Small Old World Cats

There are 6 kinds of the smaller wildcats found in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The first of these, the European wildcat, is found in Scotland, on the continent of Europe, and in - Turkey. It is two and a half to three feet long, including its tail, which is ten inches to a foot in length. Its general color is brown or grayish with a strong black stripe down its back and black stripes on its head, face, and sides. Some look very much like large gray house cats.

The African wildcat ranges over most of Africa, except where the land is heavily forested. This range borders that of the European wildcat in Europe and extends eastward through Arabia and northern India. This wild­cat is the same size as the European. It differs in having a smaller tuft of hair on its ears, a low crest of hairs on its back, and less strongly marked stripes. Some also look like large gray house cats. They are also found in both brush and desert country.

The desert cat, so called because it is a desert-or semi desert-inhabiting animal, lives in parts of China. In general appearance it is very much like the African wildcat, but has a much longer tuft of hairs on its ears.

The sand cat, a typical desert cat, is known only in the Sahara Desert in Africa and in the deserts of Turkistan in Asia. It is the same size as the other wildcats but the soles of its feet are covered with a heavy growth of hair. It does not have tufts on its ears.

The black-footed cat of South Africa has its legs more marked with black, and is more heavily spotted than the other wildcats. It is one of the smallest cats, being two feet long including its very short tail, which is from six to eight inches in length.

The marbled cat of Asia is marked more with lines than with spots or stripes, giving it a marbled appearance. Its head and body are about 18 inches long with a tail of equal length. It is a forest cat and is active at night. It feeds on rats, squirrels, and birds. It is quite rare and little is known of its habits or life history.