Golden Cat (Kucing Tulap)
English : Asiatic Golden Cat
France : Chat Dore d Asie
German : Asiastische Goldkatze
Spanish : Gato Dorado Asiatico
Zoological Name
Catopuma temminckii or Profelis temminckii or Felis temminckii
Subspecies
Catopuma, along with the Bornean bay cat which is said to be an island version of Temminck’s cat (Wozencraft 1993). The African golden cat has been separated from these two species and is now the sole representative of the genus Profelis. All of these cats are otherwise classified as Felis.
Three subspecies of Temminck’s golden cat are described:
1) F. (C.) t. temminckii (Nepal to Malaysia and Indo-China)
2) F. (C.) t. dominicanorum (Southern China)
3) F. (C.) t. (Fontainnier’s cat; Tibet and northern Burma)
Fontainier’s cat is very heavily patterned in comparison to the other two subspecies and because of this was regarded for a long time as a variety of the leopard cat.
Physical Characteristics
The Asian Golden Cat has a cat-like appearance, but is more similar to a small leopard in size and behavior. Its height is 56 cm (22 in) at the shoulder, and the length from nose to tail is 75 to 105 cm (30 to 41 in). The weight ranges from 9 to 16 kg (20 to 35 lb), which is about two or three times the size of a domesticated cat. The long and flexible tail is about 50 cm (20 in) long.
The coat is usually foxy red or golden brown, with some gray and even black individuals. The coat is usually plain with some black markings, although individuals with faint spots are not uncommon. Golden cats with leopard-like spots have been found in China, resembling a large leopard cat. Transitional forms among the different colorations also exist.
Distribution
Found in southeast Asia from Nepal, Tibet, Sikkim, Assam, Sichuan, Yunnan, Thailand and Malaysia down to Sumatra, Temminck’s golden cat lives in deciduous and tropical rain forests and occasionally more open habitats. It is said to like wooded areas interspersed with rocky tracts. In parts of China it is known as ‘Shilului’, the Rock cat and has been found as high as 2,000 meters. In Malaysia, it is found in Hutan Simpan Temenggor, Belum and Wildlife Rizab Sungkai.
Habitat
The habitat of the golden cat is generally dense tropical and-subtropical forest although in the Himalayas the cat can be found at altitudes up to 10,000 feet.
Reproduction
Females come into estrus every 4 months, at which times they leave markings and seek contact with the male by adopting receptive postures. During intercourse, the male will seize the skin of the neck of the female with its teeth. After a gestation of approximately 80 days, a litter of 1-3 kittens is born, with 1 being the average. Newborns weigh approximately 8.75 ounces at birth. Eyes open around 9 days and they weaned at around 6 months. They reach sexual maturity around 18-24 months for females, and around 2 years for males.
Diet
The primary prey of this cat is small to mid-sized mammals consisting of tree hyraxes, large and small rodents, small antelope and birds. It was also found that fallen, injured monkeys and scavenged eagle kills are an important part of this cats diet. It is mainly nocturnal and crepuscular and hunt using the stalk and rush method.
Behaviour
Not much is known about this rather elusive predator, and most of what is known about it has been learned in captivity. Its vocalizations include hissing, spitting, meowing, purring, growling, and gurgling. Other methods of communication observed in captive Asian Golden Cats include scent marking, urine spraying, raking trees and logs with claws, and rubbing of the head against various objects, much like a domestic cat.
The Asian Golden Cat is a territorial and solitary species. Previous observations suggested that it is primarily nocturnal, but a field study on two radio-collared specimens revealed arrhythmic activity patterns dominated by crepuscular and diurnal activity peaks, with much less activity late at night. The male's territory was 47.7 km2 in size and increased more than 15% during the rainy season. The female's territory was 32.6 km2 in size. Both cats traveled between only 55 m to more than 9 km in a day and were more active in July than in March. The Asian Golden Cat prefers to be on the ground, although it can climb trees when necessary. It hunts small ungulates such as muntjacs and young sambar deer, as well as birds, large rodents and reptiles. It is capable of bringing down prey much larger than itself, such as a buffalo calf.
Conservation
The IUCN Red List has the Asiatic golden cat as Near Threatened. The Asiatic golden cat is widely reported as uncommon and threatened by deforestation. Major threats also including hunting for their pelt and bones. Their meat is considered a delicacy and the whole animal is often roasted on a spit. The bones are then sometimes ground into a powder to be given to children for fevers. Livestock predation to be decreasing in India and Indonesia, no factual information is known of their status in the wild.
Lifespan
18 years