Little Oscar is just one year old today. So Happy Birthday Kid and here’s to many more!
Oscar posing with his card, which he later tried to eat.
Photograph: Ed @ Moggyblog
Happy Birthday Oscar
Myths of the Raas Cat
Cat of the Month ~ May 2017
The Raas cat is a native animal on the Indonesian island of Raas in East Java. The Rass Cat is also known as a Busok or Buso Madura (or just Madura) cat. It is said that the Raas cat is from a pure breed line without mixed genes from other cat races. However this cat is not yet recognised by
Tica as a cat breed.
Blue coated Raas cat
Photograph: Indonesian Wikipedia, GFDL
Raas village cats are considered very special and are highly protected by local inhabitants who, it is said, prevent export of these cats from the island shores. They are known to the islanders as either “Cat Buso” (grey cat), or “Cat Madura” (blue cat). It is believed the blue-gray or Maew Boran stock had been taken to the island on trading ships many years ago.
The Madura breed is now in decline and this has been documented in a study carried out by Lesley Morgan (ACF – Australia) and Dr. Ronny Rachman Noor (Faculty of Animal Science, Bogor Agricultural University). The study also concluded that these cats may be descended from the Korat cat breed and that they are now a closed colony of bobtailed blue cats. It appears that the declining numbers of cats of this type on both Raas and on Madura suggest a high degree of in-breeding and weakening of the breed. A further trait of these cats is that some have cinnamon coat color. These are rarer to find and known as Amethyst Raas.
Amethyst Raas Cat.
Photograph: Indonesian Wikipedia, GFDL
The study continues: ‘…the cats posture and the triangular facial shape are similar to the ‘leopard’. The cats are large with a medium length tail with a visible bend or kink at the end. The true Madura cat (buso) is solid gray often with lavender nose leather. A few so-called Madura cats found on Madura Island have brown sepia, mink and colourpoint patterns as well as blue bi-colours. This is due to mating with local cats in the region’. The study goes on to mention the variety of cross-bred cats found on the surrounding islands, including; Korat, Burmese, Tonkinese (mink) and Siamese. Each of these had kinked tails typical of the Raas cat which further shows that cross breeding has occurred.
‘Busok’ (Blue cats) from Raas Island are kept on the neighbouring Island of Madura
Photograph: Indonesian Wikipedia, GFDL
There are several myths surrounding the Raas breed. It is said that:
- the Raas cat is believed to have a sixth sense
- the true Madurese paint (i.e. cat) originating from Raas Island, may only be kept by ‘important’ people such as religious leaders and high ranking government officials.
- anyone attempting to smuggle a cat from Raas island (especially if they are an unmarried person,) will find … “their boat sinking!”
- if the said person survives the shipwreck then that person will instead be dogged with misfortune.
For more information on the Raas cat visit the official Site of the Raas Cat. Please note that a web page translation may be required.
St Patrick’s Day Cat
Cat of the Month ~ March 2017
A sturdy, friendly animal
Photograph: © Ed
Well Wouldn’t you know it!
On this here St Patrick’s day we happened upon this beautiful creature on the Grand Union canal towpath in Warwickshire. He looked a bit ‘Russian Blue’ to our untrained eyes. He was a sturdy puss with lots of muscle around his shoulders. Working out in his home made gym in the garage we mused … and such a friendly animal too …no claws in sight.
On inspecting the collar around his neck we found an attached enameled shamrock….. now surely that must be a good luck omen!
We duly made the said moggy cat of the Month
So, Happy Saint Patrick’s day one and all!
From Ed and Oscar
My Feline Valentine
There’s a new cat on the block and she turned my head the moment I set my eyes on her.
We have been face to face with only a bit of growling (certainly no howling), so who knows where this could lead….
On my way to meet a very pretty puss
Photograph: © Ed@moggyblog
Its safe to say that she is my valentine (for this year at least)….and I don’t even know her name.
Love n’ Purrs,
Little Oscar.
The Rarest Leopard
Cat of the Month ~ January 2017
The Far Eastern leopard (Pantera pardus orientalis) is the rarest surviving subspecies of leopard. The only surviving Far Eastern leopard population is in the southern Far East of Russia. Today it numbers between just 30 and 50 animals.
A Far Eastern Leopard in captivity. He may live 5 years longer than his wild brothers
Photograph: © The Far Eastern Leopard Programme
It was only in 1972 that collected information on the rare Far Eastern wild cat was summarised in an official document by Vladimir Geptner and Arkady Sludsky. It noted that only three isolated groupings of Far Eastern leopards exist in the Far East: at Prikhankaisky, in southern Sikhote-Alin, and one in the Nadyozhdinsky and Khasansky Districts in the southwest of the Primorye Territory.
