Rare asian golden cat

The Asian Golden Cat, also called the Asiatic Golden Cat and Temminck's Golden Cat, is a medium sized wild cat weighing from 12 to 16 kilograms. In captivity this type can live up to 20 years, but its average lifespan in the wild is likely far shorter. While the fur is mostly foxy red or golden brown, black or grey color variants may also be found. Usually, the coat is plain, save for some spots on the underside, and sometimes very faint spotting on the rest of the coat. However, in China there is a color variant with leopard-like spots, which resemble a Leopard Cat. This spotted fur is a recessive characteristic, i.e. when a spotted and a plain cat interbreed, the young get plain hair.

Asian Golden Cat lives throughout Southeast Asia, ranging from Tibet and Nepal to Southern China, India, and Sumatra. It prefers forest habitats interspersed with rocky area, and is found in deciduous, subtropical evergreen, and tropical rainforests. The Asian Golden Cat is irregularly found in more open terrain. It ranges from the lowlands to altitude of up to 3000 meters in the Himalayas.

Not a great deal is known about this rather elusive predator, and most of what is known about it has been found out in captivity. Previous observations suggested that it is primarily nocturnal, but a recent study on 2 golden cats showed arrythmic activity patterns. It is thought to be primarily solitary.

Asian Golden Cat prefers to hunt on the ground, but does climb when it needs to. When hunting, it uses a stalk and rush method typical of felines. It is known to hunt birds, lizards, rodents, other small mammals, and the occasional small or young deer, and seems to be fairly flexible in its diet. Asian Golden Cat has been reported to hunt in pairs when pursuing better animals. In captivity, it plucks the feathers of larger birds before eating them. There has been news of the Asian Golden Cat scavenging, a behavior not commonly seen in felines. Rarely, it hunts near human settlement or prey on farm animals.

Everything known about Asian Golden Cat reproduction has been figure out from comments of them in captivity. It becomes sexually mature at anywhere from 18 to 24 months of age. Its development period lasts about 80 days; litters usually consist of only one kitten. Kittens are born in the hollows of trees, rock crevices, and possibly in hollows and other protected places on the ground. The pelts of kittens are thicker and slightly darker, but with the pattern they will keep for their entire life. Based on what has been seen in captivity, it is thought that males take an active role in rearing the young.