The leopard cat is nocturnal, rarely seen creature,they rest during the day in a hole or up in trees.It is an agile climber and preys on small birds and on mammals up to the size of squirrels and hares.It may occasionally kill a small deer.The coloration and pattern of the leopard cat are variable,but it is usually yellowish,gray or reddish-brown on the upper parts of the body,with a whitish belly,and is dotted overall with dark spots,These spots are in regular lines and may merge to form bands.The breeding habits of this cat are not well know,but the female is thought to produce a litters of 1 or 4 young in a cave or den under fallen rocks.In China people call them (Money Cats) becuase their spots are said to look like Chinese coins.

A robust medium sized cat the golden cat has rather short,sturdy legs and small,rouded ears.Coloration varies enormously from browninsh-red to slate gray on the upperparts. Some golden cats have a distinct spots all over the body, Some only on the underside.An inhabitant of dense forest, This cat spends much of its life in trees and is active mainly at night. During the day it sleeps up in a tree.It is solitary elusive crature, And little is known of its habits.It preys on mammale up to the size of small antelope and on birds up to the size of guineafowl.

Pallas`s cat has a robust body and short stout legs.Its head is broad and its ears low and wide apart,protruding only slightly from the fur.It`s huge eyes give it an owl-like expression.The fur varies in color from pale gray to yellowish buff or reddish brown and is longer and more dense than that of any other wild cat.An elusive and solitary creature,this cat lives in caves or rock crevice or a burrow taken over from another mammal. such as a marmot, usually emeging only at night to hunt.It preys on small mammals such as mice,hares,and on birds.Mating occurs in spring and the females give birth to litters of 5 or 6 young in summer.

The Marbled cat gets its name from the marbled apperance of its thick,soft fur,marked with dark blotches,stripes and spots.Its legs are covered with black spots and the back of each ear with a white spot.Also resembling a small clouded leopard,The marbled is only slighty bigger then a house cat.The tail looks as if it should be attached to a much larger feline.Very little is known about this obscure nocturnal feline.Although protected in India and Thailand,this cats reproductive habits remain a mystery.

The fishing cat has small round ears that are set back on its head, and a somewhat elongated muzzle.Its grizzled brown fur is coarse and short and its tail length is reduced.Its front toes are partially webded and even when fully retracted the front claws still protrude.The fishing cat is a strong swimmer and willingly leaps into streams and deep pools to catch frogs,crustaceans, and fish.This cat has no problem getting wet from head to tail.They sit patiently at the edge of a stream watching the wwater.Should a school of fish swim within range the cat strikes like lighting to bat one onto shore.At other times the water loving cat can be seen standing belly deep in a quiet pool staring intently into the water, Passing fish are grabbed with both paws and quickly brought to the mouth for a lethal bite.They utilize tree haollows an dense shrubbery to construct their dens.Two or three young are born.Almost nothing is known about social behavior in the wild.The fishing cat have been hunted for their pelts,eliminated as barnyard pests and eaten.Some people consider it edible in many parts of Aisa.Its at great risk of deforestation and Development.

The sand cat has large silky ears each marked with a black spot to help detect the faintest sounds and serve as heat heat dumps.Allowing the maxiumum loss of body heat through the thin skin.Set low on the sides of the head the ear position helps sand cats remain hidden while peeking over rocks in pursuit of prey.They have thick foot pads which enable them to walk across the hot sands at night.Sand cats avoid the heat of the day by resting in holes dug under rocks and bushes.Its pale coloration helps keep it cool and well camouflaged.Sand cats eat Jerboas,Sand voles,Hares, and birds to Reptiles and Insects.Moisture from their prey enables them to live in arid habitats devoid of freestanding water.Often mistaken for barking dogs at night.They produce a similar vocalization which has been described as both yodeling and barking and are used by the solitary cats to find a mate when needed.

The margay is a small spoted cat with enormous eyes and a long tail used for balance, With long white whiskers that help it navigate in the dark.Smaller than a ocelot but much larger then oncillas.Margays are exceptional acrobats.Equipped with flexible ankle bones that can rotate 180 degrees outward and big padded feet with mobile toes they are agile tree climbers.These long tailed cats make head first descents like a squirrel and even hang by their feet from branches.Leaping from branch to branch and springing out of trees. to capture prey.In the wild poaching to supply the illegal trade in spotted skins and habitat loss continue to threaten their survival.The last margay recorded in the United States was collected near Eagle Pass, Texas in 1852.Now they can only be found south of the Mexican border.

