Just three days to go before it’s international cat day.
International Cat Day is a celebration which takes place on 8 August of every year. It was created in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. This organisation was set up to help animals of all kinds, not just our cat kin.
The purpose of the event is to raise awareness for cats and learn about ways to help and protect them.
…and relax
To read more about this event please view our 2022 post here or visit the daysoftheyear.com website. (not affelineitated :-))
Reader, we took a walk in the park, down memory lane in fact, where the other half used to hang around with various mates, cut through to the chip shop and do (highly dangerous) backies …. falling off quite frequently apparently, picking up scrapes and grazes (as you do when you’re a kid).
Walking the perimeter (probably a mile in all), about half way round we noticed a beautiful black and white longhaired puss enjoying the shade of the undergrowth.
Our park cat, deep in thought
We stood still and didn’t want to approach for fear of spooking her, but after a few minutes she seemed to say ‘ok, you’ve passed my little test’ and began to stir herself from what looked like a very comfortable spot.
….clever too, keeping herself in the shade
We fussed her and she loved it (as you know, many cats do). What a friendly creature though! Purring and scratcing her head on our hands to ease the aches and pains in her skull bone. On closer inspection we noticed a very unusual spot on her eye.
should we call this puss Dotty? …mmm đ
She is likely a resident in one of the local houses, as was well fed and groomed. And what a coat too, like fine silk.
… We’d say look out for your local strays and well kept moggies too (as if you didnt already)… they can brighten up any day. They could become a regular feature here, that’s for certain ……
Northern Tiger cats (Leopardus tigrinus) were previously referred to as Oncillas, Tigrinas, Small-spotted cats or Tiger cats. In 2013 after genetic testing, the Oncilla was split into two species and they are now referred to as either Northern Tiger Cats or Southern Tiger Cats Leopardus guttulus.
Tiger cats are one of the smallest cat species in the Americas, averaging just 2.5 kg but in some cases reaching a maximum weight of 3.5 kg. These larger cats are usually males.
Northern Tiger Cat by L. Sliwa
They are delicatly built, with a narrow head and large ears. They have a black rear end with a central white spot. Their eyes have a white line above an eye colour of golden or light brown. The large ears have are black ‘outside’ with a central white spot.
Northern Tiger cats are pale yellow to ochre or grey, marked by small dots that tend to form an open rosette. Melanism is common. The paler belly fur is covered with dark spots. The fur is firm, lies close to the skin and does not turn forward in the nape region as it does on the Ocelot and Margay. Limbs are spotted on the outside and the long tail has spots at the root, developing into a thinly ringed tail with a black tip.
They are found in a range from Costa Rica and Panama in Central America into South America up to Central Brazil. Its southern limits are not yet well known, as well as the extent of a possible overlap with the populations of the Southern Tiger cat. Its distribution in the Amazon basin is possibly patchy and not continuous. The Northern Tiger cat is absent from Colombia, Venezuela, and Paraguay. From Ecuador and Peru, only few museum specimens exist and only in 2000 the species was formally confirmed in Bolivia through live-trapping.
Northern Tiger cat population densities are very low throughout most of its range. For example in the Amazon, usually the safeguard region for the tropical American felids, the Northern Tiger cat occurs at exceedingly low densities of perhaps only 0.01 individuals per 100 kmÂČ. There is evidence that it is also naturally rare and elusive in Central America and some areas of Brazil.
The Northern Tiger cat lives in a wide range of forest habitats, semi-arid thorny scrub, savannah and wet/swampy savannah. In Central and northwestern South America, it is mainly associated with montane cloud forests, where it is usually found at higher elevations than the Ocelot and Margay. Even though it is found in Amazonian rainforests it is not clear to what degree they use this habitat. It can be found in disturbed habitats, even close to human settlements, as long as there is natural cover and a source of food.
As a generalist carnivore and the largest and most adaptable of the small cat species in tropical America, the Ocelot dominates the other small cat species. In areas where the Ocelot occurs, species like the Northern Tiger cat avoid those areas because of the threat of predation. This negative effect on other small cat species is called the “ocelot effect”.
Tiger Cat on the alert. Source: Arkive.org
The Northern Tiger cat is a solitary felid. It is active predominantly at night, but can also show varying degrees of diurnal activity. This activity during any time of the day is suggested to be a strategy to avoid the Ocelot. On the other hand, Tiger cat numbers are not affected by the presence of the Margay and Jaguarundi, which are more likely potential competitors for similar sized prey.
Tiger cats are excellent climbers, but spend most of their time on the ground as most of their prey is terrestrial. When threatened, they show an aggressive behavior with arched back and raised hair, besides showing the teeth and producing a âwhistling-spitingâ vocalization.
The Northern Tiger catâs diet is still very poorly studied, but is known to be based on small mammals such as rodents, birds and reptiles.
As is common with many animals, the threats to life are many:
habitat loss and fragmentation
persecution by humans
killing due to poultry depredation
vehicle collisions on roads
exposure to domestic carnivore diseases
Conservation
The Northern Tiger cat is classified as Endangered in Brazil and Vulnerable in Colombia. Brazil is the main range country for both the Northern and Southern Tiger cat species.
These cats are protected over part of their range. Hunting is prohibited in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Suriname and Venezuela, but they are not legally protected in Ecuador, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama and Peru.
Although the international trade in furs has been heavily reduced, illegal hunting and capturing still takes place, mostly for the local market. Historical trade on tiger cats (which would include both species) from 1976 to 1985 consisted of astonishing 352,508 skins.
