Leopard Cats

Despite their name, leopard cats are not closely related to the big cats known as leopards. Their common name comes from the fact that they have leopard-like spots, though the color and patterns can vary greatly over the different subspecies.

Photo: F. Spangenberg

Leopard cats can be found throughout Southeast Asia from as far north as Russia and Pakistan to the Philippines and Indonesia in the south; they are the most widely distributed of all small Asian cats. On average, leopard cats are slightly larger than most domestic cats and have longer legs.

The preferred habitat for the leopard cat is tropical or subtropical forest, though they can often be found in agricultural areas as well. They are excellent climbers and commonly rest in trees; swimming is possible as well, but leopard cats prefer to avoid water.

Photo: Pontafon

As with most small wild felines, leopard cats hunt a wide variety of birds, small rodents such as hares and shrews, as well as insects such as beetles. They are solitary animals, but males usually have larger individual ranges that overlap the ranges of several females.

Due to the tropical climate, there is no specific breeding season throughout much of the leopard cat’s range, and mating will occur any time the weather is mild enough to support newborns. Most litters consist of 2-4 kittens that will become independent after 7-10 months. Leopard cats are known to live for up to 13 years in captivity.

Backyard Nature - The Ringtail

Though nocturnal and not regularly seen, the ringtail is a relatively common animal throughout the southwestern United States and most of Mexico. This small mammal is named for the 14-16 black and white stripes that ring its tail; a tail that may exceed the animal’s body length.

Often referred to as a ring-tailed cat, miner’s cat, or civet cat, ringtails actually belong to the raccoon family and are not closely related to felines. Smaller than housecats, most ringtails have body lengths of less than sixteen inches and weigh no more than three pounds. The ringtail’s lithe body, long tail and 180-degree rotating ankles allow it to quickly move through rocky and tight terrain, even performing cartwheels and ricochet moves to change direction or negotiate obstacles.

Ringtails are extremely solitary animals and usually only socialize for mating purposes. They spend nighttime hours hunting and foraging for an omnivorous diet that includes berries, fruits, mice, insects, and birds. Their ability as mouse hunters combined with their tame nature led many miners in the nineteenth century to domesticate ringtails to rid cabins of vermin, hence the “miner’s cat” nickname.

The ringtail is currently the state mammal of Arizona.

The Jaguarundi - Tiny Cougar

The jaguarundi is a wild cat native to South America, coastal Mexico and south Texas. Though closely related to the cougar, the small size and distinct proportions of the jaguarundi have led some to refer to it as the “otter-cat”.

Slightly larger than domestic cats, jaguarundis are 3 to 4 ½ feet long (including tail) and weigh 8-20lbs. They have long, slender bodies with proportionally short legs and small, rounded ears. Unlike most New World cats, jaguarundis do not have spots, but do come in several color morphs ranging from red to grey across their eight subspecies.

Jaguarundis can usually be found in lowland brush areas close to a source of running water. Though they are agile climbers, they are more terrestrial than most cats and spend much of their time on the ground. Both shy and reclusive, jaguarundis can only occasionally be spotted during daylight hours.

Typical of a cat of its size, the jaguarundi’s diet consists primarily of small rodents and reptiles, with larger prey such as rabbits, marmosets and opossums taken when available. Despite their short legs, jaguarundis have been known to jump nearly six feet into the air to swat small birds out of the sky as well!

Sand Cats - Desert-Dwelling Felines

The sand cat is one of the smallest members of Felis genus, which includes domestic cats and wildcats. Weighing between three and eight pounds, sand cats somewhat resemble small domestic cats but have wider heads and larger ears.

Sand cats can only be found in the Arabian Desert, the Sahara, and hot and dry areas of Iran and Pakistan. They spend their days in underground burrows, coming out after dusk to hunt small rodents, birds, lizards and insects. The sand cat gets all of the water it requires to survive from its prey and has no need to live close to a water source.

Unlike most felines, sand cats are not territorial and may even switch burrows with other sand cats on occasion. They live extremely solitary lives, only socializing with each other during the mating season. 