The Oncilla is one of the smallest of Neotropical cats.Color variations occur throughout its South American range including an all black phase an have white spots on the back of thier ears and white markings around their eyes.Which help illuminate their faces and draw maxium light to their eyes at night.Its marked with black or brown spots and rosettes have been compared to the leopard cat and confused with the margay.Some confusion also exists over its name.Which its commonly called the little spotted cat,tiger cat, or tigrina.And has been argued that by using the name (Oncilla) we are calling an entire species by the name of one subspecies that is possibly extinct.

The Jaguarundi also called an (Otter Cat) becuase of its flattened head, small round ears and short legs.It is an unusual variation of the felid form.Its low slung stretch body proportions,with a very long tail.Gives the impression that its head is too small for its body. Which the tail is ideal with which to maneuver through its preferred habitat.Their short, sleek coats are uniform in color either charcoal grey or rust.They also lack in contrasting spot or bar typically found on the back of felid ears.Even the vocalizations are a suprise.Like birds they chirp and whistle to one another as a means of contact.They are skilled at climbing trees and swimming and are frequently found near streams and marshes where birds nest.They feed on whatever is available from rodents,rabbits,armadillos to reptiles,arthropods, and fruit.Usually solitary jaguarundis pair only during breeding season which they only have two or three spotted young. After a gestation of 70 - 75 days.Four Jaguarundi subspecies are now considered endangered. It`s fur is poor quality making it of little value and yet it still suffers from Habitat destruction,specifically loss of mesquite thicket and scrub to real estate and agricultural development poses the greatest threat to thier survival.Texas and Arizona to Panama it has almost become extinct. From fast growing human population.

Oncifelis and Leopardus genera have been proposed for the kodkod, which used to be classified as a Felis species. Scientific evidence suggests that the kodkod, Geoffroy’s cat and the pampas cat are more closely related to each other than they are to any other cat species.The ground color of the coat varies from light grey and grey brown to buff or dusky brown, marked with small, roundish black spots. There are a few narrow black bands on the neck and crown, and the underparts are whitish. Their head is small with indistinct lines above the eyes and on the cheeks, and a white area around the eyes. The ears are relatively large and rounded, with blackish backsides marked with a white central spot. Their legs are short, and the foot pads fairly large with black soles. The tail is short, only about one third of the head-body length, and marked with 10 - 12 conspicuous black rings, and a black tip. Like the Andean mountain cat Oreailurus jacobita, the tail of the Kodkod is very bushy, growing wider towards the tip. Melanistic individuals are known to occur.Two subspecies of the kodkod have been described: F. (O.) g. guigna and F. (O.) g. tigrillo. The former has spotted feet and is more brightly coloured and smaller than the latter.The Kodkod is extremely reclusive and does not adapt well to areas disturbed by humans. They typically travel and hunt during the day, but they can be nocturnal in order to avoid contact with humans. The larger males will frequently take domestic free-range chickens and geese, but females will generally restrict their diets to small rodents and insects and also birds.

The least known of all Asian felids.No studies have been conducted in the wild. Its habits,ecology,social behavior or reproductive biology.They are chestnut colored with pale bellies.The mysterious cat appers most closely related to the Asian golden cat.They are thought to eat birds,small mammals,monkeys and carrion.They have been listed as endangered.Continued loss of habitat due to logging and human encroachment poses the greatest threat to is survival and our chances of ever learning more about this elusive feline.

The Geoffroy`s cat or their local name gato montes,means mountain cat. Has an attractive coat of spots that can range in hue from silver to auburn and even jet black.It hunts for rodents,reptiles,birds,and insects on the ground as well as intrees,from where it is said to drop from low branches onto its prey.Their relationship to people are they are kept as pets, eaten,used for rodent control and shot as poultry pests.Domestic cat breeders have begun to crosee pure specimens with variety of domestic cats to produce a gene-diluting hybrid called the(safari cat) However its the species spots that are causing the biggest problem.Having decimated the ocelot and margay populations,hunters are now going after the Geoffroy`s cat pelts using guns an trapes that mimic the entcing sound of their distressed prey.While it takes three jaguar skins or twenty Geoffroy`s cat pelts to do the same an inexcusably high price for fasion.

