jungle cat

House cat, predatory swamp lynx, jungle cat, reed or wild reed cat - all these are the names of one cat breed that inhabits the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories, the Kamyshlovsky region, the coast of the Sea of Japan, China, the Korean Peninsula, Japan, India, Eastern Turkey. The cat looks like a wild lynx, but is slightly smaller in size. The animal can be kept at home, but before getting such a pet, it is recommended to study the characteristics and description of habits, as well as the rules of keeping.

Swamp lynx: the main enemy is cold

Despite the fact that reed cats are not of particular hunting value, one of the subspecies living in our country, Felis chaus chaus Schreber - the Caucasian reed cat - is listed in the Red Book of Russia as a rare species, decreasing in number and distribution, located on the border of its range.
One of the main reasons for the sharp decline in the number of wild reed cats is cold winters: these animals, due to their sparse and coarse fur, do not tolerate low temperatures well.

In all other respects, nature did an excellent job of ensuring that the wild reed cat could survive in its natural habitat.

Appearance and dimensions of the jungle cat

These are large and strong animals. They weigh from 5 to 15 kilograms, depending on gender and species. Their height at the withers reaches 60 centimeters, body length - from half a meter to a meter and a quarter.

The tall, muscular paws that the swamp lynx can be proud of serve the animal in good stead. They are perfectly adapted for running in thickets near water bodies and high jumps, protect the body from getting wet, and provide the opportunity for a good view “from above.”

Large erect ears (up to 8.5 centimeters), decorated with tassels in males, not only gave the jungle cat a second name - “swamp lynx”, but also provide the animal with excellent hunting hearing. Beautiful almond-shaped eyes see perfectly in the dark. And the red-brown “camouflage coat” allows the wild cat to remain invisible among the reeds, and against the background of stones and sand.

In the photo, the wild jungle cat appears in all its splendor! However, the forest reed cat does not like to demonstrate its beauty.

What does the jungle cat eat?

The marsh lynx is a cautious cat, preferring to hunt at night or in the twilight. The main prey of the predator is birds, fish and rodents. Less commonly – reptiles, hares, small ungulates. In the heat of the hunt, a jungle cat can even climb trees.

How to choose a kitten

It is better to buy a baby cane cat at the age of 3 months - this is the optimal age for taming and starting to train the animal. It is also at this time that the difference between a House cat and a normal kitten born in the same litter becomes apparent. At 3 months, the animal should already have all its vaccinations. When choosing a kitten, pay attention to the following aspects:

availability of the necessary set of documents certifying the breed and pedigree of the animal;
the kitten's disposition should be cheerful, playful, affectionate;
the baby must be accustomed to go to the tray and use a scratching post;
Ideally, the animal should treat other kittens and strangers well and calmly.

Where can I buy

Buying a kitten is not easy, since only a few nurseries breed and sell House cats. An alternative to finding a specialized cattery is to buy a jungle cat at an exhibition of elite breeds. It is important that the animal has all the documents and vaccinations, but even with this there is no guarantee that the pet will grow up friendly and obedient. In Russia, the breed is bred in the following institutions:

Ascheracat (Moscow);
Lunicorn (Moscow region);
Benabi (Saratov).

How much does a jungle cat cost?

It is difficult to purchase a representative of the breed not only because of the small number, but also the high price. Private nurseries breed and sell kittens. In addition to them, there are companies that sell wild cats and other exotic animals. In Russia, the price of a Hausa kitten ranges from 100-150 thousand rubles. If you find a cheaper option, there is a risk that they are trying to sell you ordinary kittens of a similar color.

The pattern and lifespan of the jungle cat

The whole life of a Hausa is hunting. He is not picky about food; he gets by with a couple of mice or one large rodent per day. In warm climates, it prefers to go out fishing at night, and during the day it lies down in thickets of dense bushes or coastal reeds. Often the swamp lynx was found in abandoned fox holes, where it sets up a temporary home for itself.