 Sand cats are known to be docile and unafraid of humans. Hunting of these cats is prohibited in many areas of their range, as their population is declining. However, they do still face threats from humans in unprotected areas as well as predation by wolves, snakes and large birds of prey. The sand cat’s average lifespan in the wild is unknown, but they can live up to 13 years in captivity. 

Binturongs - Asian Bearcats

At first glance the binturong might be mistaken for a lot of other animals. Its head looks like it belongs on a cat or perhaps an otter, while its body looks like somewhat of a cross between a wolverine, a bear and a sloth.

The binturong, sometimes referred to as the Asian bearcat, is actually a member of the Viverridae family; home to animals such as civets and genets. The origins of the binturong’s name are no longer known, as the language spoken by the locals who originally coined it is now extinct.

Binturongs are native the rainforest canopy of Southeast Asia in countries such as Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. They are omnivorous and eat a variety of different fruits, leaves, lizards and carrion. Their strong claws and long prehensile tails allow them to easily traverse trees and even walk down tree trunks head first!

One interesting aspect of the binturong is its smell. Like many animals, it has scent glands that are used to mark territory. However, the binturong’s particular scent is similar to hot, buttered popcorn!

Habitat loss and the binturong’s popularity as a pet are current threats to its livelihood in the wild.

Local Animal Shelter Breaks Adoption Record

In local animal news, one of our biggest area animal shelters, Kansas City's Wayside Waifs, had their Adopt-A-Thon this past weekend, offering half-price adoptions on Saturday and Sunday. Amazingly, the shelter set an all-time record with 316 animals adopted!

Photo: Kimberley Wall via The Examiner

 Wayside Waifs was one of many animal shelters in the Midwest that volunteered to take on lost and orphaned animals after the tornadoes that affected our area in May. With over 300 pets on their way to happy homes after this weekend, this no doubt gives them a lot of extra space!

Pairing Up

Who ever said different species don’t get along? While researching for this blog, I stumbled upon some of these photos of strange animal pairings. They were too funny not to show, so check them out and have a good chuckle!

Mouse and Frog

Turtle and Hippo

Pony and Cat

Bird and Mouse

A Need for Whiskers

Cats try to fit in weird spaces. That's why they use their whiskers to determine if a space is too small to squeeze through.

Adorable Animals Week: Odd Couples

This week it's nothing but adorable animals on The Jungle Store blog! Today, we have an odd couple: a cat who's "adopted" a rabbit after its mom died. It's amazing how the cat accepts the rabbit into her family.

Of course, odd couples have happened many times before in the animal kingdom, like when this mother tiger adopted piglets, or when this pony acts like one of the dogs. Have you seen any odd animal couples yourself?

Animals at War - Strange but True

Ever heard of bomb sniffing rats? Or Frogman killing dolphins? How about landmine detecting bees? Humans have a great appreciation for the natural abilities of animals. That appreciation can lead to bizarre, inhumane and occasionally, benignly beneficial uses of animals in wartime.

The Bizarre: History is replete with tales of dolphins rescuing humans from the perils of the sea. Relying on the dolphin's natural curiosity and affinity to humans, the US Navy began the "swimmer nullification plan." Attaching hypodermics filled with compressed CO2 to the dolphin's nose, the marine mammals were trained to find divers swimming in restricted areas and inject them. Getting injected with compressed CO2 kills you, and it also makes your body float to the surface so you're easily retrievable. Supposedly 40 Viet Cong frogmen were killed this way.

The Inhumane: Over the course of thousands of wars, numerous types of animals have been used as living incendiaries. Cats, dogs, pigs, rats, even camels have all been lit on fire and pointed at the enemy. Of course nothing prevented these animals from turning around and running back through the host forces (makes you cheer a bit). Needless to say, the practice ultimately fell out of favor.

Unfortunately, militaries discovered safer (for them) ways to use animals to decimate enemy forces. What did they do? They strapped bombs to them. Tank dogs were trained to run under enemy tanks where their bomb harnesses would be detonated. Free-tailed bats were strapped with timed incendiary devices. The plan was to release them over Japan where their natural instinct would cause them to roost in the eaves of factories and warehouses. Once there, the timing devices would go off, causing the bat, and hopefully the building, to catch fire. Cats, wearing small explosives, were to be dropped over enemy ships. With their natural dislike of water, the cats would be sure to land on the ships and then could be exploded. Thankfully, most of these projects went nowhere. The bats escaped, burning down an Air Force hanger and blowing up a general's car. The cats, mercifully, lost consciousness soon after they were ejected from the planes.

