The species of wild steppe cat emerged as an independent species 130,000 years ago. Domestication began to occur 10,000 years ago in the Middle East,
where cats had a great influence on religion, culture and human life. Agree, a cat is of little use. Catching mice and no loyalty.
Species and man
About 10,000 years ago, with the beginning of the development of agriculture and the appearance of the first Neolithic human settlements, steppe cats were domesticated and became the ancestors of domestic cats.
The steppe cat is often found near human habitation, especially in winter, when it is easier to find prey - mice and rats - near the habitation. As a fur-bearing animal, it is of no value, although it was hunted in a number of places.
In India, the range has been greatly reduced due to human development of the habitats of this animal.
Character and lifestyle of the steppe cat
When you hear the word “cat,” you most often imagine a fast, energetic animal, but energy and mobility are not at all characteristic of Pallas’ cat. He just can't run fast. Jumping and climbing trees is also not his taste. In addition, the cat gets tired too quickly. It is preferable for him to sleep all day and only go hunting at night.
Big company is also not to the liking of the fluffy couch potato. It is much better for him to sit comfortably in an abandoned fox or badger hole and rest until nightfall.
Since the Pallas cat does not greet his “interlocutors,” there is no one in particular to give him a voice. It is impossible to wait for songs and heartfelt screams from the steppe cat even in the most romantic periods of his life.
True, in exceptional cases he can purr in a hoarse voice, or snort with displeasure, that’s all he’s capable of. Wildcat Hunter is excellent. He has a lot of patience and endurance. The Pallas's cat can lie for a long time in the snow or among the foliage, tracking down its prey.
As prey, he chooses not too large animals - mice and birds. However, it can also cope with an animal of similar weight, for example, a hare. Of course, if the hare does not flee.
When hunting in winter, the Pallas's cat chooses places that are not too covered with snow, because his rich fur coat in the snowdrifts does him no good at all - because of it, the cat simply gets stuck in the snow.
Pallas' cat diligently avoids people; moreover, even when they are found as kittens, they are very poorly tamed, treat people with distrust and abandon their wild habits for the rest of their lives.
Even in zoos, Pallas' cats began to appear only when, with the advent of the Internet, photos of the steppe cat and great interest arose in them.
True, the cat was already popular among local residents, because its luxurious fur is true wealth. Therefore, the cat has good reason to be careful.
In the natural environment, the number of cats is reduced by owls, wolves and eagle owls. It is not easy for the Pallas's cat to escape from these predators, because he cannot always escape by running due to his slowness; all he can do is snort and bare his teeth. Cats are listed in the Red Book.
Distribution and habitats
The steppe cat lives in semi-desert, steppe and sometimes mountainous regions of Africa, not rising above 3000 m above sea level, in Western, Middle and Central Asia, Northern India, as well as in Transcaucasia and Kazakhstan. The number in most habitats is small. On the territory of Russia, at present, the steppe cat or its traces can be found only in semi-desert areas or floodplain bushes of the Astrakhan region, where it usually stays close to water. Despite its name, the steppe cat avoids open places. It stays in the thickets, and tries to run through areas free of vegetation as quickly as possible. Deep snow cover is not suitable for the steppe cat, so it avoids places where there is a lot of snow.
Captivity
Steppe cats can be found in many zoos around the world, but here their life expectancy is much shorter than in the wild. By the way, African steppe cats live longer than their European forest relatives.
There are several families of these animals in the Moscow and Krasnodar zoos.
The steppe cat is not popular as an object for domestication; it is not bred in nurseries and zoo farms, since its appearance is practically no different from an ordinary street cat, and its burrow is not at all suitable for living next to humans. Although if you try to socialize a very small kitten at the age of several weeks, then this experience can be crowned with success.
The local population of Africa sometimes have such a baby at home and quite successfully tame the Steppe Cat.
Appearance
The steppe cat is similar in appearance to a domestic cat with a “wild” color: uniform fawn with small dark spots. On the sides, neck and head, spots sometimes merge into stripes. The coat color can range from light yellow to sandy brown. The throat and belly are whitish or gray-white. The coat is quite dense, with a well-developed undercoat. The tail is “decorated” with black rings. Body length 49–74 cm, weight up to 6 kg. The tail is long and thin - 24–36 cm. The ears are small, the eyes are greenish-yellow, the pupils are slit-like and vertical.
The paw pads are bare, without fur. The tracks of the steppe cat are very similar to those of the domestic cat. When walking in the snow, the steppe cat places its paws strictly vertically and tracks in tracks, just as foxes and domestic cats do.
