FELIS-UK
The Small Wild Cat Organisation
Asian Golden Cats
An Asian golden cat is about double the size of a big domestic cat and they come in a variety of different colours. Whilst their fur generally is either a golden colour or reddish brown, the coat itself has a large variety of colour and pattern variations.
In China and Bhutan there is even a heavily spotted form that looks like an ocelot and like most cats they also come in melanistic forms.
Asian golden cats are sometimes known as Temminck’s cat, named after the Dutch biologist Coenraad Temminck who first described the animals to western scientists in 1827.
Although these cats can climb trees they usually hunt on the ground and often take on prey larger than themselves. Whilst they were originally considered nocturnal hunters, but thanks to the recent GPS collaring of two individuals there is new evidence to support the idea they are Cathemeral hunters (active during the day and night).
In Thailand they are often called Seua Fai meaning Fire Tigers and the Kayin people of the Bhutan believe carrying around a single hair of the Asian Golden Cat will help to keep Tigers at bay.
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