ASIAN GOLDEN CATS
Asian Golden Cats (Catopuma temminckii) have a body length of 70-110 centimeters and a tail of 40-60 centimeters long and weigh 10-15 kilograms. They live in Southeast Asia, South Asia and China and their preferred habitats are forests in mountains and rocky mountains. They have been reported to live 18 to 23 years and are expected to survive 20 years in captivity. They are regarded as a threatened but not endangered species. There are no known predators of Asian golden cats other than humans.
Asian Golden Cats are mainly found in the mountains at an altitude less than 3000 meters. Solitary in nature and nocturnal in habit, golden cats are good climbers. A fierce carnivore, it feeds on birds, rodents, mice, wild rabbits, small-sized dears and medium-size ungulates like tufted deer. Sometimes, they attack secretly and kill their prey with their paws and teeth. Golden Cats have no fixed breeding season. After a 91 days pregnancy, the female gives birth to two or three young. [Source: Center of Chinese Academy of Sciences, kepu.net]
Asian Golden Cats are nocturnal animals and usually are solitary. They’re good at climbing trees and have a particularly fierce nature. Even after a long time in captivity, they still show their teeth and growl at people when close. Golden cats change greatly in their lifetime. Their normal color is orange yellow with dark ribbons but can change into reddish brown, brown and black. But no matter how their color changes, their faces are the same. The inner upper corner of their eyes have a white wrinkle with black ribbons. Based on their color change, Chinese villagers call them "Toona sureni panther", "grass panther" and "sesame panther"
Asian Golden Cat Habitat and Where They Are Found
Asian golden cats range from China and India through the Malay peninsula, Thailand, and Vietnam. They live in a variety of habitats yet their range has been limited by human expansion humans and poachers. Asian golden cats have been studied at Phu Khiao Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand and Jerangau Forest Reserve and Jerangau Forest Reserve West Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia. [Source: Alex Bok, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]
Asian golden cats are primarily found in tropical and evergreen forests, mixed and dry deciduous forests and tropical rain forests. They are found in Thailand at elevations of 1,100 to 3,738 meters (3610 to 12264 feet) at an average elevation 2,517 meters (8258 feet). The Pho Khieo Wild Life Sanctuary in Thailand is considered ideal habitat for them. It consists of closed forest, grassland, and an abandoned orchard. Radio-collared individuals there at 3,738 meters. Recently one was spotted in Tibet at an elevation of 4,415 meters (14,485 feet). Although habitats are variable within the sanctuary, Asian golden cats did not show a preference for any particular kind of habitat.
Asian Golden Cat Characteristics
Asian golden cats are moderate-sized felids with a head and body length of 116 to 161 centimeters (45.7 to 63.4 inches). Their tail is one half to a third of their size They range in weight from 12 to 15 kilograms (26.43 to 33.04 pounds). They have a muscular build and long legs. These and their long tails make them excellent tree climbers, although they tend to spend most of their time on the ground.[Source: Alex Bok, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]
Sexual Dimorphism (differences between males and females) is present: Males are larger than females. An adult male in the Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary weighed 13.5 kilograms,and measured 91 centimeters in length from head to body. The male's tail was 41 centimeters in length, its right hind food was 18 centimeters, its ear was 5.5 centimeters, and upper right canine was 16 millimeters in length. A female at the same place weighed 7.9 kilograms,and measured 77 centimeters in length from head to body. The female's tail was 39.5 centimeters in length, her right hind food was 15.5 centimeters, and upper right canine was 13 millimeters in length
Individuals Asian golden cats display a variety of coat colors, including gold brown, brown, black, fox red, and gray. Gray individuals are often referred to as "fire cats." As a rule, Asian golden cats have white lines with black borders that run vertically from the top of the head to the side of the eye and downwards across the neck. Their coat hairs are moderate in length. The underbelly, inner legs, and the underside of the tail are white.
Asian Golden Cat Behavior
Asian golden cats are terricolous (live on the ground), diurnal (active during the daytime), crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk), motile (move around as opposed to being stationary), sedentary (remain in the same area) and solitary.[Source: Alex Bok, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]
Their average territory size is female 32.6; male 47.7 square kilometers based on the study at Phu Khieo. The ranges of the males and females overlapped by 78 percent. Each individual traveled around a kilometer and half each day. Little information is available regarding the communication and perception of Asian golden cats. Like most cats, they probably use scent cues extensively in communication and communicate with vision and chemicals usually detected by smelling and sense using vision, touch, sound and chemicals usually detected with smell.
Asian golden cats were once thought to be nocturnal (active at night), however, the radio-tracking individuals revealed that they are diurnal and crepuscular. Activity in this study peaked in the mid morning (8 to 10 am) and early evening (4 to 6 pm). Radio-collared cats were most inactive during early morning (1 to two am). They were most active during July and least active during March. Like most cats, they are likely to be solitary except during mating.
