What is your favourite small cat species ?

That is great to hear, Luke, I know you appreciate the local biodiversity in the surroundings of where you live.

Not sure what you mean about tarnishing the relationship between your cats ?

 

No one was trying to make you feel bad about owning domestic cats, I assure you.

I do appreciate them, family members own them and I'm very fond of these cats, I've rescued cats from the streets from several countries where I've lived.

That said, I do have a bit of a conflicted view of them because I am a conservationist and domestic cats have such a negative impact on native biodiversity...literally everywhere on earth where they are brought.

I would personally never own one (although I think for cat keepers it is the cat that actually owns you) now as a pet as I am not really into domestic animals.

I find domestic pets like dogs and cats too slavish and a bit annoying really. I'd much rather a tarantula or an axolotl, easier to keep, no neediness, no impact on the environment and fascinating.

 

No, it isn't their fault, it is their owners, but that is besides the point actually as the fact is they do have a devastating impact on wildlife / biodiversity.

All domestic cats everywhere should be kept in doors, period.

Historically cats have been directly implicated in the extinction of 63 species of birds, mammals and reptiles that we know of and implicated to some extent or another in the population decline of hundred if not thousands of species worldwide.

The squirrel population would be best controlled by medium sized mammalian predators native to your state. Species like the bobcat, fisher, American pine marten, gray and red foxes, coyotes and / or birds of prey like horned owls, peregrine falcon, harriers and various hawks and eagles do the job very well.

The problem is those predators have often suffered enormous declines across parts of the USA due to increasing urbanization and other anthropogenic problems.

The result of this is that you have large numbers of animals like squirrels and deer whose populations would normally be kept in check by predation that are out of whack.

 

I know they do, and Im doing the best I can to keep them inside, I just wish you would stop criticizing like your talking to all the cats in the world. I can't do much as I am young about other people holding domestic cats inside, It isn't easy to just, "convince people". I agree that they should be kept indoors but you can't just say that to all the cats and owners in the world and expect them to listen to you. Its a shame about those extinct animals, yes, I agree with you that the cats let outside to destroy those animal populations is not okay. I live in a suburban environment, and I think there are too many squirrels still. The other animals in my neighborhood are not typically seen and there are many nights where they dont appear anywhere where we live. Never seen a pine marten in my life, only at ZooAmerica in PN. I have seen foxes before, and I know people who have seen fishers. I have also seen horned owls and other various birds of prey in the wild too. That last bit is the definite problem, because our race has become so advanced nowadays all the habitats are out of wack. I honestly would just like to live in the middle of the woods away from human contact, but thats becoming increasingly harder.

 

Errmm, I am not doing that that is your perception and oversensitivity of it only .

I am talking in objective and global terms because this is an ecological and global problem afterall.

I know it isn't easy and actually most people don't really give a damn as biodiversity is just an abstraction to them and thats what I was alluding to earlier.

The fact that cats have such a devastating impact on biodiversity is barely a concern to most cat owners as biodiversity itself is just an abstration. For most owners the important thing is that "Mr Biggles" or "Mrs Fluffy" are doing well and nice and all that.

There are enlightened owners out there who keep their animals indoors and I appreciate that and I'm also watching Australia and New Zealand and the measures they are proposing and bringing in regarding domestic cat ownership very closely.

There is a great book on this subject you should read called "Cat wars: Devastating Consequences of a Cuddly Killer". It was actually written by two American conservation biologists and presents all the data on the impact of domestic cats on wildlife.

When the book was published it was criticized by many cat owners who hadn't even read it because they perceived it as a personal attack on their pets and I believe the authors may have even received death threats or abuse from PETA activists.

 

Ok Luke, I'll send you a PM , please read it.

 

Regulars on this site know I am a cat fanatic and would love to see more small cats in zoos (like many of you). I have several points to make.

I am one of the fortunate few who has seen Iberian lynx in the wild (and on a subsequent trip in captivity). Here is the thread I started after I had seen them: Iberian Lynx trip report

I am very pleased to see such a high interest in fishing cats. I have a personal connection with them because a friend of mine from India who got his PhD at University of Arizona in my city founded Fishing Cat Conservancy. They do amazing work to restore mangroves and save this endangered cat and help locals build sustainable livelihoods in the process. I cannot recommend them strongly enough. They sometimes use my photos for promotional purposes. I am eagerly awaiting this species' arrival at my local Reid Park Zoo when the new Asia expansion opens in early 2023.

I love all cats equally (lions maybe not as much) and cannot pick a favorite. I agree with many of the picks listed, though. Marbled cat might be a favorite if I ever get to see one. Ocelot is certainly at or near the top. Indochinese leopard cat is stunningly beautiful (as is the domestic Bengal cat that resulted from crossbreeding with them). Pallas' cat is so unique I can't ignore them. Fishing cat for the reasons listed above. If we can allow for alternate color morphs to be listed as a favorite then I suppose my all time favorite might be the ocelot morph of the Asian golden cat. I have seen "regular" golden cats in person but the spotted ocelot morph only in photos. @Himimomi has posted photos of at least two different individuals at two Chinese zoos, such as this one: Zigong Colored Lantern Park - Asian golden cat - ZooChat

 

Thank you for your comment @Arizona Docent and for getting the thread back on the topic of small wild felids.

I definitely know you to be a fellow afficionado of small cats and enjoy reading your comments and seeing the brilliant photos of these animals that you post on this site.