Description of the steppe cat
Body length ranges from 63 to 70 centimeters, tail length is 23-33 centimeters, shoulder height is up to 35 centimeters, and weight ranges from 3 to 8 kilograms. Females are larger and heavier compared to males.
The claws of these predators are completely retractable. The tail is long. The ears are large. The jaws are strong with large incisors. The total number of teeth in the mouth is 30.
In winter, the main color of the steppe cat is grayish-yellow or sandy, and there are black spots on the sides of the body and on the back. The tail has several black rings. The throat and underbelly are white.
Lifestyle and social behavior
The steppe cat goes hunting at the end of the day, when it gets dark. He usually spends the day in shelters, most often occupying the burrows of other animals: porcupines, foxes, or hiding in bushes. Cats often settle near rodent colonies. They “steal” the prey, as cats should, or lie in wait near the hole.
When confronted with an enemy, the cat, if it does not have time to escape, arches its back, raises its fur “on end” and turns sideways to the enemy, while its tail sticks out somewhat. This is done to appear larger and intimidate the enemy. If the enemy continues to attack, the cat falls on its back and fights off with all four paws armed with large sharp claws.
Steppe cats lead a solitary lifestyle; animals of different sexes meet only in certain seasons of the year in order to leave offspring. Despite this, cats have rich facial expressions and use various poses and rituals when communicating with their relatives.
Details
External description
Considering the difference between all three subspecies of the steppe cat, it is difficult to combine the external description into a single system, although common features are still present in all three.
- African Prairie Cat: The coat matches the color of its surroundings and ranges from sandy to grey-yellow. The hair is short, soft, with little undercoat and a close fit. All colors have stripes of darker shades. On the paws and tail the stripes are almost black and clear, but on the body the stripes are a couple of shades darker than the main color of the coat, with torn edges and blurred boundaries. Weight varies from 3.5 to 6.5 kilograms, and the length of the body and tail varies from 45-75 and 20-38 centimeters, respectively. The legs are very long, equal in proportion to the width of the two bodies. It looks a little comical, as if a cat had long ago missed a giraffe on its evolutionary path. The rest of the body is proportional, like that of any mongrel cat.
- Asian Steppe Cat: Slightly larger than its African cousin, an adult cat can grow up to 7 kilograms and 79 centimeters in length. The color often contains gray and brown, but sandy shades are still preserved. The most important difference in color is that the subspecies is spotted, not striped. At the same time, the tail most often has closed stripes, on the paws there are elongated horizontal spots, and the body is exclusively with dark polka dots. The undercoat of the Asian subspecies is even smaller than that of the African, and the short hair does not adhere to the body. A shaggy cat is more similar in body structure to an ordinary cat - the paws are harmonious with the size of the body and there is no “resemblance to a giraffe”.
- South African steppe cat: the smallest of the species, although the difference is only half a kilo - an adult cat grows up to 70 centimeters and 6 kilograms in weight. The color of the fur coat is not bright, gray is always mixed with iron-red or ocher tones. The pattern on the body is expressed on the elbows and the edge of the tail; on the rest of the surface, spots or stripes are faintly visible and serve more as a camouflage function than as a deterrent. The coat hair is soft, with the most abundant undercoat within the species. The legs are slightly longer than those of the Asian steppe cat, but the harmony of proportions is not broken.
The gamma of the iris remains the same for all three subspecies. It is either yellow, green, or amber, which is, in principle, characteristic of small wild cats.
Behavior in the wild
Regardless of the territory, steppe cats prefer to settle in steppes, semi-deserts and deserts; only in Africa can the species climb into mountainous areas. In Astrakhan, Orenburg and Saratov, the species prefers to stay in the floodplains of rivers, building its nest in the bushes. In general, both the steppe cat of the Saratov region and the steppe cat of South Africa are all cats that mimic the environment, hunt at dusk and prefer to occupy holes and shelters after foxes, badgers, fennecs and hares. Sometimes a hollow can become a place for daytime rest, but due to the characteristics of the territory it occupies, this type of shelter is not very common among the species.
The only thing that neither subspecies likes is snow and frost. Not a single subspecies of wild steppe cat has sufficient undercoat to endure a thick layer of snow and wind with frost like a Siberian.
The habitats and hunting style of the species depend on gender. Females are content with a small territory, preferring to occupy it once and for all. Males roam across several habitats of females, sometimes winning a new potential mate from the male of a neighboring area.
The species goes hunting only at night. This, firstly, is typical for all small cats, and secondly, in the steppe there is almost no place to hide, and the species is a master of close-range hunting, which puts itself at risk from larger predators. The species also prefers not to meet with its fellows when hunting. If a male hunts in the territory of a particular female, then they will keep a distance from each other. Cats meet and have contact with cats only during the race to conceive offspring.
