Wild Cat Species Comment
This page – wild cat species comment – contains links to a many articles by visitors and myself on the wild cat species. There is a focus on conservation and a rejection of hunting the wildcats and anything that damages their conservation.
Contents:
Wild cat species – General material/comment
- The conservation status of the African wildcat as at 2014. By far the biggest threat is mating with the domestic cat – hybridization. Nothing can be done about it.
- Big Cat Man-eaters – a list with comment.
- Wild Cat Species of Southeast Asia – link to maps and info.
- Wild Cat Species of South America – link to maps and info.
- Wild Cat Species of Africa – link to some nice information.
- Olfactory Marking Behavior in Wildcats
- Wild Cats in Captivity
- Big Cat Attack – human carelessness and stupidity.
- How fast is a Eurasian lynx?
- Lynx kittens fight each other – violently
- Smallest Wild Cat
- Tiger Farms – a hideous practice and a cynical pretense for tiger conservation based on pure commercialism.
- Tiger Bone – this is not a sustainable business.
- Wild Cat Species by Size – nice big chart and a spreadsheet
- Male wildcat roaming opens new window -good for genetic diversity
- Inbreeding the curse of bigcats
- Inbreeding and sperm quality – inbreeding of big cats – problems
- Difference Between the European and African Wildcat
- Do We Want Wildcats? – human attitude and behavior tells me, No.
- Wildcats at night
- Wildcat hybrids – a list and links
- Worlds largest cat – covers domestic to wild
- Big Cat Rescue – about the well known rescue organization
- Tiger Quiz
- Lion Quiz
- IUCN Red List for Cats
- CITES in relation to cats
- Agouti ticked coat of the wildcat in this case the Jaguarundi wildcat
- WildCats of Three Continents
- Tiger Population in India
- The Bengal tiger is mismanaged – although no amount of management can save the tiger now.
- Flawed and Fatal Tiger Conservation
- Inbreeding of Wildcats – This will present a major obstacle before long
- Wildcat habitats – Habitats are being destroyed generally & palm oil is destroying the primary forests a number of where wildcats live.
- Lion vs Tiger – the tiger wins but not for sure.
- Wild Cat Species by Size – full chart and actual weights of all wildcats
- Cat that eats vegetation – this one does deliberately.
- How Fast Can A Cheetah Run – this is a definitive answer, I think.
- African Lion Safari Ontario – where it is, videos and stills.
- History of the Big Cats – a potted history of the 4 big cats.
- Keeping Wildcat Hybrids in the UK – the law as at Sept 2009.
- Keeping Wildcats – refers largely to the USA
- Water Cats – cats that have an affinity for water.
- Cat Climbing Trees – cats are wonderful climbers – here’s why.
- Scottish Wildcat to be saved by trap, neuter, return program on feral cats
- Unknown Wild Cat Sightings – these are all in the USA.
- A wildcat species can be extinct and living at the same time – discuss – see post.
Wild Cat Species – Political and critical wild cat species comment
- Killing a Tiger in Self-Defence in India
- Election fraud kills the tiger provocative perhaps but true I believe.
- The Tiger of Mysore – a well known person.
- Human and wildcat are forced together -classic habitat problem.
- Tiger Human Conflict – It goes on and the tiger will inevitably lose.
- Maneka Gandhi – a great Indian women.
- International enforcement is needed to save the tiger – one way.
- The tiger is doomed? – too much disorder not enough care.
- The Sportsman’s Handbook on Skinning a Tiger
- Texas tigers are unwanted – the pet trade in America.
- Poisoning tigers – wildlife parks in India don’t seem to be protective.
- Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse, LA – pet tigers in America.
- Cats and Corruption – this is not specific to one country.
- Tourists banned from tiger reserves – some real effort being made.
- Muddled Tiger Conservation in India – funds not getting through.
- Stop Poaching of Wildcats – Poaching is a major threat to survival.
- Zoo Tiger Attacks – Another example of how people get it wrong.
- Pet Cougar– keeping a pet cougar is bad for wild cougars.
- National Tiger Conservation Authority – not enough happening.
