The reed cat, which is also called the bog trot or the house, is a cute fluffy creature that you want to stroke and caress. In fact, this is a dangerous predator, which in rare cases can even pose a threat to human life.
Details about this representative of the fauna will be discussed in today's article. The history of this species, a description of the lifestyle, habitats, distribution area, reproduction and population of this animal are considered. We will also discuss domestication of this species and its crossbreeding with a domestic cat.
The first mention of the species
In official science, this animal appeared in the 18th century. The “father” of this species of feline family is the naturalist Johann Güldenstedt - Russified German sent by the Empress Catherine II on an expedition to study the southern borders of Russia. The view was discovered in 1786. Two years later, the German scientist Johann Schreber performed his classification according to binary nomenclature, not so long ago proposed by Karl Linnaeus. The reed cat has since received the name Felis Chaus (Felis in Latin means "cat", and Chaus - "reed"). From here came one of the colloquial names of the species - the house.
Appearance
What does a reed cat look like? At first glance, you might think that this is an ordinary cat, but significant differences still exist.
The photo of the reed cat, posted above, clearly demonstrates that the animal has a grayish-brown coat. There is a subtle shade of red. The color of the reed cat may vary depending on the time of year and habitat.
The tail of this representative of the cat family is medium in size and can reach 30 centimeters in length. Black rings are characteristic at the end of the tail.
The ears of the animal are long, pointed and have tassels at the ends.
The legs of the cat are long in order to better hunt and move around its natural habitat.
In length, the largest specimens can reach 80 centimeters, in height - up to half a meter. The weight of the animal varies from 3 to 12 kilograms depending on the sex, living conditions and heredity of the animal. Males, as a rule, are much larger than females.
Habitat
Not for nothing called the reed color of the cat. A favorite habitat of this species is an impenetrable marshland. Irresistible reeds, weeds from thorny bushes - this is what this beast loves. Usually the animal settles along the banks of rivers and lakes, seas.
The reed cat is very careful and avoids open spaces, where it can become easy prey for large predators. The animal does not really favor trees, climbing them only in case of urgent need. The beast also does not rise in the mountains, preferring to live on marshy lowlands.
In India, there have been cases of habitation of houses near grain storages. Thus, the animal provides itself with food, catching small rodents like mice and rats.
Lifestyle
The animal is by nature a vivid representative of predators. Small swamp game, fish, and small mammals are usually eaten by the beast. Cases of attack of this animal on wild piglets are known.
A remarkable way of hunting a swamp cat for waterfowl. The beast creeps up close to the prey. At the distance necessary for a jump, the house scares the bird, causing it to soar. At this very moment, the cat performs a powerful, almost vertical jump, grabbing prey with its tenacious paws.
It is generally accepted that representatives of the cat family are traditionally afraid of water and dive there only in case of emergency, a threat to life, and even then without much enthusiasm. With a swamp cat, everything is different. These animals are good swimmers and often “take baths”. Thus, the beast can successfully obtain a "lunch" or escape from the pursuit of a larger predator. A close relative of the bog lynx is the wyverra cat-fisher (Prionailurus viverrinus), distinguished by its swimmer skills and the ability to catch fish.
Like many representatives of the feline family, the swamp cat hunts at night. During the day, the animal sleeps while in its home.
As housing, the houses prefer to use abandoned burrows of badgers, foxes and other small animals. They themselves are engaged in "construction" only during the breeding season.
A wild reed cat is easy to tame. Kittens easily get used to humans. However, this is not recommended due to the small number of animals in nature.
Pairing
Swamp cats are polygamous in nature, that is, they do not form stable pairs for breeding. House breeding occurs once, rarely twice a year. Usually the race starts in February - April. The mating season is traditionally accompanied by a “showdown” between males for the opportunity to approach the female. Cats scream loudly, scaring each other and people living nearby, often inflicting serious damage on each other. The strongest male gains the right to impregnate the female.
