk on their toes instead their soles of their feet. Their claws are retractable for the exception of the flat headed cat.  Cats’ faces have beautiful, forward looking, large eyes and pointed ears. They possess sharp eye sights and hearing.       

HABITAT

Most of the small cats are nocturnal. Only a few hunt at dawn and dusk instead in the middle of the night.

The jungle cat is the only one hunting during the day.  Due to their claws they are good climbers but only a few make beds amongst the branches.  They mostly sleep amongst rocky outcrops, hollow trees or in dense undergrowth.   Just some sleep in burrows or in holes in banks.

Cats are marking their territories by defecating along boundaries and scratching the trunks of trees.

Being carnivores, they hunt on all kinds of mammals all depending on their surroundings. The most hunted prey is rodents, reptiles and birds but they also kill larger animals such as deer, moose and small bears.

Many cats eat insects and fish. One species, the fishing cat which has webbed feet and scoops fish out of the water.

FISHING CAT

BREEDING

Cats on a whole are solitary creatures.  They only meet at mating season.  Females come into heat several times a year and looks for a partner. Some pairs stay together for a short while after mating.  At birth time the female is on her own and brings up the kittens by herself.

Gestation can be from about 56 to 96 days all depending on the species and the sizes of the litter are from one to six.  The average is two to four kittens and they are born blind. The mother suckles them for a few weeks during which time their eyes open and start moving. Then she brings them solid food until they are able to come along with her on hunting trips to learn for them to hunt.  The kittens stay with their mother until they are able to fend for themselves which is usually after a few months.