All about
Asian
Leopard Cats
Asian Leopard Cats are true wild felines that live in various forest and jungle habitats throughout India and eastward through Southwest Asia and China. These small cats can be compared to the ocelot of the Central and South America except that they are smaller than ocelots and are in a totally different family of wild cats. There are several subspecies of Asian Leopard Cats ranging from the small 4-6 pound cats of the Philippines to the 10-12 pound cats found in the colder mountain forests of Manchuria. These subspecies also vary somewhat in color and pattern. For example, the Bornean leopard cats tend to have a reddish hue while the Manchurian leopard cats are grayer with thicker fur.
Leopard cats are generally nocturnal. They prey upon rodents and other small mammals as well as birds. They are good swimmers and adults often use water to conceal their fecces, which can be a challenge when housing leopard cats and some first generation crosses.
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Typical forest subspecies of leopard cat |
Amur Leopard Cat of the cold mountains |
ASIAN LEOPARD CAT MARKINGS
The many different subspecies of Asian Leopard Cats can be found in a variety of tan to gold ground colors with an even greater variety of markings.
Kingsmark is working toward developing markings that approach the flowing rosettes of the Leopard Cat. The side profiles below are all of different Asian Leopard Cats and show that there are different types of markings ranging from two colored "rosettes" to two colored "arrow" marks.
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Asian Leopard Cats faces and profiles
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For me the face and profile of the Asian Leopard Cat forms the ideal that I am striving for in my bengals. Some other breeders feel the show standard describes a face and profile more like a miniature African Leopard.
Below are various leopard cat profiles and faces.
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My Queens |
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Bengal Colors & Patterns |
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About Bengals |
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