The lifestyle of the reed cat in northern latitudes is influenced by the weather. Here, with the arrival of cold weather, he is forced to hunt during the day, adjusting to the biological clock of his victims. Therefore, such areas are unusual for wild Hausas, who gravitate towards a warm climate, non-freezing water and dense vegetation. Although the regional adaptation of reed cats sometimes forces them to radically change their habits and lifestyle.

In Iran, this rock was discovered at a mountain elevation exceeding 4 thousand meters. And this is not an isolated case - the spread of the wild cat population has spread to 20 highland areas. It is not clear what drove the Kamyshov cats closer to the clouds, but the fact remains.

Adult reed cats prefer solitude; each animal settles on 50-150 km2 of hunting grounds. Serious quarrels with competitors often break out over dominance in a chosen area. Only twice a year, during the mating season, male cats unite with female cats and allow them into their own possessions.

However, at other times, cats protect their land no less fiercely than reed males do.

Under natural conditions, the life expectancy of a jungle cat is up to 15 years. But the struggle for survival, droughts and people greatly shorten this period. A rare representative of the reed breed avoids encounters with four-legged enemies - wolves and leopards. And in old age, he can no longer aggressively defend the territory and cedes it to younger and impudent ones.

Habitat

Bog lynxes prefer habitats near water, with dense vegetation cover, but can be found in a variety of habitats, including deserts (where they are found near oases or along riverbeds), grasslands, scrub forests and dry deciduous forests, as well as cleared areas in humid forests They are usually found in tall grass, dense bushes, riverine swamps and reed beds. Hausas are also well adapted to life in cultivated lands and can be found in various types of agricultural and forestry plantations. As you know, jungle cats live at altitudes of up to 2500 meters above sea level, but are more often found in the lowlands.

Protection of jungle cats

Photo: Jungle cat

As already mentioned, the Caucasian species of reed cats living in the Russian Federation is listed in the Red Book; the threat of its extinction is quite high. Based on the information presented in this book, we can say that there are only about 500 of these animals left in our country.

A large number of different factors led to such a deplorable state of the jungle cat species:

poaching;
catching animals due to the death of poultry;
harsh and cold climate;
drying out of swamps;
lack of food;
larger predators (wolves, jackals, leopards);
bad ecology.

In our country, hunting and killing the jungle cat is prohibited. In some zoos it is kept for breeding purposes, which gives good results. Under no circumstances should we allow this unique animal to completely disappear from the face of our planet.

In conclusion, I would like to add that the jungle cat is, of course, trainable if you set this goal for yourself. But the character of this graceful and dexterous predator will always strive for freedom. This proud beast prefers quiet, impassable thickets to communicating with humans. Therefore, you should not interfere with him living in his natural cat kingdom, where he feels like a real master of the situation and is truly calm, peaceful and happy!

Breed Features

The jungle cat is by nature a wild animal. Maintaining, raising and caring for him at home is quite difficult. He is very different from domestic cats, not only in appearance, but also in character.

Important! The Hausa jungle cat should not be confused with the Hausi breed. The latter was specially bred by crossing a jungle cat and a domestic cat.

Description and photo of the cat

In nature, Hausas live in swampy areas overgrown with reeds, impassable thickets of bushes, and on the outskirts of the forest. They do not like open places and do not climb trees. Swamp lynxes are excellent hunters.

They catch birds, small rodents, gophers, hares and even small wild pigs. They swim very well. In this way they get their own fish and hide from persecution. They prefer to hunt in the dark. This is done less often during the day in cool weather. The house cat meows, but much louder than other cats and as if with a “bass”.

In February and early March, jungle cats mate. Males fight for the right to own a female, arranging fights among themselves. A little more than two months later, kittens are born. Usually there are from three to six of them in a litter, but sometimes up to ten. Babies have clearly visible stripes on their fur, which disappear as they grow.

On the tenth day, the kittens' eyes open, they feed on milk for up to three months, and at five they are already completely independent. As a rule, this is where their communication with relatives ends, since cats are loners by nature. Houses live up to 14 years.

Did you know? Native speakers of English call the jungle cat “jungle cat”, as well as “reed cat” (Jungle cat, Reed cat).

Animal character

We advise you to familiarize yourself with the ten most expensive cat breeds in the world.

