I think this is the most amazing name for a little cat. Felis Margarita. Of the many breeds of tiny wild cats, Felis Margarita is one of the very few that appears to be benefiting somewhat from climate change, because as parts of Africa and South East Asia become more desert-like, people move away and give the hardy desert wildlife a chance to flourish.
This painting was done on a 1/4 sheet of Arches fine watercolor paper, measuring 11″ x 14″. It is for sale at the incredibly low price of $200. All proceeds will go to the Cincinnati Zoo directly to the program that supports the kitten whose portrait is painted here.
Charles Barilleaux, a frequenter of that museum, took the original photo; and if you visit his Flickr site, you will find many many more wonderful photos of Sand Cats, Fishing cats, Cougars, Caracals, and many others, including winsome photos of his family.
The Kodkod, or Guigna is another tiny cute wild cat species. In Santiago, Chile, where they can be found there is a conservation effort using injured and orphaned Kodkods to start a captive breeding program. These cats will eventually be re-released into the wild as they are strong and sound enough.
There aren’t many left!
This 7″ x 11″ hand painted watercolor is for sale $150. It is on one of my last pieces of Handmade Indian Village paper. to buy it send an email
For the letter “I” I would like to introduce you to one of the rarest cats in the world. They live on a tiny Japanese Island which has been overrun with tourism, and the Iriomote cat is one of the attractions. A fatal attraction, unfortunately. It seems that most of the cats that die are hit by cars.
In Japanese it is called 西表山猫 Iriomote-yamaneko.
The Iriomote cat is a dark colored feline about the same size as a domestic cat. They live in wet lowlands and they like to fish. The recent popularity of the cat gives me hope. Here is a video of one that was hunting near a roadway. Hopefully he learned to stay away from cars.
and YOU can help:
Please call the Ministry of the Environment or send them an email (Tel.：03-3581-3351 https://www.env.go.jp/en/moemail/ ) requesting them to buy this land so the Iriomote cat can continue to exist here. Tell them that measures should be taken to protect these cats, like lower speed limits and wildlife tunnels
The habitat of the Iriomote cat is in danger of being annihilated on Iriomote Island which only has around 284 square kilometers. The Iriomote cat has nowhere else to go and its population is only 100 individuals.
The Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. They are twice the size of a domestic cat. Their claws do not retract all the way like most cats, and they love water. Not only do they swim and fish, but they swim underwater for long distances. Fishing cat territory is unfortunately, prime waterfront property where human development continues to destroy habitat and over-exploit fish stock. Fishing cats are forced to eke out an existence among human settlements, even in cities, where they are hunted and blamed for predation of chickens and other small livestock. Luckily there are some foundations that are working to protect them and give them sanctuaries where they and other wild animals can live.
This painting is for sale 8.5″ x 11.5″ and for only $150.00! The proceeds will go towards renting two fishing ponds in Thailand to help conserve these wonderful cats.
About the painting:
I depicted the cat on a rock, which is like a small island, depicting the fragility of their existence today. The reference photo was taken from a large group of photos taken by a Russian couple who have a Fishing cat in their home. They have given open permission to use their images.
One of my favorite species of wildcat is the Blackfooted cat.
Black-footed cats are described as a naturally rare species. The World Conservation Union Red List shows them as Vulnerable, with a total effective population size of less than 10,000 and declining. They may be locally common in certain localities in South Africa, but being restricted to arid environments, they also occur at low densities.
According to the World Conservation Union rankings, Black-footed cats are more vulnerable than cheetahs and lions, due to their restricted geographical range and specific habitat requirements.
If you like this cat, you might consider making a donation to the International Society for Endangered Cats. This painting is not for sale, but I do have other wild cat paintings for sale, you can see them here:
A black footed cat named Crystal made it into the news recently.
Have you ever heard of these cats? Have you ever seen one?
