Marbled Cat Prionailurus marmorata

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Marbled cats of Asia have been compared to small clouded leopards Neofelis nebulosa, as both bear the distinctive marbling pattern on their coats, with the combination of large, irregular shaped dark blotches, margined with black.

The background color of the coat is a brownish grey through reddish brown, with narrow, longitudinal black stripes on the crown, neck and back. Their fur is thick and soft with a well developed underfur. The underparts are light grey or off white, marked with solid black spots. The head is short, and more rounded than other felines, with a wide forehead, large brown pupils, and marked with three dark stripes on either side. The backs of the short rounded ears are black with a grey bar. The legs are relatively short and end in broad foot pads. About the size of a large domestic cat, the marbled cat’s tail is, however, very long and bushy, about 3/4 of the length of the body, and black tipped with dull spotting down its length.

They are thought to be a purely forest cat of arboreal habits, feeding on tree squirrels, fruit bats, mice and rats; birds, reptiles, frogs and insects. This theory is supported by the structure of their feet which show no adaptation to ground dwelling habits, the length of their tail, and the short limbs. Like the larger clouded leopard, they have double claw sheaths on broad, flexible paws. When sitting, lying or standing, they retract the head slightly and arch the back. They are thought to be nocturnal, and are extremely swift climbers. The marbled cat has been referred to as the Old World counterpart of the margay Leopardus wiedii of Central and South America.

Blood serum analysis indicates that marbled cats are quite closely related to the larger cats. Perhaps they are similar in form to the forest ancestors of the big cats some ten million years ago. However, they may have also decreased in size more recently due to competition with other big cats.

Once found in a variety of forested habitats throughout southeast Asia, including the foothills of the Himalayas to Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra, marbled cats are rarely seen in the wild and are very secretive. Primarily an animal of moist tropical forest, there is little knowledge of their specific habitat requirements. Although they are protected in India and Thailand, their numbers and reproductive habits are completely unknown. Because of their rarity, there is little evidence that these cats are taken for the fur trade.

These cats are seldom seen in captivity, and are poor breeders in zoos. In the past, one zoo has had breeding successes, but all offspring originated from a single pair, and all had to be hand raised. One to four kittens are born after a gestation of approximately 81 days. Weight at birth was 100 - 115 grams. Their ears unfolded from their head at five days, and their eyes were open by 14 days. Sexual maturity is reached around 21 months. Their vocal repertoire is basically similar to that of the domestic cat Felis catus, although the meow resembles a twittering bird call and they purr infrequently. Maximum longevity has been reported to be 12 years in captivity.

While nothing is known of their status in the wild, they appear to have never been numerous. Their forest dwelling habits make them particularly vulnerable to the destruction of tropical forest habitats occurring all over southeast Asia today. Protected only in parts of their range, they have been placed on Appendix I of CITES.