Where does it live?

Swamp lynx, house, jungle or Nile cat - all these are names for one representative of the cat family that lives in tugai forests and dense reeds. Representatives of the breed lead a solitary lifestyle, do not like open areas, but sometimes make forays and come to desert places with lumpy sands. However, the animal does not go far from its habitat. In winter and spring, the predator enters settlements to hunt poultry. In mountainous areas, the house does not rise above 100 m, since heat-loving cats do not like frost and snow.

Houses are attracted to the banks of ponds with lush vegetation, where they can hunt ducks and other animals. Cats make shelters in thickets of reeds or intertwined bushes. At the same time, the animal does not make holes, preferring to occupy ready-made abandoned dwellings of foxes or badgers. Marsh lynxes do not stay in one place for a long time, periodically changing shelters. Cats often approach the coastal strip, leaving tracks on muddy areas and shallows.

Cats swim well, dive for fish, and dive into water to eliminate their own smell. The latter distinguishes the jungle cat from the domestic breed, which tends to leave odorous traces everywhere (this is how the animal marks its territory). Wild cats live in the territory:

Kazakhstan;
low-lying banks of the Nile and Volga;
Indochina;
Iran;
Dagestan;
Eastern Turkey;
India;
Palestine;
Caucasian forests;
river openings of Central Asia.

Our advice

Chausie is advised to buy for people who live in large houses, since a cat of this breed requires unlimited space. In the world, the Chausie is considered one of the rarest and most expensive cats, since almost every 3rd male is born unable to continue the race; many kittens are born without signs of the breed.

The animal loves to play actively, jumping on cabinets and shelves. Therefore, if the buyer does not require accompanying documents, a story may happen, as in the joke about the hamster that grew into a bear.

It would be good if they replaced them with regular cats. It will be much worse if a wild jungle cat cub is sold. So, before purchasing a jungle cat or chausie, it is better to weigh all the pros and cons, so as not to hurt the animal and not run into problems yourself.

Based on materials: zoograf.guru, dikiymir.ru, dekatop.com, o-prirode.com, worldofnature.ru, vashipitomcy.ru

Diet

The menu of jungle cats in the wild is very diverse, including: birds, reptiles, insects, fish and small mammals. They prefer to hunt at dusk or at night.

When going hunting, patient cats can wait in ambush for hours until the curious face of a small rodent appears from a hole. Birds are waylaid, hiding in the thickets, and then caught on takeoff. Reed cats often go fishing using cunning techniques.

They carefully hit the surface with their paw, imitating the movement of insects, and then snatch out an unwary fish with their claws or dive headlong after it. If there are bird nests along the way, the house is sure to feast on eggs or young chicks

What to feed a domestic jungle cat

It is recommended to feed an adult animal once a day. The daily menu should consist of approximately 200 g of meat. It could be lean beef, veal, a couple of live mice or one rat. Chickens and quails are also provided as live food. Fresh or live fish is offered once a week

An important component of the content are fasting days. Once a week for 24 hours, the predator goes on a starvation diet.

Such measures are necessary to maintain the health and normal weight of the cat. Mandatory supplements include vitamins and fresh herbs. Kittens up to one year old eat twice a day, the diet is supplemented with dairy and fermented milk products, calcium supplements and other microelements.

Wild cats do not digest foods rich in fiber well, so you should not experiment with cereals and vegetables. Dry industrial foods should also be avoided.

Even holistic and super premium diets contain grains, and their protein composition cannot satisfy the needs of a wild cat and maintain the microflora of the digestive tract in the required balance.

Jungle cat - description

Some features of the Hausa's body structure really give it an external resemblance to a lynx. Thus, its paws are disproportionately large in relation to the body, which recalls the “fighting” past of the tamed animal. The jungle cat's ears sometimes have tufts at the ends, which is why it looks very much like a famous predator.

