What is your favourite small cat species ?

What is your favourite small cat species and why ?

Very interested in hearing your replies.

 

Jaguarundis are one of my favorites. I just like the name.

 

Is it just the name that makes it your favourite small cat species or is there some other aspect of the living animal that you like ?

 

That's about it. Their noses are weird.

 

Hmmmm, well that is a different reply from what I expected.

Personally I find the appearance of the animal to be the most interesting thing about these cats.

It doesn't quite look like your average small felid and there is an "otter-like" quality IMO to their colouration, flattened head and the way they move.

 

Small cats are interesting, but they're not my favorite, so I don't know a ton about them. The most I know about cats are their species names and roughly what they look like.

 

Flat-headed cat: It looks strange, but has relatively large eyes

 

Flat-headed cat was always been on top of my list. Never seen one, but the they seem so unique.

 

Never seen one in the wild (nor in captivity) of course but I did see a taxidermy specimen of one at Tring Natural History Museum (I think that is probably the closest I will ever come to this species in my lifetime).

They are a really intriguing species and particularly because of how cryptic they are and how little is actually known about them and their ecology.

 

I absolutely love fishing cats for some reason. I really like ocelots too, so I think patterned rainforest cats are my jam.

 

Probably Jaguarundi or Pallas cat, don't know why but I just find them more appealing than any of the other smaller taxa. And, if I'm honest, Pallas Cats just look so damn cute yet aggressive at the same time. They're just great!
Got to be said though, Eurasian Lynx will always have a special place in my heart as the species I saw most often growing up...

 

I really like fishing cats too, they are a really endearing small cat and one of my favourite felids. A beautiful and charismatic species (as much as any lion or tiger IMO) indeed.

Got to love the Pallas cat ! The wild cat answer to the "grumpy cat" meme.

 

I find the Asian golden cat fascinating too, a beautiful looking felid. I've seen it in captivity only once at Parc des Felins and it was such a treat.

The marbled cat is another one that I would really like to see in the flesh one day but I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon or in fact ever.

I also find the African golden cat fascinating (I know it is a different genus from Catopuma temminckii though) but I haven't seen this cat in captivity and sadly judging by its rarity (or perhaps almost total absence would be a better expression) I may never see it.

 

Crazy taxidermy ! It must be ancient !

To be honest I would be happy even seeing the taxidermy of one of these (of course seeing a live one would be incomparably better).

 

I would and could technically say puma or cheetah, but I know that’s not really what we’re looking for in this thread.
In general, I’ve always been far more interested in “big cats“ than smaller felids, but exempting the two mentioned above, I’d say my favorite “small cats” are probably the lynxes, especially the Eurasian lynx, though I also quite like fishing cats, bay/jungle cats, and servals.

 

The lynx is a really beautiful feline I agree.

I particularly like the Iberian lynx and very much hope to see one in the wild one day.

 

Sighting the world’s rarest felid in its natural habitat would be an amazing experience indeed!

 

A few former colleagues of mine in Spain have seen this species in the wild and they all said that it is an incredible experience.

Hopefully I'll get a chance one day to see it too , fingers crossed.