Pella Wildlife Company

[guppiecat]

For those of you who are not watching the debate tonight... kitty pictures.

The cat in this set is a Geoffroy's cat. This is not a cat one typically finds in zoos, and it's hard to find in the wild, so I really never thought I'd get to see one. Then, shortly before I left Iowa, a wildlife center got one for an education animal. The cat in these pictures is full grown... they really are this small.

They are also really this wild. Even though these shots are of a kitty on a leash inside, I have to caution anyone reading this that a Geoffroy's cat is a wild animal. Do not try to get one and expect it to be a lovely domesticated cat. It will be like having a little tiger in your house, which sounds neat until you realize that, left to its own devices in a house with no easy prey, a tiger may well try to eat you. If you want to play with one as the girl in these photos is doing, volunteer at a wildlife center. What else you going to do with your life? Play games on the Internet?

Here is my favorite:

That's my coat she's on. She needed something to crouch behind and believe me, she needed it.



Yes, that's a garden variety cat toy. Cats like toys.


Interesting thing that I never realized before I got into photography. Cats pupils widen when they are about to pounce. In photography, when you open the aperture, you get a shallower depth of field. I am guessing that when the pupils widen, the physics works the same, allowing the cat to more precisely guage the distance of the target.


They really are this small.


They are somewhat cuddle resistant.


Stalking the wild stalker.


Look! Humans are prey!


See. About to eat a tasty little human.


No. Seriously. Humans are prey.


If you had one of these at home, you'd see this a lot. Then, one time after you saw it, you'd see nothing else... 'cause you're prey.

Comments

[janetmiles.livejournal.com]

It is adorable. I do not want to own one, but I'm delighted to have gotten to see your pictures of it.

ETA: Oh, and may I link to your photo post from my own LJ and other places?

[guppiecat]

Of course you may.

[nightshade1972.livejournal.com]

Looks like they're about the size of an average housecat, at least. What are of the world are they indigenous to?

[guppiecat]

They're a bit smaller. Think of the size of a 1.5 year old cat or the average barn cat. She was probably 7 pounds.

[pauamma]

Wikipedia says mostly Argentina.

[guppiecat]

Sorry, I forgot the second part of your question.

Yes, pauamma is correct. They are a South American species.

[pameladean]

Oh, well arranged. I decided she was about three times as large, and then there was the photo with the human.

Little but fierce.

P.

[silkensteel.livejournal.com]

never doubt the fierceness of small and fierce.

I once rescued a dying, dehydrated young screech owl. light, soft, fluffy, too young and weak to fly, but she still kept trying to climb up my leg so she could eat my face. that cat has the same expression.

[howl-at-the-sun.livejournal.com]

That may just be the cutest thing I have seen for some time.

[hrrunka]

A beautiful cat, most definitely.

[ladyotterfae.livejournal.com]

Ack. The cute. I wonder if I can squeeze in enough time to get trained at the local wildlife rescue shelter...probably not right now, but now I'm really craving some wild-cat interaction.

[guppiecat]

It's worth pointing out, I think, that the majority of work in wildlife rescue will likely involve turtles and ducks. :)

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

That is just the cutest thing. Thanks for sharing!

[carbonel]

I wonder how many generations of selective breeding it would take to get one that was domesticated enough to not consider humans prey -- as long as the cat was fed regularly, at least.

[guppiecat]

You can get close today with the Ocicat and Egyptian Mau for domestics and the Bengal and Savannah for cross breeds.

It appears as though the magic distance is 3-5 generations.

[trishtrash.livejournal.com]

Before we moved, the nearest zoo to our house was rather depressing, so we only visited a couple of times. On the last visit we found, in a very secluded spot at the back of the grounds, a cage with two Geoffroy's cats trotting madly up and down looking for a way out to the wild place. I've never seen any of the bigger cats look that anxious to be elsewhere, or to display such relentless energy and it bummed me out completely, while still charming me. So small, cute, and absolutely wild. I would never mistake one for a domestic animal, even when socialised with humans.

Thank you for the beautiful pictures... it's lovely to see one again :)

[ETA]: Having checked out the other pics in the set, how did you manage to make it turn into a bear cub? Your skill in coaxing adorable behaviour out of animals is getting freaky...

[guppiecat]

Heh.

They also have wolves. Bear cubs and Geoffroy's cats look OK in an indoor facility. Wolves in a cage with carpeting just look sad, so I didn't take their photos.