Photo of a jungle cat

There is no single standard for the “appearance” of this member of the feline family. However, we can highlight the following features that are characteristic of all houses:

massive, “weighty” head;
the muzzle is somewhat elongated downwards;
the ears are large, adult cats may have tufts; and on the back of the ears there are so-called “deceptive eyes”;
eye color yellow or green;
a relatively short tail, which is about a third of the length of the cat’s body;
wide sternum;
rather thick and short hair;
The color of the cat varies depending on the subspecies; Predominant colors: gray, ticked tabby and black.

Character of jungle cats

The jungle cat is a 100% predator with an obstinate disposition.

They usually go out for active hunting closer to night, achieving amazing skill in this matter. Due to the fact that these animals have a very developed sense of smell and hearing, and are also excellent swimmers, a jungle cat is unlikely to be left without prey.

In the winter season, this predator also hunts in daylight, waiting in the thickets or setting up an ambush to catch prey. He can also catch birds, as he can jump quite high.

The secretive and very neat animal is usually alone and searches for a mate only during the breeding season.

Each adult male has his own territory - from fifty to two hundred meters around. Those domesticated cats that live with people outside the city are still dangerous for all domestic animals living nearby, even if we are talking about dogs.

If you decide to get yourself such a pet, you need to know that this is a very active and energetic cat with a wild character, so it is difficult to tame it and make it truly domestic.

He chooses only one owner and constantly requires attention. Animals with a deficiency of affection can become seriously offended by a person and even leave their home.

Adult cats make loud bass sounds, while tiny kittens make hissing and snorting noises. These animals are truly wise, they love freedom - the call of the ancient ancestors does not allow us to forget this.

When a jungle cat is looking for a mate, it can be very aggressive and dangerous to others.

Caring for a jungle cat

Like any other pet, the house needs constant attention and care. First of all, its owner should remember: the main enemy of the jungle cat is the cold. Therefore, it is necessary to protect your pet from drafts and prevent the cat from hypothermia. It is also necessary to monitor the condition of the Hausa's joints: due to their excessive mobility, these animals can accidentally injure themselves.

It is not necessary to trim the claws of this cat. To prevent the animal from tearing up the furniture, it will be enough to purchase a scratching post.

Combing

The jungle cat should be combed every day only during the shedding period. This is done in order to preserve the beauty of the hair. At all other times, it is recommended to carry out a similar procedure three times a week. To comb, you need to use a special brush equipped with soft bristles. The best option for this purpose would be a furminator.

Bathing

Unlike many other felines, jungle cats are not afraid of water. On the contrary, they are big fans of splashing around. There is no need to bathe the Hausa too often; its coat does not get dirty easily. It is worth using extraordinary bath procedures only after walking an animal in inclement weather.

Nutrition

When it comes to food, jungle cats are unpretentious. However, to maintain the physical health of the pet in proper shape, its owner needs to remember certain rules.

A Hausa kitten should be fed twice a day for up to a year, then you can switch to single feedings.

It is extremely important that the jungle cat’s diet contains live food: the fullness of its nutrition directly depends on this. An ideal animal menu should consist of one mouse, two rats and 200 g of lean meat

When purchasing dry food for your pet, the owner should carefully read its composition, since manufacturers often add grains to it. The best option would be premium food.

The main diet of a jungle cat should look like this:

1. Most of it is meat. Do not forget that by their nature, Hausas remain predators.

2. Boiled fish – no more than once every 7 days. Its excess can lead to calcium being washed out of the cat’s body. Subsequently, due to a lack of this element, the animal is at risk of developing rickets.

3. Plant foods - one third of the total nutrition. Jungle cats happily eat fresh cucumbers, pumpkins, and zucchini; Fruits do not leave them indifferent either.

If the owner of such a cat still feeds it not live, but store-bought meat, it is recommended to add minerals and vitamins to the Hausa’s diet. Pork should not be given to a jungle cat, as this is fraught with Aujeszky's disease, or pseudorabies.

There should be no shortage of drink in a house. Before pouring water into the animal, be sure to pre-filtrate it or boil it.

Features of maintenance and care

Domesticated representatives of the breed are very active, they need open space and active games. The optimal habitat for the animal is a country house. Cats love affection, walks with their owner on the street, they are adapted to relieve themselves in the tray, and do not require frequent brushing. Raising House kittens is a responsible process that requires patience, love, knowledge of the breed’s character traits and the basics of animal psychology.

