Meet The World's Smallest Wild Feline: The 3 Pound Rusty-Spotted Cat
Timothy Roberts
Most people tend to think about domesticated cats when they think about felines. In reality, however, cats exist both in our homes and in the wild.
We sometimes hear that variety is the spice of life, and that certainly applies to cats. Some are big, some are small, but all of them make the world an interesting place to live.
Photo: One of the felines on the smaller scale is the Rusty-spotted cat. According to the International Society for Endangered Cats Canada, it is a wildcat that may measure up to 20 inches long and weigh in at around 3 pounds. Most house cats are much larger.
When you look at a rusty-spotted cat, it will put you in mind of a domesticated feline. With marking similar to a Bengal, they may look familiar, but they are much smaller and more slender than the domestic breed.
They have rust-colored streaks along with brown/gray streaks that run the entire length of their body. They also have a small rusty-colored spot, which is how they got their name.
Photo: If you want to see these amazing cats in the wild, you will have to head to South Asia. They can be found roaming around the forests in Sri Lanka, India, and Nepal.
As a breed, the Rusty-spotted are quite diverse. You can find them in arid country as well as wooded grassland and bamboo forests.
The Rusty-spotted cat spends most of its time hunting for small birds and rodents. They will hunt on the ground as well as up in the treetops.
Photo: There are still quite a few Rusty-spotted in the wild, but they are considered "near threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature with their numbers decreasing.
In recent years, they have lost some of their habitat as the population continues to grow in Sri Lanka and India. In order to survive and thrive, the land where they live must be protected.
Let's hope these amazing cats are around for many years to come.