Well now, the England Football squad are currently in Qatar and training in the Heat of Doha, but some of their news has been hijacked by Dave the cat. Dave, who has been so named by John Stones, seems to have caught the hearts of Stones and Walker (no surprise there, thatâs cats for ya).
Dave – The world Cup Cat for the England Football Cat
The International Tiger Day is observed every year on July 29 across the world in order to raise awareness for tiger conservation.
Founded in 2010, at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia after it was registered that 97 percent of tigers had disappeared, the day promotes a global system for protecting the natural habitats of tigers. The International Tiger Day is observed by several international organizations including – the World Wide Fund for Nature, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and the Smithsonian Institution.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, India is home to over half of the worldâs wild tigers â 2,226. It reported that while Malaysiaâs tigers are critically endangered with as few as 250 remaining, Indonesiaâs wild tigers are now found solely on the island of Sumatra. The organization has also called for urgent action to protect the tigers.
Cat of the Month ~ July 2022
White Tiger
Photograph Source: a-panache.com
Globally, the day is celebrated by holding conferences, seminars, and discussions on saving the tigers.
Meanwhile, according to the National Tiger Conservation Authority, there were 1,059 tiger deaths in India since 2012 with Madhya Pradesh recording the highest number of deaths.
Congress on its official Twitter handle on Friday has urged people to come together and âenhance efforts for conservation of the endangered species.â
Article Source: extract written by Manjiri Sachin Chitre of the Hindustani Times Newspaper.
Did you know that this year is ‘The Chinese year of the Water Tiger’ and that it began on February 1st and will last until January 21st of 2023 when the Year of the Black Rabbit will begin. ‘Tiger’ is the third of the twelve Chinese zodiac signs, and its corresponding European Horoscope Zodiac sign is Aquarius.
There are only a few Cats that love being near water, heres one — but the Tiger must be the biggest of them all
Cat of the Lunar Year ~ 2022
Tigers have been around for a good 2 million years. Around 3,000 of the worldâs wild tigers are in India.
Tigers are a top predator and, as such, help to keep their environment healthy. They have soft toe pads to help them stalk their prey. A tiger can easily travel 6-12 miles a night when they are hunting. Their main prey is deer and a large deer will provide a weekâs food for a tiger. They will drag their kill elsewhere to eat it rather than eat it at the kill site. If tigers need to leave their food they will cover it with leaves, grass or dirt before coming back to it later.
Tigers use many vocalisations to communicate e.g. grunting, growling, roaring, chuffing, snarling and hissing. It is not yet understood what all of their vocal repertoire might mean.
Sadly in the last 100 years their numbers have dropped by about 95%. It is estimated that there are about 3,900 tigers left in the wild. There are estimated to be more tigers in captivity in the US than there are in the wild.
The WWF, from whom these facts were gathered, has more information and ways for us all to get involved in supporting these amazing and inspirational animals. Tiger | WWF
The name âWater Tigerâ comes from the Tigerâs five elements (Gold, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth) .2022 is the Year of the Water Tiger, which indicates a prosperous year due to the Tigerâs auspicious signs of strength and courage. We wish all wild cats, domestic cats and their humans a happy and courageous 2022.
Maybe we all have one (or maybe more?) of these ⊠mystery cats that grace our gardens and yards with their beautiful but sometimes threatening presence. Oscar himself has a few of these visitors straying into his garden from time to time. Some of these moggies he likes more than others, obvs!
There is one that treats the fence like it is a minor B road – and it gets him from the back garden here right the way over to the front of the house via the one story out-building. From here its a quick step down to the road beyond. He is always just fleeting, and his demeanour seems as if he always has âplaces to be, things to see and do.â He barely gives us a glance. We’ve named him âWhite Body Black Tailâ, which just about covers his appearance.
Another visitor we have named âTuxedo Tedâ, again I’m sure you can guess how this one looks. When you see his black fur and bright white bib, they make him look as if he is always dressed for a night at a dinner dance or an opera in the West End. He is a shy and elusive creature, hanging around the bottom of the garden, always just out of sight winding our Oscar up no end. In any standoff it’s Oscar who hightails it out of there.
Tuxedo Ted making friends with a stone lion
Now, the favourite of these almost âwelcomeâ guests is a beautiful female feline who (sort of) gets on with Oscar â well, they sniff noses together often, and that is as close as cats can get, short of âclaws drawn and engagedâ⊠ouch. They’ve been known to sit on opposite sides of the lawn having an âstare us out if you canâ, ‘eye dance’ moment, until one concedes and the other is King of the patch, (well for an hour anyway….)
Friendly Kiera sitting on Oscars patch
This thin but strong, young upstart likes to come and settle in the borders or under the tree. Often sunning herself in the morning rays … oh but wait a minute ….. there she goes againâŠ., we can just make out her rear end and grass-snake tail as it turns right at the corner beneath the pine treeâŠ., but, panic over, it’s our old faithful visitor (You can breathe easily again Osc, no marauding tiger this, just) little Kiera your neighbourhood friend of many a year.
We never feed Kiera or let her in the house. She is already well fed and looked after but has taken a shine to sleeping in our back garden for some reason. When the weather takes a turn for the worse though, she’ll stay home, so and we hardly see her in the Autumn and Winter.
We have called the beautiful cat âKieraâ as she has the eyes of a famous beautiful, English actress. You may quite easily guess who.Â
“Good Afternoon Ted”, And the same to you “Oscar”.