The cat should be brushed daily during shedding, and once every 3-4 days after this period is over. Pets have an unstable coat change schedule: sometimes in winter there is no thick undercoat, since the living space is well heated, and summer, on the contrary, is cool, so the cat “insulates itself.” Focus on the amount of fur shed, not the season. It is better to use a brush with soft bristles. You need to bathe your pet when it gets dirty, not often. To prevent the animal from scratching the furniture, provide it with several scratching posts; they will save you from having to trim its claws.

Who is a jungle cat

The resident of the reed thickets has several other names:

swamp lynx;
house;
Nile cat.

History of the origin of the reed cat

An amazing feature of the reed cat is that it is not at all afraid of water. Moreover, the animal swims well and catches fish, lowering its head under water and grabbing prey with its teeth.

The inhabitants of Ancient Egypt drew attention to this unusual fact more than three thousand years ago. They tamed the cat and began using it to hunt ducks

In the tombs of the pharaohs, mummies of a jungle cat were found, and ancient frescoes and parchments preserved the image of a Nile cat carrying shot game to its owner.

Ancient Egyptian frescoes contain evidence that reed cats participated in joint hunting with the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt

In addition, the Egyptians took a wild cat to live in their house, thanks to which the animal received another name - “house”, which translates as “house”. Only the brave Egyptians managed to tame an animal with a wild and indomitable character. The rest considered the reed lynx dangerous and tried to keep their distance.

Previously, the reed cat lived in about 25 countries. But hunters began to exterminate the predator and use its skin for farming. In the villages, the swamp lynx was not liked for its attacks on domestic animals. In winter, due to a decrease in the food supply, attacks by the reed cat on chickens and pheasants became commonplace. For this, villagers caught and exterminated the Nile cat.

In 1776, Catherine II sent an expedition to explore southern Russia. While studying the Caucasian nature, scientists discovered an unknown predator. The first to describe this species in his notes was the German naturalist Johann Anton Güldenstedt, who was in the service of the Russian government. But another German turned out to be more successful - Johann Schreber, who in 1778 identified the type of animal. It is Schreber's name that is immortalized opposite the Caucasian type of Hausa.

In 1777, breeders developed a new breed - a hybrid of a swamp lynx and a domestic cat, with a more friendly character. At the end of the twentieth century in the United States, modern housi (chausie) appeared through selection, inheriting the appearance of the wild ancestor and the ability to get along with humans, inherited from the mother.

Juniper cat population

Due to the secluded life that these animals lead, the complete picture of the reed cat population is not entirely clear. The species is critically endangered in many habitats, especially in southeast and southwest Asia. All bog lynxes are listed in the second CITES appendix. A ban on the trade and destruction of animals has been imposed in some states of India and Afghanistan.

The Caucasian subspecies lives in Russia, which is found in:

Chechnya;
Ossetia;
Ingushetia;
on the coast of the Caspian Sea;
in the Volga delta.

True, the jungle cat was last seen on the shores of the Caspian Sea in the late 80s of the last century. However, according to the indigenous people, they sometimes encounter the swamp lynx. The Caucasian population is listed in the Red Book of Russia with the status of endangered. According to the information contained in this document, about 500 representatives of this species live in Russia.

The animal is on the verge of extinction for a number of reasons:

poaching;
deliberate destruction of an animal for theft of game birds and nutria;
cold winters;
drainage of swampy areas;
weakening of the food supply;
stronger rivals: leopards;
wolves;
wild dogs.

disturbance of the ecological balance.

The reed cat is kept and bred in separate zoos in our country.

Table: classification of marsh lynx

Parameter name	Meaning
View	Reed cat
Genus	Cats
Author	Gueldenstaedt, 1776
Family	Felines
Class	Mammals
Squad	Predatory
Type	Chordata
Kingdom	Animals
Domain	Eukaryotes
Lifespan	10–14 years

Description and origin of the species

The first scientist to catch and describe the jungle cat was the German zoologist Johann Güldenstadt. While on an expedition by order of Catherine II, in 1776 he caught an unusual wild cat on the Terek River, and named it “house”. In 1778, another German zoologist, Johann von Schreber, compiled a scientific description of the new species and gave it the scientific name chaus

). In the 1930s, British zoologist Reginald Innes Pawcock assigned the animal to the genus Felis.