INTERESTING: wherever the steppe cat lives, he improves his home. A rock crevice, hollow or abandoned hole will always be lined with dry grass or feathers of prey, and the toilet will always be moved outside the territory. If fleas or other parasites appear in a cat’s house, the cat leaves its habitual home and looks for a new “non-infectious” home.
The species prefers to escape from enemies into holes, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s their own or not - any hole will do in a moment of danger. A wild cat rarely climbs a tree, since it rarely comes into contact with such a surface and often climbs poorly. If there is nowhere to hide, and the technique with a hiss and an arched back does not work, then the cat lies on its back and stretches its paws up with its claws extended, causing the maximum possible harm to the predator. In general, these are the habits of an ordinary domestic cat, for example, encountering a strange dog.
The list of enemies in the wild for the steppe cat again depends on its place of residence and the proximity of human settlement. The species is not considered as a fur animal, so it suffers from wolves, dogs, and lynxes. Kittens also become victims of predatory nocturnal birds, which catch playing babies near their holes while the female is hunting.
The cat itself hunts:
- Mice are the mainstay of the species' diet.
- Lizards.
- Invertebrates in water.
- Birds - very rarely and only not terrestrial, often destroying the nest, but not eating the mother herself.
- Insects - if you are really hungry.
- Turtles are very rare, only if they are present in the reservoirs of the range.
The species does not track prey, preferring to ambush in several jumps. The larger the game, the faster the attack from the back; the steppe cat aims directly at the artery, without getting into a fight with the food.
The species ruts twice a year in December-February and May-July. The male and female spend several days together, after which pregnancy occurs for 60-68 days, depending on multiple births. After mating, the male does not always leave the female; sometimes long-term monogamous pairs are formed, raising more than one generation of kittens.
A cat gives birth to very tiny kittens, sometimes babies weigh up to 65 grams. Only those who carried 90 grams or more in the womb survive.
INTERESTING: in all subspecies, kittens are born blue-eyed and with pink pads on their paws. By three months, the iris acquires an adult color, and the paws darken.
Steppe cat kittens grow up rapidly. At 2 months, babies are ready to hunt together with their mother. At 4-5 months, the litter still lives with the female, but already hunts in the mother’s territory on its own. At 6 months, kittens leave their parents. In a year, both sexes are ready to reproduce and already have their own permanent territory.
In the wild, the species lives up to 14 years; in homes and zoos, some individuals live up to 21 years. However, the species is suitable for reproduction only up to 8 years of age.
INTERESTING: two female steppe cats live in the Moscow Zoo. The ladies have already passed childbearing age, but still show dexterity and grace. During the day, cats live in an enclosure, and at night they are given access to the inner enclosure of the zoo. At demonstration feedings, cats are particularly delighted with quails and live mice, although females eat chicken and beef in fillet format with no less pleasure.
Modern domestication
Despite the fact that the species was successfully domesticated and gave its genes to many native and later purebred cats of the world, the wild steppe cat does not feel tenderness towards humans. You can tame a cat, but you need to do this when the kitten is only 2-3 weeks old and does not have any skills from the mother cat about the world outside the hole. A wild cat kitten can be placed with a domestic cat that has given birth and raised by her with all the rules of socialization and accustomed to human hands.
Growing up, the steppe cat will be a good guard of the house from rodent attacks, but it will never become affectionate and tame. Wild instincts will still take over, and the cat will rather consider you and the house as its habitat rather than perceive you as a full-fledged owner. Yes, he won’t refuse food, and in moments of overabundance of feelings he can rub himself against his legs, but he will show all his feline independence to the fullest.
IMPORTANT: the wild steppe cat, due to its status as an endangered species, is prohibited from being kept in private houses and apartments. You cannot legally buy a kitten. On the black market, there is a high risk of encountering a fake in the form of wild kittens of an ordinary cat that lambed far from humans.
Nutrition and feeding behavior
The steppe cat is a pronounced predator. Its diet is based on small animals: rodents, birds and their eggs, lizards. It often “snacks” on insects (beetles, locusts), and can even catch and eat steppe turtles or dig up their eggs. Since the steppe cat is a small animal, it does not need large prey; it is quite content with small animals.
Cats are excellent hunters, as nature has provided them with the necessary tools for hunting: sharp claws, large fangs and special horny tubercles on the tongue. Retractable claws always remain sharp because they are retracted into the paw pads. Thanks to these claws, cats are excellent at climbing trees, where they can get bird eggs or chicks. Large sharp fangs are excellent weapons. The tongue of cats is covered with hard horny outgrowths that help polish the bones of prey “cleanly”. The special structure of the eyes allows them to see well at dusk.
