Do the small wild cats hibernate?

The small wild cat species do not hibernate because they can enjoy sufficient resources to feed on throughout the year

No. Small wild cat species do not hibernate. You may know that animal hibernation evolved to improve the survival of certain species by conserving energy through lowering their basal metabolic rate in response to a lack of resources during the winter months. The “basal metabolic rate” means the body’s minimum energy consumption necessary to …

Read more

5 small cats can make a living in the desert

Several small cats make a living in the desert some of which also live in cold climates.

Although there is only one true desert-living small cat, the sand cat, there are four other small wild cat species that can make a living in the desert: Pallas’s cat, bobcat, Andean cat and pampas cat. Bobcats occur in four deserts of North America. The bobcat has a very wide distribution which is why …

Read more

The center of origin of small wild cats is likely Asia

14 Wildcat species in Asia possibly the origin of the small wild cat species

Asia has the biggest number of small cat species at 14. It’s been suggested by a couple of small cat species experts, James Sanderson and Patrick Watson, that “the center of origin of small cats is likely Asia”. That’s because there are 14 small cat species living on the Asian continent; the most of …

Read more

The reason why kittens, adult domestic cats and small wild cats play

Domestic cats playing

It might seem rather strange to state that this article is about the reason why domestic cats and kittens play because it looks obvious: to have fun, to enjoy themselves. There must be an element of fun in play but the primary reason why kittens play, it is believed, is to develop and reinforce …

Read more

You can tell the difference between tree and ground dwelling cats from their morphology

You can tell the difference between the three-dwelling cats and the ground-dwelling cats through their morphology which is their form and function.

All members of the cat family (Felidae) have an evolutionary desire to move vertically. It is part of their survival skill set but some cat species are described as ‘arboreal’ meaning they live in trees as much or more than living on the ground (terrestrial). Two of these species are the clouded leopard and …

Read more

All small cats are fully capable swimmers

Hurricane Harvey rescued cats

It is a thought: can small cats swim? Yes, is the firm answer. The answer is seen in the best-known small cat, the domestic cat. Not particularly keen to be in water but once in a very capable swimmer. It goes against the general belief of many people that cats hate water. When they …

Read more

Domestic cats don’t chew food they shear it

Feline carnassials

When you watch the domestic cat eating food you might think that they use their incisor teeth to grab food and then push it back to their premolars to masticate it into a form where it can be swallowed. But you would be mistaken. The domestic cat’s wild cat ancestor evolved dentition which is …

Read more

follow it link and logo