Are all cats afraid of water? Do wild cats bury their poop? How are the cats that live in your house related to lions and tigers roaming in the wild? We take a walk in the woods with wildlife biologist Emily Carollo. She works with a conservation and research organization called Panthera that’s dedicated to helping all 40 species of wild cats in the world. Why do cats live in different habitats? What do cats eat? Why do they chase mice? Why do cats' eyes glow in the dark? Why do some cats roar and some purr? Do cats have their own language?
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- The most common wild cat in North America is the bobcat. These elusive medium-sized cats live all over the United States, Southern Canada and parts of Mexico. Their name refers to their stubby bobbed tail, and they have distinctive pointed ears that end in a black tuft of fur. They weigh, on average, 15 (females) to 20 (males) pounds.
- In Canada and some far northern parts of the United States, you’d be lucky to spot a Canadian Lynx, which is a slightly bigger cat that looks similar to a bobcat and is known for hunting hares.
- In the Western parts of North American and in Florida, there are cougars - sometimes called mountain lions.
- Mountain lions are North America’s largest cats, but they’re not considered one of the Big Five (lions, tigers, leopards, snow leopards, and cheetahs). Mountain lions have lots of different names: cougars, catamounts, pumas, panthers, painters and even mountain screamers!
- Cats became domesticated around 10,000 years ago. Wild cat species likely started hanging around humans because that’s where the easy food could be found. Humans found these cats useful for pest control.
- Different cat species have adapted to living in different environments. Some cats live in cold regions, others live in deserts. There are wild cats on every continent except for Antarctica.
- Cats are carnivores. They eat meat and only meat. Small cats might eat rodents; bigger cats can eat larger prey. Cats like to chase mice sometimes for food but often as a form of play. For young cats, chasing small prey teaches them hunting behaviors that they need to survive in the wild.
- While your domestic cat might not like water, some species of wild cats thrive in water. Jaguars hunt in very watery areas and even eat caiman (an alligator-like lizard). One species called a fishing cat, that lives in South and Southeast Asia, can even swim under water!
- Some cats roar and some cats purr. Cats that roar can’t purr and cats that purr can’t roar. It depends on the type of vocal cords and voice boxes they have.