- Tiger Skins For Sale
This website has adopted a tiger via the Born Free Foundation (new window). Please see donations page. More will follow. No point rabbiting on without doing something. The small wildcats are as vulnerable. This site has also donated £100 to the Scottish Wildcat Association. On 28-6-09 this site sponsored a cougar named Hal at Big Cat Rescue. On 11-7-09, $250 was donated to The Snow Leopard Trust. Please see donations page.
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Wild cat species – Comment on conservation – the most important topic
The survival of the worlds mammals and wildcat species in particular is reaching dangerous levels. There is a real risk of one in four mammals disappearing for ever.
This has been reinforced recently by the publication of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
The truth is that this has been coming for a very long time. This tells us that we have implicitly made up our minds that the best place for other animals is in zoos where we can control them and where they can’t get in the way of development, global expansion, population expansion and economic growth.
If we do a search for keywords that turn on the term “wildcat” or “wild cat”, 98% of the keywords are related to football teams, cars, golf clubs or other commercial concerns. We are happy to use the term “wildcat” in our naming of commercial concerns. This is largely the extent of our involvement in wild cat species. I am talking here of humankind generally. We are also happy to look at pictures of them and stand in awe. We are happy to produce miniature versions of wild cats. Examples are the Bengal cat and Savannah. There are others. We like to do it our way. We can control smaller and domesticated versions of the real thing. We can’t really cope with the idea of living side by side with wild cats. This is mainly because of uncontrolled human population growth in those countries where the majority of wild cat species live. This erodes wild cat habitat. As one conservation expert said in relation to cheetah habitat, “cheetahs live on farms”. In other words they are forced to share farm land with people. A totally impractical arrangement with no solution.
If it’s not habitat loss it could be sport hunting. I find it astonishing that sport hunting of the cougar is still allowed in some parts of the United States. Once upon a time hunting was about human survival. That is OK. Sport hunting today can never be condoned as acceptable as it is simply passé, something of the past. We should have moved on. We should be more “civilized” whatever that means. I personally find sport hunting barbaric. Do sport hunters consider that they are causing pain for their pleasure? In a world balance of pain-v-pleasure sport hunting equates to pain and it hurts us too. Every time someone shoots a wild cat for pleasure the world becomes less good.
A great threat to wild cat species particularly the tiger is Chinese medicine (new window). Sorry to go on endlessly about this. If sport hunting is passé, Chinese medicine is archaic if the ingredients for it are actual body parts of tigers and other rare animals. Substitutes are available but not always used; why not? Why is the Bengal tiger endangered when this wild cat species is protected under the CITES convention (a ban in body parts)? Answer: lack of commitment to enforcement. Lack of money – strange that, when there are some very rich Indian people for example. See CITES in relation to cats.
Obviously there are many very committed and concerned groups and individuals who expend a lot of effort to turn back the tide. However, in using a financial term, “the bottom line” is that wild cat species are gradually becoming extinct and the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species confirms that. Will it change? See IUCN Red List for cats.
The above video was made by me and it shows a cat, Magic, who is a first generation (F1) domestic cat from the wildcat – a wildcat hybrid Savannah cat. The mother is a Savannah cat and the father a serval. She is the Guinness World Records tallest domestic cat and probably the world’s best domestic cat jumper. Check out the very short video. See also Savannah Cat MAGIC
Wild cat species comment on acquiring a wildcat for a pet
Personally, I don’t agree with adopting a wild cat species as a pet, but I accept that lots of people do like to keep wildcats as pets and as long as these people treat pet wildcats with sensitivity and dignity and are aware of the legalities (new window), then people who object should accept it, until things change for good.
There are several things to take into account before proceeding. These thoughts relate to the USA, the country where people do keep wildcats as pets. It is exceptionally rare in the UK and mainland Europe to do this:
- Check with the relevant State wildlife board to check requirements. Here are some pointers on the serval, a popular wildcat/pet (new window).
- Make sure the breeder is experienced and has hand reared the cat from birth to the time it is sold to you. And ask about how the cat was socialized. This is important for a cat that is naturally more at home in the wild.