Range of the Far Eastern Leopard
Map: © Ed (with help from Google)
The Far Eastern leopard used to live at the Komarov Ussuri State Nature Reserve and was an unprotected species both in the reserve and in the surrounding areas. During the 1930s and 1940s all predators, including the leopard, were routinely destroyed, both at the Ussuri and other nature reserves. From 1956, hunting leopards was officially outlawed, but the economic development of the leopard’s natural habitat, especially deer parks, had a negative impact on the stability of the population. These factors, together with a sharp increase in poaching, led to a significant decline in the population and a sharp decrease in the geographical range inhabited by the leopard. It’s notable that the Eastern Leopard also shares its habitat with the Siberian Tiger, which likely competes for available prey stocks.
Detailed studies of the current distribution, numbers, and structures of the populations, the social organisation, reproduction, food and other biological characteristics of the Far Eastern leopard were conducted in 1976 by Dmitry Pikunov and then subsequently in 1986 by Viktor Korkishko. The completion of these studies led to the publishing in 1992 of the document ‘The Far Eastern Leopard’, which presented the most comprehensive information to date on the Far Eastern leopard.
A Cautious Pair of Leopards
Photograph: © The Far Eastern Leopard Programme
Study
Between 1993 and 1998 a project was carried out in Russia which focused on studying the size and structure of the habitats of Far Eastern leopards using VHF transmitter collars.
Over the last 10 years the study of the Far Eastern leopard population has focused on determining the numbers of the subspecies using a variety of approaches, chief among them the traditional method of tracing their tracks and photo identification of the animals with the use of camera traps. A study to determine the status of the Far Eastern leopard using molecular genetic techniques has begun, and comprehensive veterinary studies have also been carried out.
A lone Eastern Leopard roams the forest
Photograph: © The Far Eastern Leopard Programme
Warning Signs
Today there is only one population of the Far Eastern leopard, numbering somewhere between 40 and 52 animals. This rare species of wild cat has been included on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is in danger of extinction.
In recent years the leopards’ food supply has shrunk considerably due to forest fires and the development of the infrastructure of the Primorye Territory. As a result of the economic development of the forests and poaching, the leopard’s main food source, the roe deer, is slowly being destroyed.
Leopard cub ~ Keeping hope alive for the future of the Far Eastern Loeopard.
Photograph: © The Far Eastern Leopard Programme
Some Good News
If urgent measures are not taken to preserve these animals, the Far Eastern leopard population will die out. In connection with this, in 1999 the Strategy for the Preservation of the Far Eastern Leopard in Russia was adopted. This strategy proposes improving the network of leopard reserves (specially protected natural areas), optimising wildlife management in the leopard’s habitats, creating a viable population in captivity and reviving the dwindling population in the wild. The strategy also suggests that the numbers of leopards and the state of their habitats should be monitored, research studies conducted and measures to preserve the leopard promoted.
Original Article:
Please visit the above website for much more information and many more photos and video of this beautiful creature.
Happy scrappy Christmas
In the doghouse at xmas
Photograph: Ed
My human keepers are a little concerned that I am getting a bit chunky lately (hello…talk about pot and kettle!) so therefore my food is being carefully measured out into neat portions every day, to keep me on the straight and narrow.
The hunger pangs have become so bad that I have now had to take matters into my own paws by scouring the local neigbourhood to find bits ‘n dabs to supplement my enforced diet (…and it’s Christmas time too to boot…. Bah Humbug to the mean so’n so’s!)
No food up here
Photograph: Ed
But what delights I have found and brought home? Bits (and sometimes even great chunks) of bread that the neighbours have left out for the birds (not that tasty but my it does fill my tum up nicely). No sooner have I gotten through the door with my spoil….that the said snack has been whipped off me tout-de-suite.
…or up here
Photograph: Ed
Why, on this very day, when I reached up into the fridge and grabbed a small piece of chicken from my own special dish (which of course I recognise as ‘the blue stubby one’), I was told off in no uncertain terms and landed up in the dog house!
Still, I will never give up in my quest for more food – well I am a cat after all!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all you cats out there and may we all be fit and healthy enough to climb trees in 2017 to ours hearts content!
Merry Christmas Folks and Moggs … I just had a load o’ Turkey and now I’m sorted
A cat called Carrot
Carrot is a 7 year old ginger and white male diva who loves to make his presence known. His hobbies include waking his family up at 6 a.m., having staring competitions with local cats, sleeping and snuggles (but only on his terms).
Cat of the Month ~ December 2016
Tom cat ‘Carrot’ guards his doorway
Image: © Jamie
Carrot, fast asleep
Image: © Jamie
Carrot also loves eating ‘Sheba’, and chasing ribbons’.
Tom cat Carrot looking fab-u-lous with his perfectly arched tail.
Image: © Jamie
Carrot, snuggles down in the duvet …. naughty boy
Image: © Jamie