The rusty-spotted cat is covered with rich russet brown fur marked with darker spots with large amber eyes. They are known as the smallest wild cat in the world it beats the black-footed cat,oncilla,and kodkod.Because of its size and active behavior it has been called the hummingbird of cat species.They are Nocturnal cats and They are thought to spend part of their time hunting birds, small mammals,reptiles,and insects in trees.It has agile climbing skills.The rusted-spotted cats are most vulnerable to habitat destruction.In Sri Lanka they are considered edible.They are also mistaken for baby leopards and destroyed.They are found from sea level along the arid coastline to humid forest and low scrub And have also been found to living in abandoned houses in southern India, far from the forest.

The flat-headed cat is one of the most unusual of felines.Small rounded ears spaced far apart on the sides of the head and large eyes placed close together help exaggerate the flattened effect.They are thickly furred tail, short legs,and feet with, narrow pads, over which protrude only partially retractile claws.The position of their eyes over an elongated snout maximizes binocular vision needed for fishing.Their elongated jaws hold sharp, backwardfacing teeth and modified first premolars ideal for catching slippery prey.Deforestation and illegal live capture for trade and human consumption continue to threaten the future of this secretive little cat.It is listed endangered, with fewer than 2,500 mature individuals left in the wild, and the loss of the species is due primarily to the destruction of the wetlands.

The black-footed cat is named for the jet-black pads on their feet. The black hair on the bottom of their feet helps protect them from the hot burning sand.To avoid the heat they hunt at night and rest by day in abandoned aardvark burrows and termite mounds.They are the smallest cat in Africa.It is skilled at the neck-aimed kill bite.They can survive without water for long periods by getting enough moisture from their diet of rodents,spiders, and insects.Their digging skills suggest that easily pursue small animals that hide in the sand.Unlike other feline mothers, female black-footed cats produce a special vocalization that tells the young to scatter and freeze when danger is near.Listed as endangered black-footed cats are fully protected in Africa.

Somewhat larger than the wildcat, these cats have a stocky build and relatively short legs. The coat is fairly long and dense, with abundant underfur. The basic colour is pale grey fawn in winter, somewhat darker brown in summer, and ticked with dark guard hairs. It is somewhat darker on the back, and the underparts are whitish or light whitish grey. Indistinct horizontal stripes appear on the sides and legs. There is a pale reddish brown area below each ear. The ears are fairly pointed, and are tipped with short tufts of hair, about 2 - 2.5 cm long. The backs of the ears are the same dark colour as the back. Paw pads are hair covered, a possible adaptation to walking on unstable, shifting terrain. The tail is fairly long and thick, ending bluntly in a black tip, with several dark rings along its length.The Chinese desert cat inhabits open steppe country, alpine meadows and forest, bamboo or bush covered mountainsides to an elevation of 4,100 metres. They have a relatively restricted range, being found only in the northeastern Tibetan plateau in central Sichuan, China. Reports of them occurring in flatter, more desert like terrain probably refer to mis-identified desert wildcats or domestic cats.These cats cope with one of the worlds’ harshest climates, ranging from sizzling hot summers to below zero winters, with raw, dry winds occurring all year round.What little in known of this species in the wild.Their reproductive season is January to March, with litters of two to four kittens born in May. The young reach independence at seven to eight months.

The jungle cat can be distinguished from other wild cat species within its range by its long legs and uniform coat colour, which ranges from sandy yellow to reddish brown. On closer examination, the adult jungle cat can be seen to have faint stripes on the legs and tail, which is tipped with black. On the head the nose and chin areas are often white, the rather large ears tipped with darker fur and in certain sub-species faint ‘tear stripes’ are noticeable beneath the eyes. As kittens, jungle cats are heavily spotted but these juvenile markings are generally lost at about six months of age.The jungle cat is generally larger than the African and Asian Wildcats with a tail of approximately one third of its body length again.Throughout its range, the jungle cat is mostly crepuscular in hunting but regionally it is known to be more active during daylight hours. The prey ranges from rodents and small mammals, which make up the greater proportion of the animals diet, to birds, reptiles and insects. However, because of its larger size the jungle cat can occasionally take wild pig and chital deer. Although mainly terrestrial in its hunting the jungle cat can climb well and has also been observed diving into water to catch fish.The Jungle Cat was tamed by ancient Egyptians to hunt wildfowl and has been featured in Egyptian art. A few mummified remains have been found in tombs.

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