Preparing for childbirth, the female arranges for herself a nest. The most suitable place for this is dense thicket of reeds, where future offspring will be in the greatest safety. A "maternity hospital" is usually a couch made of crushed reeds mixed with wool.
The female’s pregnancy lasts up to 70 days and ends with the birth of 2 to 5 kittens. The weight of a kitten usually ranges from 40 to 50 grams. The first weeks of life, kittens are blind and practically deaf. By two weeks, kittens gain vision. With baby teeth, the cubs part by five months of life. House can acquire the ability to acquire their own offspring for about 8-12 months of their life.
Distribution area
Swamp cat is distributed on the western coast of the Caspian Sea, in Asia Minor, in Kazakhstan, India, Pakistan, and North Africa. On the territory of Russia, houses live on the plains of Dagestan, along the mouth of the Volga, along the Terek and Kuma rivers.
Subspecies
To date, science knows 10 subspecies of bog lynx. First of all, the Caucasian reed cat was discovered (1786, Johann Guildenstedt). One of the latter was discovered in 1939 by the reed cat Kelaart, which lives in Sri Lanka and India, as well as the reed cat Prater, which is widespread in western India and the modern Pakistani province of Sind.
The last addition to the house subspecies was the Central Asian reed cat, discovered in 1969.
Danger to humans
Rare cases of marsh lynx attacks on humans have been recorded. All these cases were observed during the rutting period in animals, when they are distinguished by special aggression and irritability. In 99% of cases, this animal does not pose an immediate danger to humans, significantly inferior to it in size.
Threat of extinction
Swamp lynx is endangered and is listed in the Red Book of Russia. Although the species has been assigned a conservation status of “With minimal risk of extinction,” the population of these animals in Russia is gradually declining and may eventually disappear completely.
History of Domestication of a Reed Cat Breed
Attempts to domesticate the bog lynx have been undertaken since time immemorial. According to historians, even the ancient Egyptians used these animals to hunt waterfowl. This is evidenced by images of small animals resembling cats that brought game to hunters.
Nowadays, breeders have bred a breed that combines a mixture of marsh lynx, domestic short-haired cats, as well as a Bengal and Assibino cats. This breed was called "Chausi", or "Hausi", from the Latin word Chaus - "reed").
About the breed of cats Chausie (Shawzi)
A domestic reed cat has been bred relatively recently. The International Cat Association registered the breed in 1995.
The task of breeders was to remove as many aggressive signs of the behavior of a wild cat as possible, while maintaining maximum similarity with the natural ancestor. This process is always very difficult and time consuming.
The behavior of such a cat is largely determined by its pedigree. For example, if a cat is designated by the symbol F1, then this means that one of the parents of the animal is a real swamp lynx. An animal with F2 is already a quarter wild. The percentage of “wild” genes, thus, decreases with each subsequent generation. At the same time, it is important not to lose the external signs of houses.
Selection is complicated by the rapid loss of natural genes in the next generation. In other words, calves are becoming less and less like a swamp lynx.
In order to be considered a full-fledged representative of the breed, the beast must look like its wild ancestor, but have a non-aggressive character and more than three generations from the original species.
Because of these difficulties, the world's abundance of rock is extremely small. In Russia, there are only a few dozen individuals.
The same reason makes Chausie cats very expensive. The cost of one kitten starts from 200 thousand rubles and can reach up to a million. Moreover, when buying, there remains the risk, so to speak, to buy a "pig in a poke": outwardly a chauzy, but a habitation - a wild cat. For this reason, it is better to make a purchase in the USA - there are fewer risks.
By nature, thoroughbred chauses are quite peaceful. They have developed intelligence, attracting them to solve non-standard problems. It is better not to deprive these animals of the possibility of "free grazing." The animal will be very happy if a pond is equipped on the plot.
At the same time, one should not forget about the safety of a cat. The walking area must be properly isolated. Not every owner can afford to lose a kitten worth a million rubles.
In the absence of a special site, an alternative option would be to walk the animal in the park or square, and take the animal out to nature. For walking cats there are special cat harnesses (leashes), which will be very appropriate in this situation.