- Do some checks on the cat breed in question. Servals are popular wildcat pets because they are relatively small but much bigger than the domestic cat (see the video above). Servals are sometimes abandoned and killed one way or another (serval cat escapes). People also declaw Servals and pet wildcats generally. Most breeders recommend this and Gloria Stephens (Legacy of the Cat) suggests that this is acceptable. I disagree. I can understand why it is recommended but it shows a basic lack of respect for the animal. It is the amputation of the last joint of each toe on the forelimbs. “Declawing” is a misdescription. I discuss why the operation is deliberately misdescribed: The Psychology of Declawing(new window). In the cases of declawed Servals that have escaped, declawing them hindered survival substantially. Either we want to live with a whole Serval or we don’t. If not don’t proceed, is my motto.
- Baby wildcats are cute, adult ones are not.
- It is advised to alter (spay or neuter) early before the sex hormones start.
- Think about the demands. Many require a truly natural diet. This amounts to skilled work.
- Some vets don’t like to treat wildcats or don’t want to. Can your vet provide the service?
The place to share your wild cat species experiences or knowledge:
Please scroll down to below the form to see the submissions by visitors and myself – I love this form!
What Other Visitors Have Said
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page…
Looking after Wild Cats and Wildcat Hybrids I drove from Alabama to w. VA to get 2 F1 jungle cat ( Felis chaus ) hybrids from a Bengal breeder who rescued them. The F1+ 75% jungle cat 25% domestic …
Jaguarundi at the Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park? On April 7, 2012 at 13:00 hours two guests visiting Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park / Riverbend Park in Jupiter, Florida reported seeing a very strange …
Surplus Killing Surplus killing is where an animal kills prey that is not immediately used as food. Surplus killing is something that upsets some people and it is used …
Servical and Caraval The servical and caraval are made up names for made up animals. I know I am being tough but I don’t like it. I don’t like the desire of some private zoo …
servals kittens, savannah, bengals, Ocelot, caracals, Bengals for sale We also sell Peterbald cats. Just $300. Bargain basement prices. Location: PHOENIX AZ , CA, 85003, United States. Our cats are vaccinated and spayed/neutered….
Five Servals Kept in Basement for Twelve Years I didn’t want to write about this but it kept coming back into my mind. It sounds awful and it is. Big Cat Rescue reported on it and are seeking funds …
Flawed and Fatal Tiger Conservation I am in despair again over tiger conservation. I have absolutely no optimism about tiger conservation. This state of mind has been brought about by an …
Wildcat Paw Prints Looking for wildcat paw prints? There are two main sources as far as I am concerned. The first is usually photographs of wildcat prints and these can be …
“Wild Cat Breeds” I thought I would briefly point out the inaccuracy of the title to this post. A good number of people searching for information about wildcats search using …
Wild Animal Orphanage Closing Down This is a commentary on the closure of the Wild Animal Orphanage. They are my views alone but the odd comment may help us to get a more balanced viewpoint….
Why do leopards have spots? Answer: camouflage – evolution has created a coat that is made for the leopard’s preferred habitat : leopards usually …
Two Ocelots in Paramaribo, Surinam This is my response to an article on the PoC blogger site: Ocelot kitten POC; Wild cats (new window).
About six years ago I met a charming man at …
Wild cat mothered by a domestic cat I’d just like to chew over a story that has been around for about 10 years but the video only seems to have been made available recently.
The Audubon …
Domestic Cat to Wildcat Comparison and Changes I recently wrote about how the domestic cat will change over the next thousand years. I was mainly thinking about the domestic cat’s cognitive abilities….
Cecil the hybrid wild cat? who wants to live with us Very tongue in cheek I decided to refer to ‘that cat’ who was coming around in the early mornings and howling on our patio as Cecil.
I just came …
What Eats A Cheetah? “What eats a cheetah?”, is a question that quite a large number of web surfers ask. To be completely honest it is a slightly basic question and the answers …
Wild Cats Four Decades Earlier I was born in a remote village of South India as my Mother hailed from there and as per the custom the expectant mother visited her parents for the …
Why Owning Exotic Cats Is Wrong This is controversial, I suspect. It goes against the thoughts and principles of the Feline Conservation Federation of which I am a member. However, I …
Black California Wildcat? About ten years ago, I was on a bike ride with my father and sisters and saw the strangest feline.