Asian Golden Cat Food and Eating Behavior
Asian golden cats are carnivores (mainly eat meat or animal parts) and mostly eat terrestrial vertebrates such as birds, mammals, amphibians reptiles. [Source: Alex Bok, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]
According to Asian golden cats have opportunistic eating habits. They often consume small prey such as Indochinese ground squirrel, muntjacs, and small snakes . They also eat rodents, birds, reptiles, and young hares ("Asian Golden Cat" 2001). In the goral mountains of Sikkim, India, Asian golden cats are reported to hunt larger animals such as wild pig, sambar deer, and water buffalo calves. In areas of human presence, they also prey on domesticated poultry, sheep, and goats. /=\
In captivity, Asian golden cats are fed a diet of less variety. They were given animals with less than 10 percent body fat, because animals with more fat cause them to vomit. Their food is also enhanced with alcium carbonate and multivitamin supplements. The “dead whole food items” that the animals were presented with are chicken, rabbits, guinea pig, rats, and mice. In zoos, Asian golden cats receive 800 to 1500 kilograms of food per day.
Asian Golden Cat Mating, Reproduction and Offspring
Asian golden cats are iteroparous. This means that offspring are produced in groups such as litters multiple times in successive annual or seasonal cycles. They engage in year-round breeding. The number of offspring ranges from one to three, with the average number of offspring being one. Estrus in female Asian golden cats lasts six days, and the cycle repeats every 39 days. [Source:Alex Bok, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]
Alex Bok wrote in Animal Diversity Web: The mating systems of Asian golden cats are relatively unknown, as they are difficult to observe in the wild. Wild individuals tend to be afraid of humans, and the mating process has not been observed. The Cincinnati zoo, Heidelberg zoo, Munster zoo, and Wassenaar zoo have attempted to breed Asian golden cats and collectively have a 78 percent success rate.
Zoos use a careful program to ensure reproductive success. Males are introduced to females over a 2-month period, allowing the female to become familiarized with the male and lowering the chance of fatalities. Many zoos experience fatalities between males and females during introduction. Males are kept in a separate area and are allowed visual, olfactory, and auditory contact. To ensure less aggression, higher amounts of food are added to each cage. After two months, the male and female are allowed short periods of contact together. If no aggression is observed, the time of contact is gradually increased. The male and female stay together for 70 days, during which they copulate. If the female has not given birth after 90 days, the male is reintroduced at a time when the female is in estrus again.
The average gestation period for Asian golden cats is 81 days. The average weaning age is six months and the age in which they become independent is as low nine, with an average of is 12 months. Females reach sexual or reproductive maturity around 19 months; males do so around 24 months.
Cubs weigh an average of 250 grams at birth. In the wild, some females were observed giving birth in hollow trees. Little information is available on the parental involvement of Asian golden cats. In zoos, cubs are removed from their mother around nine to 12 months, although weaning generally occurs at six months. This may suggest post-weaning care by mothers. In zoos, the father has no association with their young, which may also be indicative of care in the wild.
Asian Golden Cats, Humans and Conservation
On the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Asian golden cats are listed as Near Threatened. On the US Federal List they are classified as Endangered. In CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild) they are in Appendix I, which lists species that are the most endangered among CITES-listed animals and plants. [Source: Alex Bok, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]
Humans utilize Asian golden cats for food and their body parts are source of medicine. Their meat is considered a delicacy in some places, and their bones are used for traditional medicine. Their pelt is also traded, though illegal. In local superstition, it is believed that carrying a piece of their hair or burning the pelt of Asian golden cats drives tigers away. Asian golden cats have been known to prey on domesticated livestock, such as poultry, sheep, and goats.
Populations are decreasing at least in part due to habitat destruction from logging and agriculture. In addition to habitat loss, they also face poachers. Some Asian golden cats inhabit wildlife sanctuaries. Zoos have had success breeding them in captivity.
In 2020, Newsflare reported: “An Asian golden cat was rescued from a wild boar trap in a forest in Kemang area. The footage shows conservation officers in West Sumatra walking into the forest to rescue the cat after it was entangled in a trap. "The rare golden cat was entangled at about noon and found by the residents who set up the trap. The officers anaesthetized the animal so it could be evacuated as its front left leg was wrapped around a rope," the filmer told Newsflare. The animal was taken to the local zoo for immediate care and further observation. [Source: NewsflareJune 16, 2020]
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons
Text Sources: Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org ; National Geographic, Live Science, Natural History magazine, David Attenborough books, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Discover magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Wikipedia, The Guardian, Top Secret Animal Attack Files website and various books and other publications.
Last updated January 2025