Sand Cats (Felis Margarita)

      The itsy bitsy kitty caught a little lizard... the sand cat, or Felis Margarita, is actually the world's smallest big cat. If you go on Google, it might disagree, but the sand cat is actually a big cat. They don't call the BCR  BIG Cat Rescue for nothing. Canyon the sand cat is a resident there, and the volunteers and employees are frequently asked if he's a kitten, or even a house cat. I am sure Canyon thinks this whenever that question pops up: "How dare you ask if I am a kitten, or a house cat?! Can't you see that I am big, and strong and gorgeous, and do not resemble at all a kitten or a house cat?" Sorry Canyon!! Sand cats only live in true deserts,like the Sahara and the Arabian, eating snakes and lizards and birds. 

            The BCR says this is one of the most difficult cats to study, because their foot-pads allow them to walk on sand without sinking, leaving almost no foot prints behind.When a light is shone on them, they crouch down and close their eyes, preventing the reflection back, not allowing them to be tracked, and they bury their food, making it impossible to see their diet. The sandy colored coat makes them blend in purrfectly to their environment, which was the goal of course. The sand cats' large triangular ears help it locate prey, both above the sand, and below. sand cats are threatened, like most big cats are, by human population and hunters. They love sunning themselves on rocks, making them easy prey. The easy attitude got them into the pet trade in 1960 as well.

             It's not ok to hunt big cats. Help find out more at all the big cat sights you can find, (I do not recommend Wikipedia).    



Olivia

One more thing!!

Hi everybody! I know this is not the second big cat I promised to post about, but I wanted to let everybody know about my other blog. It's all about space, and I think  some of you (or most of you) would enjoy it! If you are interested in it, I have posted the link below:

http://whathappensbeyondoureyes.blogspot.com/





Thanks!
Olivia

Large and small

Hey guys!!! I have been really busy so I have not posted in awhile. Sorry about that. Ok so in these next two posts, I will be talking about a very large big cat, and a very small big cat. Both of these cats are in the BCR (Big Cat Rescue, www.bigcatrescue.org), and both are very vulnerable. Stay tuned for these two new cats!





Olivia

Clouded Leopards

Hi everybody! Sorry I have not posted in awhile. Ok, in this post I will be telling you about clouded leopards, or Neofelis Nebulosa. Clouded leopards are a beautiful cat, with stripes running along their neck and leopard-like rosettes on their bodies. They are silvery golden, with black stripes, and they are relatively small. They can be found at the Himalayan foothills, all the way down through Southeast Asia into China. Even though their name says "leopard", clouded leopards are actually their own genus, Neofelis. Clouded leopards' status right now ranks vulnerable. Let's do more to protect these cats!

Olivia

Support BCR

Hey everybody! I just wanted to post since I haven't posted in awhile. Anyway I would like to encourage readers to take a look at Tampa Florida's Big Cat Rescue (BCR). It's a huge rescue built for big cats and it rescues them from mistreating owners, shut down zoos, and rejects. Right now there are about a hundred and up big cats at the rescue, and they are all cared for, cleaned, and aloud to live with companions, such as the case of the white tiger Zabu and her male lion friend Camern. They were allowed to be together because they were raised together. You can even find videos on the cats there if you go to YouTube and look at the leopards, snow leopards, lions, tigers, sand cats, and more. There's even a liger, Freckles. If you want to go to the website, the link is below.

www.bigcatrescue.org

Thanks!

Olivia

Breaking news: Is this tigers' last hope?

Hey everybody! Guess what? On Thursday night, I watched a commentary about if tigers could live in the Himalayas. Well guess what? They can! The guy knows there are at lease two adult tigers, male and female, roaming around! It's incredible, but it could be the tigers last chance for survival. This could be there one and only chance! But how long until the hunters discover it, and wipe out the tigers forever?

                 Tigers (Panthera Tigris)

Sploosh! Oh whoops sorry did not mean to splash you! Tigers are the swimmers in the cat family, and love the water. And they even hunt in the water! They also are sly predators on land. The silky, striped coat hides them as they slide silently through the grass of Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Russia. These big cats are endangered and are most often hunted for their beautiful striped fur. Help do more to protect them!






                         Snowflake Tigers
Snowflake tigers (as I call them) are tigers but they are white. Snowflake tigers and regular tigers get along very well. They are beautiful white cats with jet black stripes running up and down their sides. These too are endangered! Help them!