We were riding through Bidwell Park in Chico, CA,…
Wildcats As Pets Personally, I disapprove of wildcats as pets. Many Americans in particular will disagree with me. I accept that and am in no way critical of people who …
Employing Dogs to Protect Cats Employing dogs to protect cats is a sensible bit of wildcat conservation. It is the kind of wildcat conservation that I like. The opposite behavior and …
Nebraska Legislative Bill 747 The Nebraska Legislative Bill 747 is deeply flawed. It has been drafted and promulgated by people who have little concern for nature or wildlife and …
Unknown Florida Wildcat I saw a large strange cat in 1988 in port St.Lucie/Stuart fla. – My wife saw 2 of them. I have tried on many occasions to identify this cat
This was …
Western New York Sighting of Unidentified Feline Animal While hiking in a swampland nature preserve 2 years ago with a friend, we happened upon a cat-like animal (appearing approx. 45lbs.) that was slowly moving …
The wild cats need lots an lots of help I think the wild cats need lots an lots of help. The population of wild cats are decreasing and they need help.
I love cats so, so, so, so, so much …
Cheetah Semen Is Much Worse Than Domestic Cat Semen Yes, the sperm of a cheetah, the fastest land animal on the planet, is much worse than the sperm of the common domestic cat, the companion animal that …
Why Farmers are Killing Cheetahs in Namibia Lack of governmental regulation is not the cause of the dwindling numbers of cheetahs in Namibia. Namibia is a HUGE and sparsely populated country; therefore …
I had a cat eaten by a bobcat when it stayed outside One night I was on my computer and went to my back porch because I heard a screeching noise. At first I thought it was my cat. So I called it inside my …
Lion Mane Comprehensive facts about the lion mane are listed here. The mane of the lion is perhaps the best known single piece of wild animal anatomy other than …
Circus Tigers About 40 years ago only a few people gave a second thought as to whether circus tigers were a bad thing. The world has changed and people are becoming …
Leopard Cat Approaches a Camera Trap I feel jealous looking at images of lovely cats in action on the Pictures-of-cats web site. The wild cats are not so crazy to be photographed, at least …
Tale of Two Tigers I recall, it was the first week of January this year (2009) when myself with two of my colleagues from Wildlife Trust of India – Anil, a biologist and …
Leopard Facts Leopard facts should be succinct, easy to read and be a summary of the subject matter and that is what I have endeavoured to do here. I have been selective …
Is Big Cat Rescue a Sham? I made a post about Big Cat Rescue (BCR) 9 months ago. I said I admired the work of Carole Baskin (formerly Carole Lewis) the founder. BCR was called …
My Pet African Wildcat I have a female African wildcat that was born in Saudi Arabia. My brother was stationed there and captured her parents, as kittens, in the desert outside …
Indochinese Tiger The Indochinese tiger is a subspecies of the tiger that has, apparently, the greatest genetic diversity of all the tiger subspecies. However, taxonomy,…
Anime Tiger What is Anime Tiger? Before the internet no one had heard of anime except the under 15s and Japanese people. Now “anime” is all over the ‘net and even …
The Tiger That Killed I was at the zoo & this tiger was looking at me like if as i was dinner!…..Then it go in its leaping position so backed up & it saw me moving trying …
Caspian Tiger I am not going to write a lot about the Caspian tiger because it is an extinct tiger that never existed . Other names are: Hyrcanian Tiger, Turan Tiger….
Tigers for Sale What do people think about tigers for sale? Are you upset, appalled or OK about it? Is it a bad thing or acceptable? What is bad about it? How is an individual …
Living With And Understanding Servals And Caracals In a previous short story I revealed that I rescued exotic cats ( Caracals Can Communicate with Their Ears ). Well, I never in my life thought that my …
Stories of Tiger Hunting Here are some stories of tiger hunting from the past; from a time when it was considered “normal” to hunt tigers for the fun of it. They are extracts …
Cat Eats a Bird When a cat eats a bird it will sometimes pluck the bird’s feathers beforehand. That, though, is a simplistic statement because it seems that it is more …
How Fast Can A Cheetah Run? How fast can a cheetah run? This is a question that often arises because the cheetah is the fastest land animal on the planet. Sometimes a little bit …
Clever Cat Conservation Here is an example of clever cat conservation. It seems to me as if it is a piece of enlightened lateral thinking. The cat concerned is the snow leopard,…
Bengal Tiger Population The Bengal tiger belongs to the world. It always did and more so now that the world Bengal tiger population is estimated at 1410 (or is it 1411?). That …
I joined the Feline Conservation Federation I joined the Feline Conservation Federation (FCF) and I am very pleased to have done so. I’d like to tell you why and also how you can join at a big discount….