The gathering strength of worldwide Animal Rights Groups has largely brought an end to such schemes.

The Benignly Beneficial: Glow worms were used in the trenches of WWI to create enough light for soldiers to read maps by. Gambian Pouch Rats, with their incredible sense of smell, are being used to sniff out landmines. Their small size protects them from triggering the mechanisms. The rats are currently clearing mines from much needed farm land along the coast of Mozambique. Bees are also helping to find long buried landmines. Having been fed trace elements used in the making of explosives, the bees naturally swarm around buried mines that leak these elements into the atmosphere. Small "backpacks" attached to the bees help humans determine where the bees are congregating. Once the humans arrive, they can dig up and dispose of the mine. The amount of bees needed to create a hive of landmine seekers costs about $100. The bees can be trained in less than 3 hours and have a 98% success rate of finding long buried and forgotten landmines.

Of course we know what would be best for animals as well as humans with regard to the practice of war, but conflict will occur. More than likely, our need for animal helpers in battles will also occur. Hopefully it will only be in a benignly beneficial way.

Meet the Staff

Today it is my turn to share about my family’s companions. Owen is a lovely boy, supposedly a Flame-point Siamese. He is a rescue, found at a city-run shelter that has a very limited budget. Unfortunately, this shelter has a strict 1-week policy. If the owner does not come forward within 1 week, the animal is euthanized. Owen had been reprieved twice because the shelter workers loved him and believed he was a wonderful cat who deserved a chance at life. We found him at his third week in the shelter – third time’s a charm! Owen has the best personality I have ever seen in a cat, and I’ve owned some cats. He is a confident, playful, joyous companion.


Ensign is our Airedale. A long awaited friend. When Ensign was 18 months old, he had a massive seizure. We were terrified. What was wrong with our lovely dog? After testing, we found that Ensign had Epilepsy. An Epileptic Airedale. What were we to do?


Epilepsy is NOT an infrequent affliction among some pure-breed dogs - Beagles, Border Collies, Poodles, Collies and Spaniels in particular. Dogs can live long and happy lives, even when they suffer from Epilepsy. If your dog is diagnosed with Epilepsy, listen to your vet and understand that you have a dog that may need a bit more care. They do NOT need to be put down. Our dog takes daily medication. He plays with my sons, goes for long walks, knows all of his training and tries to steal food from the table. About every 6 months he has a seizure. It still scares us, but now we know what to do. We make sure he is comfortable, keep him safe and give him a quiet place to recover when the seizure is over. Ensign is now 5 years old, and is a wonderful member of our family. So what if he occasionally needs a little extra care. Who doesn’t?

Meet the Staff

Hope you enjoyed our little joke yesterday. Of course we don't have such exotic pets here at The Jungle Store. Those animals all require special, knowledgeable care to stay happy and healthy. We understand that to take on the responsibility of a pet is a commitment we hold for that pet's lifetime. Sometimes situations happen that make it impossible to keep our pets. In these cases it is still the owner's responsibility to see that the pet finds a new home or is placed in the care of a reputable shelter.

Approximately 10 million animals enter shelters every year. Only one quarter of these animals end up being adopted. Some may be reclaimed by their owners. A staggering 60% of dogs and 70% of cats in shelters end up being euthanized due to over-crowding, aggressiveness, illness and/or lack of adoptability.

Our next Staff Member (she handles Customer Care) looked for just such an "unadoptable" companion. At a local shelter she found Roscoe. Roscoe wasn't aggressive. He wasn't old. He wasn't sick. What classified Roscoe as unadoptable were . . . ahem . . . his looks. To some, Roscoe lacked a certain canine aesthetic. Was it the wart on his nose? Could it be the scruffy coat and uneven ears? Perhaps because of his prominent lower lip? (Have you ever seen a dog with lips?) Regardless, he languished until our Staff person saw his inner beauty. Roscoe is a dog who enjoys other dogs and people, long walks on the beach and an energetic game of tug-o-war. But most of all, Roscoe enjoys just sitting with his owner, radiating unquestionable affection, loyalty and love. What can be more beautiful than that?