The animal’s closest relatives are other representatives of the Cat genus:

black-footed cat
sand cat
Central European forest cat
steppe cat
domestic cat
Chinese mountain cat
African wild cat

What does a forest cat eat?

Photo: Wild forest cat

Cats obtain food by hunting smaller animals. The diet of forest predators largely depends on the season.

In good weather, the main prey of a feline hunter is considered to be:

small animals (mice, squirrels, chipmunks, weasels, minks, etc.);
amphibians and reptiles (frogs, snakes, lizards);
fish (small representatives swimming mainly near the surface of the water);
birds (and especially chicks or eggs left by winged parents in the nest).

Hunting cats give preference to those birds that live and nest on the ground.

In winter, things are much worse with food. Due to heavy snow and frost, the number of birds is reduced, many animals prefer to hibernate or simply sit out in warm shelters, and fish hide under the crust of ice that covers the river. Hunting is very difficult. Cats have to track and wait for their prey for a long time. It is precisely because of the difficult hunting conditions in winter that the animals gain most of their weight in the summer. The accumulated fat allows them not to freeze and maintains the normal functioning of organs.

Wild cats hunt only at night. The best time to capture prey is sunset and dawn (between these events the animal sleeps in its shelter). Moreover, if it rains at night, the cat refuses to be hot.

Behavior

These cats are usually active during the day; activity tends to decrease during hot hours. They rest in burrows, grass thickets and bushes. On winter days, marsh lynxes often like to sunbathe in the sun. At night, they are capable of walking 3-6 kilometers, although this is likely dependent on prey availability. The behavior of jungle cats has not been widely studied. Solitary by nature, they do not interact with each other, with the exception of the mating season and raising offspring.

Home range

Hausa have home ranges of 45 to 180 km², the boundaries of which are probably marked by indirect means such as olfactory markings.

Appearance description

As you can see in the photo, the jungle cat looks like a lynx.

It is quite large and heavy - the length of the body including the tail is about 1.2 m, and the height at the withers is up to 0.5 m.
The weight of an adult animal ranges from 8 to 13 kg.
He has a luxurious, thick coat with a fuzzy pattern. The main color may contain shades of gray, brown and brown, and their proportions depend on the animal's range. However, with any basic type of color, there are always several dark rings on the short tail, and the tip is painted black. Areas of a dirty red color are also visible on the body - this is the occipital region, forehead, ears and a line running along the back along the spine. The chin and groin area are much lighter.

With the arrival of cold weather, the fur of wild jungle cats becomes much thicker

The domestic jungle cat, or chausie, is also a fairly large representative of the feline world. Animals of this breed are among the largest among domestic cats. They have a powerful build, well-developed muscles and strong limbs.

Other characteristics of the breed include the following:

the body is powerful, the bones are medium, the chest is well developed and has a square shape;
head in the form of a modified wedge, high cheekbones, domed forehead;
the muzzle is almost square, the whisker pads are large and protruding, the chin is strong;
the eyes are small, set obliquely, deep-set, almond-shaped, their color is golden or yellow;
the ears are large, set straight and at a great distance from each other, well pubescent on the inner surface, with tufts at the tips;
neck is medium in length, muscular;
legs are long and strong;
the tail is not long, usually reaches the hock joint, the tip is black, the tail is surrounded by black rings;
the coat is short and lies close to the body;
color black tabby, black gray tabby or brown ticked tabby.

The weight of an adult Chausie cat can reach 13-15 kg!

Despite its impressive size, the Chausie is an incredibly graceful, flexible and agile cat. In any situation, he “keeps” a royal posture, demonstrates well-developed muscles and is distinguished by a complete absence of clumsiness.

Jungle cat, or marsh lynx, or house