Tiger Penis I think the Chinese are switching from the tiger’s penis to Viagra to cure their impotence. Hurray! Long live the tiger. However this information comes …
Tiger Poaching The description of tiger poaching actually covers a myriad of murderous intentions against the tiger and its survival. Technically, the word, “poaching”…
Lion Meat Lion meat is a hoax to drum up business. That is my opinion. Or is it? This is how I came to know about and track the lion meat story. But first I want …
White Tiger Habitat The white tiger is not a separate species of tiger. Its habitat is, therefore, the same as the other tigers. Except, and this is a big exception, there …
Endangered White Tiger The endangered white tiger is either extinct or practically extinct in the wild and in practice endangered in captivity. This is not a rare sub species …
Bengal Tiger Habitat This article on the Bengal tiger habitat looks at where it is and what it is. When you write about habitat you have to write about the location as well….
Baby Tigers Here’s some pictures and facts about baby tigers. Tigresses are very cautious and protective about their cubs. Tigresses will risk their lives and have …
Siberian Tiger Habitat The article discusses the Siberian tiger habitat . This tiger is also called the Amur tiger, Manchurian tiger, or Ussuri tiger. The habitat and location …
Wildcat Hybrids Here is a useful (?) list of wildcat hybrids taken from a list compiled by Australian researchers whose intent (as I see it) was to formulate an argument …
Caracals Can Communicate With Their Ears Many people don’t realize that before I owned my famous boy “Motzie” I used to rescue, safe-capture and relocate exotic felines. Yes, I am talking about …
Silvery Wildcat I was walking along a cycle track with my dog, when I turned around and saw a large animal walking along, I stopped and looked in amazement and thought …
Mountain Lion Years ago while hiking in the Red River Gorge I got to a rock outcropping and saw something the size of a large dog sunning itself. As I approached, it …
Hunting Success of Wild Cats It is interesting to look at the hunting success of the wild cats. Wild cats are top predators and we associate them with great hunting skills. They are …
Ocelot-cougar Hybrid There is a nice reference in Wikipedia to a purported ocelot-cougar hybrid. This is the outcome of a wildcat to wildcat mating. This can happen but in …
The Bobcat In 2012 What is the current situation regarding the bobcat? And how do we find out? The organisation charged with keeping up to date with developments in the …
What Do Wild Cats Eat? A list of the main or primary prey item of each the 36 wild cat species is listed below. Scientists work this out by studying scats (feces) and stomach …
How many species of wild cat are there? How many species of wild cat are there? The current answer is thirty-six (36). That is the consensus at Feb 2012. I say that because taxonomy, the classification …
Wild Cat Lineages The thirty-six species of wildcat are said to have evolved from eight phylogenetic lineages over the last 10-15 million years. Phylogenetic means “relating …
Felis Bracatta Tortoiseshell Wildcat Felis bracatta is a tortoiseshell wild cat. I should say, was a wildcat because there was only one example recorded as far as I can tell and it was …
Eastern Cougar Extinct March 2011 3rd March 2011: The eastern cougar has been declared extinct by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The last one was shot and stuffed in 1938 it is said….
Siberian Tiger Endangered? Is the Siberian tiger endangered? Yes, very much so despite the stable population and the personal concern shown by President Putin.
Putin you may …
Jaguarundi Picture People ask to see a Jaguarundi picture. Although there are decent pictures of this interesting looking species of small wildcat on the main page ( Jaguarundi …
Kellas Cats I would like to know, after reading Di Francis’s book, “My Highland Kellas Cat”, why there appears to be no video footage whatsoever of these cats.
