Rusty-spotted Cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus)

Common Names: Rusty-spotted Cat

Rusty spotted cats compete with black footed cats Felis nigripes and the kodkod Oncifelis guigna as the world’s smallest living wild cat species. They have been described by some as a smaller, ‘washed out’ version of the leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis.

The body is slender body and smaller than a domestic cat. The fur is short and soft, with the upper parts a grizzled brownish grey, tinged with rufous to varying degrees and marked with rust brown spots. There are horizontal bars on the legs and chest; the belly and inner sides of the legs are white. Their head is short, rounded, and marked with two white streaks on the inner edges of the eyes. There are several reddish brown streaks on each cheek, and the chin and cheeks are white. The eyes are fairly large with irises of greyish brown to amber. Ears are short and rounded, backed with rufous grey, and have light coloured basal ear spots. Their legs are relatively short, and the feet have black soles. The tail is moderately long, more rufous coloured than the body, and unmarked.

These small nocturnal cats inhabit a variety of habitats in southern India, from moist deciduous forest and drier scrub forest, to arid scrub lands and open grasslands. Their presence has been confirmed in the tropical dry Gir Forest of northern India. In Sri Lanka, they are found from sea level to 2,100 metres in humid forest, low scrub, and arid coastal belts.

Rusty spotted cats appear to be accomplished climbers, and probably hunt in trees as well as on the ground. They are thought to hunt small birds and mammals, but may take some reptiles, frogs, insects, and domestic chickens when the opportunity arises. The 19th century naturalist, T.C. Jerdon had a rusty spotted cat as a pet, and it would hunt tree squirrels in the rafters of his house. When introduced to young gazelle, the cat immediately seized it by the nape of the neck, and had to be pulled off before it would let go.

The reproductive behaviour of rusty spotted cats has been observed in captivity, and is almost identical to the domestic cat. For several days prior to actual copulation, a male follows and attempts to approach a female coming into oestrous. Presumably, the male has determined the onset of the female’s reproductive period by monitoring her scent marks and vocalizations. The resident male spends his time scent marking at an increased rate, and monitoring the female’s receptivity. As the female nears her receptive period, the courting male carefully approaches her, rubbing her cheeks and neck with his head. Initially she hisses and strikes at him with her paws, sniffs his scent marks, and increases the frequency of her own marking. Once the female is truly in oestrous, she is receptive to mounting by the male. Mating lasts between one and five minutes, and can be repeated numerous times a day. Most cats remain in oestrous for about three days, longer if the female is not mated.

Births occur in the spring in India. A litter of one to three kittens is born in a secluded den after a gestation of approximately 67 days. The kittens lack the rusty spotting of the adults and their irises are light blue. Nothing is known of their development but it is probably much like that of domestic kittens. Longevity has been reported at 16 years, in captivity.

Recently, these cats have been discovered living in abandoned houses in a thickly populated area of southern India, distant from forest which has been considered their habitat. It is likely that rats and mice around the houses, and nearby poultry serve as food. Showing some tolerance of modified habitats, females with kittens have been found denning in a tea plantation in Sri Lanka.

Some Sri Lankan villagers are reported to consider rusty spotted cats culinary items, and some livestock predation has been reported. The main threat to these small cats is the destruction of their natural habitat due to the needs of the ever growing populations of India and Sri Lanka.

Nothing is known of the rusty spotted cat’s status in the wild, but they are fully protected over their range. The Indian population is placed on Appendix I of CITES, while the Sri Lankan population is on Appendix II.

 
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