Roscoe P. Coltrain III

Meet the Staff

Do you know of any company pets? Surely you've walked into a little boutique or a quirky bookstore and been met by the cat, dog, budgie or bunny that thinks they run things. Interaction with animals reduces stress, lowers blood pressure and prolongs your good health. We, at the Jungle Store, take our health very seriously and so our President has made sure to give us plenty of company pets to keep us calm and happy.

Malcom likes to stay close by our office's front doors. He's great at letting us know when guests arrive.

We have to keep Norton and Bruno at opposite ends of the warehouse. They tend to fight. Once we installed the company pool though, Norton got a lot happier. He spends the majority of his day there. The staff won't swim with him anymore as he tends to splash.

Patty, Maxine and Laverne help us oversee climate control. They get rather territorial about that thermostat.

Last week it was my turn to sort out a brief altercation among the Jamison Brothers. I don't know how many times we have to say it. Everybody gets just one donut on Fridays.

Iggy spends the warmer part of the day keeping the parkway free of weeds. What would we do without him?

Susan tends to the landscaping. She'll probably need more staff before the summer is over.


Last but not least, when something absolutely, positively must be there overnight, we ask Spike to take it. He's got a way with big packages.

Happy April Fools

The Generalists

Our next urban dweller and generalist is the Fox. Although England has a higher population of urban foxes than we do in the States, it is probably because England has no raccoons for the fox to compete with. That doesn't mean the foxes aren't out there, prowling our cities and backyards. You could easily be blaming other animals—raccoons, coyotes, cats—for the mischief or mayhem that is actually being caused by the fox.

Foxes are as opportunistic as raccoons, helping themselves to shelter in our sheds and abandoned barns or grabbing a quick snack from our garbage cans and compost heaps. They just tend to be more secretive about it. Foxes canvas a wide territory, or range, and move their dens frequently. They tend to be more strictly nocturnal, although finding a fox basking on your trampoline in the afternoon sunshine is not cause for alarm. Foxes are unconcerned with the presence of your dog or cat (unless a large dog) and will tend to ignore them, or even play with them for a bit, before securing their snack and moving on. Foxes are not strictly carnivorous and include insects, vegetables and fruit in their diet. Unlike raccoons, foxes will not stay on your back porch to consume their meal, but instead cache it. This means a fox retreats with its food and finds a "safe" place to bury it. The food will be retrieved and eaten later, even much later. Foxes have an amazing sense of smell and have no problem finding their buried meals. So, the next time you blame your dog for digging up the kids pet rabbit, you might want to look for the sharp face and bushy tail of a fox.

This Youtube video is a little long (2 minutes), but the fox is having such fun, I couldn't resist.

The Generalists

It seems a couple of coyotes are killing small dogs and cats in my neighborhood. You can't blame the coyotes; they're simply doing what coyotes do—trying to find a meal. Of course I understand the sadness of the pet owners too. You would think letting your pet out into the backyard would be a safe thing. After all, we don't live in a wild or remote place even though we do have a park and an area of reserved open space adjoining the neighborhood. More often you hear of wild animals adapting to, even thriving with, a nearby human presence. These animals are usually generalists. That means they have an extensive and varied diet, adaptability to habitat and a clever, resourceful mind. In other words, they have all the qualities that have made us humans so successful.