Before going hunting, cats wash themselves thoroughly so that there is no smell left that could give away the animal sitting in ambush.
Wild cat nutrition
The African wild cat prefers to hunt animals such as small rodents, birds, and hares. The diet may also include insects and lizards. The most common rodents eaten are mice, gophers and jerboas.
Among the birds, pheasants and sparrows are distinguished, and they also prefer to hunt domestic chickens. Cats are excellent at climbing trees thanks to their long and sharp claws, climbing into bird nests and happily eating their eggs.
They can eat amphibians, and in water cartilaginous fish become food for the African cat.
Reproduction and raising of offspring
The mating season for steppe cats in Russia begins in late January-February. At this time of year, wild steppe cats behave in the same way as domestic “March” cats. Males loudly sort things out and chase females. After 2 months, the female gives birth to 2 to 5, most often 3, kittens. Kittens are born blind, with closed ear canals. Newborn kittens weigh about 40 grams. The coat color of babies is similar to that of adults, only the spots are more distinct. After 9 - 12 days, their eyes and ears open. Milk feeding lasts about two and a half months. Gradually, the mother accustoms the kittens to eating meat. First, the cat brings the kids killed prey, then half-dead, and finally, completely alive. In this way, the cat teaches its children to hunt and kill prey. From 12 weeks, babies begin to go hunting with their mother. The male is usually not allowed near the babies.
Kittens' milk teeth are replaced by permanent ones at 5–8 months and they can begin to lead an independent life. After a year they are already capable of reproduction, but males begin to participate in reproduction only after two years.
Lifespan: 7–10 years in captivity, much less in nature.
Manul in the food chain
The Pallas cat animal is clearly not at the top of the food chain, although it is considered a predator.
This is all due to some of the slowness of the beast, its reluctance to enter into open conflict, and its inability to move quickly.
Cat's food
The animal's diet includes pikas, mouse-like rodents, hamsters, voles, gophers, hares, marmots, and various birds. The cat will happily taste the quail that did not have time to fly away, and in severe times of hunger it will not refuse even a cricket.
The hunting process occurs either in the morning, or in the evening and all night.
The manul cat hides in a place convenient for waiting for the victim, patiently looks out for it, and only then pounces on the careless animal. Short legs are rather a hindrance here, so he has a chance to catch prey suddenly: in a run, a wild cat will lose.
In winter hunting, warm, thick hair together with short limbs makes the cat clumsy, so the animal prefers to forage for food in open, windy spaces.
Enemies of Pallas's cats
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//data-ad-slot=”2475549904″ $ads_google = empty($ads_google) ? false : true; ?> if ($ads_google == false) {?> $ads_google = true; ?> } ?> The physique and habitat of the wild Pallas's cat makes their existence unsafe. Since cats prefer open spaces, they are open to the view of larger predators, which can be steppe wolves, eagles, golden eagles, and eagle owls. Feral dogs do not miss the opportunity to hunt a fluffy cat.
Nature can also become a serious enemy: if the winter turns out to be snowy, then for cats this means lack of food. Pallas cat kittens that appear by mid-spring can die from infections.
Humans are also considered enemies of the handsome man with a stern expression on his face. People are expanding their own land, making survival conditions more difficult - the food supply is shrinking, and there are more and more stray dogs. Hunters set traps for a hare and a fox, and the unfortunate manula cats .
Animals at the Moscow Zoo
At our Fauna of Russia exhibition, two females live together. They moved to Moscow from the Krasnodar Zoo. They are already quite old, but still show feline agility, which visitors can appreciate at demonstration feedings. At night, these active animals, precisely in the dark, are allowed to walk, but not around the zoo, but in the interior spaces adjacent to their enclosure.
They like to eat mice, quail, beef and chicken. Very dexterous and cute animals - in a word, cats...
Interesting facts about the Pallas cat breed
This is interesting:
- Evolutionary processes did not affect the appearance of the cat.
- Pallas named the cat "Otocolobus", which means "ugly ears". In fact, they are truly unusual, but calling an animal's ear ugly is wrong.
- The little kitten doesn't know how to meow. Predators communicate using harsh calls.
- Among the cat representatives, the Pallas's cat has the thickest fur. There are 10,000 hairs on 1 square centimeter of animal skin.
- The predator calmly tolerates temperatures of -50 0C.
- Due to the hermit's lifestyle, the animal's immune system is weakened. Pallas cat can easily become infected from domestic cats.