Apparently …
Frustrated by Wild Cat at Lambert Hill She might be seen as beautiful except for my chicken in her mouth! We have tried to get help in trapping her. No one wants the job. There are skeptics …
Interesting Facts About Tigers Here are some selected, interesting facts about tigers. I’ll keep this very concise as the other pages on this website about the tiger are progressively …
Ko Samui Thailand Cats? I was recently on the Thai island of Samui. I was riding a rented dirt bike in some very remote areas and I came across some tracks that looked to me like …
What kind of cat was that?! A couple friends and I have now seen this cat twice. It is a medium-dark gray with stripes and maybe blotches or spots, a long tail (maybe over three feet …
European, African and Asian Wildcat Threats and Conservation Here are some bulleted notes on the threats and conservation of the wild cat species known as the “wildcat”. This is a small wildcat that looks like a …
Tiger is Facing It’s Last Stand It is said that the tiger is facing it’s last stand ( Times newspaper 15th September 2010 ). However, this thought has perhaps been in the minds of many …
Unidentified black 40lb cat in Arizona Recently driving through rural northern Arizona. Observed a large animal crossing the road, when I got closer I saw that it was a very large cat thin cheetah …
Kodkod Conservation in the Valdivian Forest This article is based on one of a similar title by Maximiliano A Sepulveda, A Eguren and E.A. Silva-Rodriguez, published in the July/August edition of …
Margays and Mayans This is about the possible domestication of the margay wild cat by the ancient Mayan peoples during the classic period, circa 250 AD to 900 AD. We know …
Show Your Stripes For The Tigers! Our school mascot is a tiger. Well we read up that tigers are endangered. So we set aside a day that we would go to a Zoo that held tigers, wearing stripes….
Domestic Wild Cat I’m currently doing some research on domesticated wild cats. There are 2 main areas that I’m looking into:
Cats and their owners – how they trained …
Malayan Tiger You won’t find the Malayan tiger in the best book on wild cats, Wild Cats Of The World by the Sunquists because it didn’t exist when they wrote the …
South China Tigers Nov. 2009: Are south china tigers extinct? That must be the first question. Well the best people to ask must be the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™…
Puma Cats Puma cats are being conserved in Brazil in the Iguaçu National Park. I would like, if I may, to refer mainly to the report of Anne-Sophie Bertrand MSc …
Leopard Subspecies This is a list of leopard subspecies. For completeness I have also included wildcats that have in their name the word “leopard” although these are different …
Snow Tigers Snow Tigers? People search for this. But there is no such creature. Or put it this way, there are no tigers with that formal name. Maybe people are searching …
Albino Lion In discussing the Albino lion you have to discuss white lions and the genetics behind white cats generally. This is because there are possibly four …
Socialites Are Killing The Sumatran Tiger I say that socialites are killing the Sumatran tiger. A completely defamatory statement you might think. But in case you haven’t read about it, you will …
Cougar and Human Behavior There is a nice story in the Huffington Post about insights into cougar behavior. Its actually about cougar and human behavior. Scientists were researching …
Serval and Domestic Cat Together Hey, hows it going? I own the Serval & Domestic cat you showed on this page “https://pictures-of-cats.org/wild-cat-species.html”. You should also show …
The Pesticide Furadan in Africa I just read about the pesticide Furadan in Africa on a website that I like Ofcats.com. Well, when I read about this pesticide and how it is killing lions …
Origami Tiger The origami tiger is a popular piece of origami for the simply reason, I suspect, that the tiger is the worlds favorite animal . I suppose an origami …
Difference Between the European and African Wildcat There is a “family” of wildcats; small and looking like the domestic cat. This short post is about the difference between the European and African wildcat …
Do We Want Wildcats? Do We Want Wildcats? This might sound odd to many people. Most people would say, “Yes”, of course. But our worldwide, collective actions, taken as a …
Wild cat species comment – Photos published under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs creative commons License or the lesser license: Attribution License.
The information on this page and the linked pages (on the individual wild cat species) is carefully prepared. However I can’t guarantee absolute accuracy mainly because in relation to some cats relatively little is known. If you can assist in making things more accurate I would welcome it. There is a form on this page where a contribution can be made by visitors – thanks.
Wild cat species comment to home page
