Photo: eli77 via Getty Images
Also known as the manul or Steppe cat, the Pallas' cat is a wild feline that is found in Central Asia.
This unique creature has a number of distinctive features, including its long fur and grumpy disposition!
Despite its surly attitude, the Pallas' cat is a fascinating animal that deserves to be better known.
In this dedicated GB blog post, we will take a closer look at this intriguing cat!
Description and Appearance
Photo: kjekol via Getty Images
As we mentioned earlier, the Pallas' cat is well known for its grumpy face!
It's a small to a medium-sized feline, with males averaging around twice the size of females.
Their bodies are compact and stocky, with short legs and a long tail that is often thicker at the base.
Pallas' cats are covered in dense fur that helps to keep them warm in their mountainous habitat.
This fur is usually grey or light brown in color, with dark spots and stripes.
The facial features of the Pallas' cat are also quite unique, with a small head, large ears, and a short muzzle.
Do you know what else is quite unique? A Lifelike Pallas’s Steppe Cat Soft Stuffed Plush Toy. For quite an infrequent animal, you’d think nothing of this sort would exist—but alas, it does! As you would expect, it’s equally as daunting as the real thing; maybe just a little bit more fluffy on the plushie side.
Gage Beasley’s Pallas’s Steppe Cat Soft Stuffed Plush Toy
Diet
The Pallas' cat is a carnivore, and its diet consists mainly of small rodents such as mice, voles, and hamsters.
They will also eat birds, reptiles, and insects if they can catch them.
Pallas' cats are known to be efficient hunters, and they often stalk their prey before attacking.
They usually kill their prey by biting its neck and then eating it whole.
In captivity, the Pallas' cat will eat a variety of meat-based diets including wet and dry food, as well as raw meat.
Reproduction
Pallas' cats usually mate in the winter, and the gestation period is around 67 days.
Litters usually consist of two to four kittens, which are born blind and deaf.
The kittens will start to open their eyes after around two weeks, and they will be fully weaned at around six weeks old.
The Pallas' cat reaches sexual maturity at around one to two years old, and they can live for up to twelve years in the wild.
Distribution & Habitat
Photo: Joseph Khammar via Getty Images
The Pallas' cat is found in a number of countries in Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
They tend to live in mountainous areas, and their dense fur helps to keep them warm in the cold temperatures.
Pallas' cats are also known to inhabit open steppe areas, as well as cultivated fields and urban areas (hence their alternate name).
In recent years they have been known to venture in to Russia and Mongolia.
Conservation
The Pallas' cat is not currently considered to be at risk of extinction, but it is listed as a vulnerable species by the IUCN.
The main threats to the Pallas' cat are habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as hunting and trapping.
There is also a small amount of illegal trade in Pallas' cats for the pet trade.
The great news is that a number of conservation measures are currently in place to help protect this fascinating cat.
Other Interesting Facts
- The Pallas' cat is named after German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas, who first described the species in 1776.
- Pallas' cats are also sometimes known as the manul, which is derived from the Mongolian word for "pussycat".
- Pallas' cats are proficient climbers, and they have been known to scale trees in order to catch prey.
- Although they are not domesticated, Pallas' cats have been known to form bonds with humans.
- Pallas' cats are one of the oldest cat species, and they are thought to have evolved around two million years ago.
- Pallas' cats are solitary animals, and they do not typically form groups.
- Pallas' cats are not very vocal, and the only sound they typically make is a soft hiss.
Final Thoughts
The Pallas' cat is a unique and fascinating creature, and we hope you have enjoyed learning more about it.
It's definitely a cat that is worth conservation, and we hope that more people will take an interest in helping to protect this species.
If you ever have the chance to see a Pallas' cat in the wild, make sure you take it and capture some great photos!
Cheers!
~GB
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