Iberian lynxes are a very beautiful small cat and as the most endangered of all the small cats it must have been an incredible experience to see them in the wild. I will definitely have a read of your trip report and thanks for posting it !

Regarding fishing cats that is awesome ! I'm also very fond of this species and feel very strongly about its conservation and the need for it to be given as much importance as some of the larger felines that are found in the same region of the world.

I've been following the work of your friend for a while now with this species and am very much an admirer of his attempt to shine the media spotlight on this species, raise awareness of its conservation and do the tough in-situ work to keep the species extant in the wild.

The other cats you mention are interesting picks and I've seen all of them, except regrettably the marbled cat (though I haven't seen the ocelot morph of the Asian golden cat but have seen the species). l find all of these species to be beautiful and striking in their different ways.

Out of curiosity, I have to ask you this, how many feline species are still missing from your "to see" list ?

I imagine that it can't be too many as you must have seen quite a few species during trips to zoos and your travels by now.

 

The new taxonomy splits make it tricky. For example I have seen pampas cat (black morph only) at Cincinnati Zoo when it was thought to be a single species. But now it may be as many as five species? Anyway here is a copy and paste of my list, which I have not revisited in a few years and which does not recognize the new splits.
TIGER (typical and white/leucistic and golden tabby)

LION (typical and white/leucistic)

JAGUAR (typical and black/melanistic)

LEOPARD (typical and black/melanistic)

PUMA

SNOW LEOPARD

CHEETAH (typical and king)

MAINLAND CLOUDED LEOPARD

EURASIAN LYNX (typical and white/leucistic)

CANADA LYNX

IBERIAN LYNX

ASIAN GOLDEN CAT

BOBCAT

SERVAL (typical and white/leucistic)

CARACAL

OCELOT

MARGAY

ONCILLA

GEOFFROYS CAT (typical and black/melanistic)

PAMPAS CAT (black/melanistic)

FISHING CAT

SAND CAT

PALLAS CAT

LEOPARD CAT

JUNGLE CAT (typical and black/melanistic)

WILDCAT (typical and black/melanistic)

JAGUARUNDI (red and gray)

BLACK FOOTED CAT

RUSTY SPOTTED CAT

 

Yes, that is correct.

Taxonomy is a fiercely contested subject but I believe it is now generally recognized and accepted (for the most part) that based on comparative morphological, ecological and molecular studies there may be five species that were all classed previously as "pampas cats"

When I refer to the "pampas cat" that I know (Leopardus braccatus) it would probably be best for me to begin calling it the "pantanal cat" as it is likely that there are significant differences between it and other species like Leopardus colocola or Leopardus pajeros.

However, for some reason the name "pampas cat" is a habit that just sticks and it is hard to switch to using the new name.

 

This is a very impressive list @Arizona Docent !

You have seen a lot of cat species indeed.

From what I can see the species that are missing here (not counting the revisions of the pampas cat species complex) are : Andean cat, tigrina, kodkod, African golden cat, marbled cat, bay cat, flat headed cat and Chinese mountain cat.

Which of these species do you plan to see next ?

 

I have seen some very good cat runs of all shapes and sizes on the internet which are connected to houses which does give a little access to the outdoor life!

 

I think these are a brilliant idea @Zorro and I do wish that cat owners would use these instead of allowing their pets to roam free and cause carnage with local biodiversity.

Hopefully, they will catch on in time and will become adopted / normalized by cat owners.

 

I believe the idea should be pushed by local councils there are still many people out there that dont think to much about what there cats do or just dont care!

 

I certainly hope that these kind of enclosures are pushed by not just local councils but also state or even national governments (unrealistic I know).

I know there have been all kinds of interesting and novel ideas proposed in New Zealand and Australia to try to mitigate this ecological problem and I hope some of them are implemented.

Regarding peoples attitudes to responsible cat ownership, yes, it is very difficult indeed to get many people to understand the ecological impact that even just a single free roaming pet cat has upon local biodiversity let alone pet cats globally.

I highly recommend the book I mentioned earlier "Cat Wars: The Devastating Consequences of a Deadly Killer" as it really does illustrate how fierce the reaction / backlash from some quarters against even the presentation of the data on the impact of cats (whether pets or feral) on biodiversity can be.

In that book you get a feel for the whole spectrum of reactions to the data which ranges from genuine conern to mild cognitive dissonance or disassociation, from outright indifference to making death threats and proposing violence against conservationists.

It really highlights how difficult this problem is to try to find solutions for.

Cat Wars: The Devastating Consequences of a Cuddly Killer by Peter P. Marra

 

I have tigrina, but I listed it as oncilla. Now that they are split in two I think I have both species. (However I saw a plate from a new book that showed three species of tigrina, a development I have not heard before).

 

A cliched answer, maybe, but I do adore Pallas' Cats. Banham Zoo, where I work, had some kittens fairly recently. They just look so silly.

My parents call them "Benny-the-Balls", after the Top Cat character - they remind them of him.

 

Yeah that's right molecular studies have revealed more splits fairly recently.

I don't remember having seen the tigrina at Parc des felins but I have seen it at the Neotropical Feline Conservation Centre that is run by a friend of mine Cristina Harumi.

It is a very diminutive little cat, quite beautiful markings, the ones at the place I mentioned are really quite tame and will come right up to the front of the enclosures.

Will be going there soon so might get some photos of these and other cats for zoochat.