Coyotes tend to hunt in pairs although small fluid packs of 5 – 6 related adults may join forces for a time. When hunting as a larger group, they will hunt larger prey and do so with coordinated effort, much like a wolf pack. Usually, coyotes prefer smaller game and so have been less of a threat to livestock, and less noticed by humans. Coyotes are opportunistic. As wolf packs are driven out of habitat, or killed off, the coyote has slipped in to fill the predatory niche. Although once a diurnal animal, continued contact with human populations has made them nocturnal. Coyotes can survive on almost anything and include rodents, rabbits, carrion, fruit, insects, vegetables and human garbage in their diet. There's been at least one coyote caught in New York City's Central Park, and a den of coyotes live in Washington D.C.'s Rock Creek Park, keeping down the vermin population and eating nearby road kill. A recent census discovered that close to 2,000 coyotes live in and around the city of Chicago. Although most humans don't realize it, it is generally coyotes that keep neighborhood rabbit populations under control. I know last year our block was, literally, hopping with rabbits. Maybe that's what brought the coyotes. Unfortunately they've turned to easier prey and the rising outrage may prove their undoing. I truly hope that doesn't happen.

Photo courtesy of Justin Johnsen.

"March"-ing Animals

In Lewis Carroll's classic book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a currently small Alice is directed to the March Hare's house by the Cheshire Cat. While contemplating the visit, Alice says:

`the March Hare will be much the most interesting, and perhaps as this is May it won't be raving mad--at least not so mad as it was in March.'

During a hare's breeding season, which starts in late February, hares are known for their odd and erratic behavior. They race about, jump and "box." Overeager males are deterred by females who are not yet ready to breed. The females will shove, kick and leap away from them. The behavior was thought so strange, observers reasoned the hares must be "mad." The phrase "as mad as a March hare" has been around for a long time and is still used today. So well known was it, that John Heywood included the phrase in his collection, Proverbs of the English Tongue, in 1546. The hare's spring behavior is also responsible for the phrase "harebrained."

Animals in Literature

We're going to end our celebration of Read Across America Week with another classic by Dr. Seuss.

The Cat in the Hat is perhaps the most read book Dr. Seuss ever created. The character of "The Cat" went on to appear in six other Seuss books and as a logo on many more. But it is the story behind the book that is even more interesting.

In 1954, a Life article discussed the problem of literacy in elementary schools. It seems 6 and 7 year olds found the Dick and Jane primer extremely boring. Dr. Seuss saw the need to entice children to read as a challenge. He managed to obtain an elementary school sight vocabulary list of 223 words (the words the children would be learning) and built his story around those words. Dr. Seuss planned for his book to be the nations new First Grade Primer. He wanted his book to rhyme; he felt the cadence would make the task of reading a little easier. The first two acceptable rhyming words he found were cat and hat. A masterpiece was born.

The Cat in the Hat uses 236 different words. 221 of them are monosyllabic. Only one word, "another," has three syllables. The most difficult word in the story is "playthings." The majority of words (54) appear only once. 33 words appear twice. The Cat in the Hat took Dr. Seuss 1 ½ years to write because of the careful restrictions he placed on himself for its creation.

Calvin Coolidge's Many Presidential Pets

President Calvin Coolidge once said “Any man who does not like dogs and want them about, does not deserve to be in the White House.” This probably went for other animals as well, for Coolidge and his family acquired even more pets than the Roosevelts.

During Coolidge's two terms in office, the White House almost literally became a zoo. Exotic animals such as lion cubs, bears, an antelope, wallaby, bobcat and a pygmy hippo were all part of the menagerie. And, of course, there were more typical pets, over 12 dogs, 4 cats and at least 3 canaries.The Coolidges owned a beloved donkey named Ebeneezer, and commandeered one of the White House trees to build a special house for their 2 raccoons—Rebecca and Horace.

Rebecca was quite lively and enjoyed playing in the First Lady's bathtub with "a little water in it and a cake of soap." Another one of Rebecca's favorite games was climbing up the President and draping herself about his neck. The picture below shows First Lady, Grace Coolidge, out at the Easter Egg Roll with Rebecca.

Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Weird Cat video

Okay, I just had to share this video I found of a housecat. Well, not your ordinary domestic cat. Most cats don’t like water. But check this one out.



I’d say that’s one unique cat!

Jungle Jane

Not related to the Persian

Pallas' Cat is also known as the Manul in Central Asia. Pallas’ Cats have a flat face and round pupils!

Pallas’ Cats make dens in caves, crevices, or burrows dug by other animals. They are a long-haired cold tolerant cat. Their call sounds similar to the barking of a small dog.