Rusty-spotted cat

The rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) is one of the cat family's smallest members. It lives in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. These tiny cats are special because they are among the smallest wild cats in the world.

Since 2016, the rusty-spotted cat has been listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. This means that its numbers are getting smaller because of changes to its home, especially the loss of deciduous forests. Protecting these forests is very important to help keep the rusty-spotted cat safe for the future.

Taxonomy

The rusty-spotted cat was first described by a scientist in 1831. Another scientist gave it the name Prionailurus in 1858. A third scientist added more information about it in 1939.

Phylogeny

Studies of DNA show that cats began to spread out in Asia a long time ago. The cats in the Prionailurus group, including the rusty-spotted cat, share a common ancestor. The rusty-spotted cat was the first in this group to separate, followed by the flat-headed cat and the fishing cat. The relationships between these cats can be seen in a special chart called a cladogram.

Characteristics

The rusty-spotted cat has short reddish-grey fur with rusty spots on its back and sides. It has four dark lines over its eyes, two of which continue down its neck, and six dark streaks on each side of its head. Its chin, throat, and belly are whitish with tiny brown spots, and it has a rusty band on its chest. The cat's paws and tail are a uniform reddish-grey.

It is the smallest wild cat in Asia and is about the same size as the black-footed cat. It measures between 35 to 48 cm (14 to 19 in) in body length, with a tail that is 15 to 30 cm (5.9 to 11.8 in) long, and weighs between 0.9 to 1.6 kg (2.0 to 3.5 lb). Its bushy tail is about half the length of its body.

Distribution and habitat

The rusty-spotted cat lives in certain areas, mainly in moist and dry forests, scrub, and grassland. It likes places with thick plants and rocks, but it does not live in forests that are always green.

In India, this cat was once thought to live only in the south, but we now know it is found across much of the country. It has been seen in places like Gir National Park in Gujarat, Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, and along India’s Eastern Ghats. Cameras have also captured it in Pilibhit Tiger Reserve and Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary. Even where people farm, the cat does well where there are many rodents. It has also been spotted in Kalesar National Park in Haryana and in Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh.

In Nepal, the cat was first photographed in Bardia National Park in 2012 and later in Shuklaphanta National Park in 2016.

In Sri Lanka, the cat lives in both high and low rainforests. There are two groups, one in the dry zone and another in the wet zone. In 2016, it was seen for the first time in Horton Plains National Park at heights between 2,084 and 2,162 meters.

Ecology and behaviour

We don't know much about the rusty-spotted cat in the wild. In places where they are kept safely, these cats are mostly active at night but can sometimes be seen during the day. In Horton Plain National Park in Sri Lanka, they are usually seen after sunset and before sunrise, with little activity during the day. Some have been found hiding in trees and caves.

These cats eat mainly rodents and birds, but they also hunt lizards, frogs, and insects. They hunt on the ground, moving quickly to catch their food. They may climb trees to escape larger animals. Both male and female cats mark their area by spraying urine.

Reproduction

A female cat is ready to have babies for five days, and mating happens very quickly. This short time may help keep her safe from larger animals. She builds a nest in a hidden spot, and after about 65 to 70 days, she gives birth to one or two kittens. The newborn kittens weigh only about 60 to 77 grams and have rows of black spots. They grow and develop the adult coat pattern of rusty blotches by about 68 weeks. In captivity, these cats can live up to twelve years, but how long they live in the wild is still unknown.

Threats

The rusty-spotted cat has trouble because its home is disappearing. This happens when land is used for farms in India and Sri Lanka. Sometimes people see these cats in farmed areas, but we don’t know how well they can live there. In some places, people hunt the cats for food or because they think the cats hurt farm animals. There have also been reports of their skins being sold.

Conservation

The rusty-spotted cat is protected in many places. In India, people cannot hunt or trade these cats. Sri Lanka also has rules to help keep them safe.

Some of these cats live in zoos. As of 2010, there were 56 of them in eight different zoos. Eleven were in the Colombo Zoo in Sri Lanka, and 45 were in seven zoos in Europe.