northern kenya, laikipia, laikipia conservation, kenya ecology, kenya natural history, tumaren, tumaren ranch
 

Tumaren

Ecology and Conservation Observations in Laikipia, Kenya

Support WildlifeDirect:
buy branded merchandise

Wildcat - The Original Meow

Category: Mammals, camera-trap | Date: Apr 27 2008 | By: tumaren

A week ago a lion killed a zebra near camp. When the rangers found the carcass the next day they positioned the camera trap on the carcass to see if the lions returned. The big cats, nervous of people around here, did not return but as luck would have it a smaller version walked by.
Has anyone misplaced a tabby in the thick African bush? Will it survive?
It will survive and probably a whole lot easier than the lions whose kill he passed by. This is the wildcat mentioned many posts back. The wildcat is the original cat from whom our domestic cats trace their line. So,, if you have a pussy cat nearby hold him or her to the screen to show them their rugged bush-wise cousin thriving in leopard/hyena/lion/wilddog country in northern kenya.

wildcat.jpg

16 Responses to “Wildcat - The Original Meow”

Theresa Siskind St Petersburg FL, on 27 Apr 2008

These guys are like miniature lions, plenty of attitude packed in their diminutive form. I learned there are color variations in their coats, also. Thanks for this “purrfect” post (couldn’t resist)!

sheryl, washington dc, on 27 Apr 2008

How big is the wildcat? Is it bigger than domestic cats?

s.

James, on 27 Apr 2008

sheryl and theresa Hi,
They look pretty much identical to a big barn tabby when i have seen them possibly with longer legs though. they don’t stick around long though when you see them . they slink off and hide in cover rather quickly.

Theresa Siskind St Petersburg FL, on 27 Apr 2008

Hi James and Sheryl, if you are so inclined, please go to the Zimbabwe Seven Blog, refer to Lisa’s second most recent entry. There you will find pictures of these beautiful cats. Enjoy!

Paula, on 28 Apr 2008

Hey, nice photo James. That kitty looks just like my Harry! Maybe that explains his wild behaviour!

James, on 28 Apr 2008

Paula, a great book i recently finished called ‘the world without us’ basically explains that if humans disapear overnight our pets like our cats (harry for example) will likely survive and possibly thrive where as our dogs will likely not fair so well. interesting.

James, on 28 Apr 2008

also does anyone know of a source of catnip in kenya? i’m serious. it is supposed to be good at luring in cats, even big ones! interesting to see what a lion or leopard would do with some catnip.

Theresa Siskind St Petersburg FL, on 28 Apr 2008

James, try using spices, big cats are attracted to them. That is what many sanctuaries use, as a form of enrichment. For a cat to be attracted to cat nip, it must have the gene (I’m not kidding), this explains why some kitties have no interest in it what so ever.

Wim, on 28 Apr 2008

No joy James, apparently it’s an escaped exotic in some countries in Africa.
From my reading, Dogs substitute well as Leopard catnip (though that may prove somewhat controversial, not to mention periodcally upsetting).
Incidentally, the two links to Tumaren on the main blog menu don’t seem to work, they just take you back to the home page, so keep posting or we’ll lose you.

James, on 28 Apr 2008

i imagine that there must be mixing between feral cats and the wildcat population but after several generations in the bush i think they should be returning to the original wildcat quite quickly. certainly none of the ones i have seen are like my mums old siamese.
kerrys mum had a jack russel taken of the foot of her bad by a leopard not far from here. the dog or leopard made a scuffle noise as they tried to run out of the open room, kerrys mum gave chase screaming, then fell down an enormous cliff face (naked) and into an Acacia tree. The noise evidently spooked the leopard and it spat out the dog who was fine, not one cut or puncture. Kerry’s mum was not so lucky.

Wim, on 28 Apr 2008

Paula, it’s described in my book as a Paka pori or Taita Grey Wild Cat also known as the Egyptian Cat and yes, they do interbreed “the progeny are invariably very handsome but inclined to be untrustworthy and sometimes viscious”.
James, we had a three-legged Jack Russell which gnawed it’s way through a wall once, must have been in need of calcium. Is Kerrys Mum the small lady with the pet rat? Very robust for a woman of such diminutive stature. I’d have screamed and ran too… in the opposite direction.

James, on 29 Apr 2008

wim, yes that is Julia. Diminutive in appearance but can be like a honey badger in temperament if the need arises.

James, on 29 Apr 2008

Furthermore Wim, I would be interested to know more about “untrustworthy”. Do you have domestic cats? do you trust them?

sauwah, on 29 Apr 2008

untrustworthy? our domestic cats? hell, they are animals! come and think of it, how much can you and will you trust your fellow human being? Like all living beings, cats both wild and domestic just want to live. like us, they tend to think about themselves first. afterall, cats are solitary animals.

african wild cats do have pink noses unlike our domestic tabbies. i took some lousy photos on one. he was not shy at all. looked just like any tabby at home.

James, on 30 Apr 2008

sort of supposed to be a joke sauwah. no, i dont trust my fellow human beings (96%) and i’m quite familiar with the ’selfish gene’ thanks, j

Wim, on 30 Apr 2008

Actually no. I don’t trust them.
If domestic cats were the size of a Great Dane they would try to eat us.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS

Leave a Reply