Pallas Cat

Ecology and Behavior

Manuls spend daylight hours in burrows, crevices or caves and come out in the late afternoon to hunt. As their small ears (and flat forehead) are adapted for the open terrain (i.e. small) this cat hunts mainly by sight. It creeps up on prey and ambushes it as running is not one of their strengths. Its fur is also well adapted to the terrain in which it hunts, camouflaging this cat very effectively. The pallas cat merges beautifully into the background.

Its prey includes:

  • gerbils
  • pikas (a mouse hare) – weighing 100 – 400 grams  – found in 82% of scats (droppings) so this is a popular choice of prey. Pikas are active in the daytime so the manul is considered to be “diurnal”. This means active in the daytime. See the photograph of this animal below.
  • voles
  • chukar partridge
  • tolai hares
  • marmots (young)

Pika mouse hare
Pika – mouse hare – photo by wildxplorer

The manul is a successful hunter and likes a full belly. One had 16 voles in its stomach!

This cat has some of its own vocalisations. These include:

manul pallas's cat photo by muzina_shanghai
Manul or Pallas’s cat — photo by muzina_shanghai

Reproduction and Development

The climate in the pallas cat range can be harsh. This dictates to a certain extent breeding practice. The information is based on captive animal observations and the information is presented in tabular form for ease of reference:

EventDuration – information etc.
Estrus (period of sexual receptiveness)26 – 42 hours (very short)
Gestation (pregnancy)Two research programs, two findings: (1) 66 – 67 days or (2) 74 – 75 days.
Litter size2 – 4 kittens (large due to the seasonality of breeding)
DenThis is usually in rock crevices and fissures and can contain dried vegetation and bits of prey
Kitten size at birth89 grams (male) – this is one sample of course. They are born blind.
2 months of ageKitten weighs 500 – 600 grams
Kittens begin huntingAbout 5 months of age
About adult size7 months of age
Average lifespan8 -10 years in the wild and about the same as the domestic cat in captivity (15 years should be about the non-purebred average domestic cat lifespan).


From Pallas Cat to Wild Cat Species

Sources:

  • Wild Cats Of The World – most profound source
  • Red List – most up to date source
  • Wikipedia – a general source

11 thoughts on “Pallas Cat”

  1. The author of the best comment will receive an Amazon gift of their choice at Christmas! Please comment as they can add to the article and pass on your valuable experience.
    • Hi Anette. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Running a website about cats, I have to mention the cat breeds which leads to getting to know some breeders, who become friends, so I do have a problem criticising cat breeding. However, at heart, I am in harmony with you on this because there are too many unwanted cats.

      Reply
  2. I agree. I took in a mother Bengal and her two daughters in because the breeder couldn’t sell them after a year of asking me to take one. My kind-hearted mom said, “Oh bring all three of them.” Now, I don’t even have a job anymore. However, I’m glad they are here, because I don’t think they could be separated. They cling to each other like monkeys. They are always bunched up together. Very cute. Sometimes, the 3 of them pile up on top of me while I’m sleeping and I can’t move. Luckily, my sister’s friend decided to quit breeding Bengals. Thank God. There are enough pets getting abandoned all over the place. I think cat and dog breeding should be outlawed because it has gotten way out of control. Someone dumped a pregnant female in my neighborhood (and who did she make a beeline for? Me!) about 6 months after I took in the Bengals. She gave birth within 2 weeks after I took her in after realizing she was pregnant. She gave birth to 5 babies. So, we ended up taking in 9 cats within a 1 year period!!! I couldn’t find homes for them either and they live here wreaking havoc. They are super cute, though. So people should find some other ways to make money. People should also choose going to a shelter over a breeder as well. If purebreds are what they want – there are a bunch at the shelters. Poodles, German Shepherds, Chihuahuas, Maltese, Bichon, etc. for people looking for dogs. There are Persians, Abyssinians, Siamese, Bengals, etc. for people looking for cats.

    Reply
    • Great comment. Enjoyed reading it. I totally agree with you. There is a pet shop near me where they sell kittens. I like the people and the products but hate the fact they sell animals. Horrible. They just don’t think about the consequences.

      You have done really well taking on these cats but…too much really. It is the same old story, people like you and me mop up the mess that others create. The irresponsible lean on the responsible. It was ever thus.

      People who care about animals can’t say no to saving an animal.

      Reply
    • You can’t buy one for a pet. They are a true wild cat and rare. You couldn’t keep one in a private zoo without having proper facilities and complying with any regulations. I am not sure what the regulations are where you live but in some states in the USA it would be illegal to keep a Pallas’s cat. They are protected and export from Asia is banned I would have thought. Someone in the USA probably keeps one but they are very rare. Sorry but hope this helps.

      Reply
      • I like looking at pictures of these wildcats. it makes me sick that people are breeding and selling these as exotic-domestics. I hope they start to do more to protect these beauties in the wild. it would be a shame to see them become extinct.

        Reply
        • Absolutely. I have always said that we should be spending far more time and effort on protected wild cats in the wild rather than trying to breed them in cages. It seems mad to me and very self indulgent and human-centric.

          Reply

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