The Cat Survival Trust

The Bay Cat

Felis (Catopuma) badia Gray

Contents
	Description Distribution Diet Behaviour Reproduction Conservation Status Captive Breeding and Bay Cats in Captivity Further Reading

Other names
	English:	Bornean red cat
	French:	chat bai
	German:	Borneo-katze
	Spanish:	gato rojo de Borneo

Description

The Bornean bay or red cat is probably the least known of all the felids. Before November 1992, when an adult female was trapped, there were no confirmed sightings of this species since 1928. This female is only the seventh specimen described by science, and is the first whole animal (Sunquist et al 1994a).
About the same size as a domestic cat it appears to be a smaller, island version of Temminck’s golden cat. Temminck’s cat does not occur on Borneo. With so little material to work on, the taxonomy of the bay cat remains uncertain. It is usually regarded as belonging to the genus Felis, although other workers assign it to Catopuma or Profelis.
Two colour phases have been described for the bay cat: one a bright reddish chestnut brown with faint spots on the paler underside and limbs; the other a dark bluish slaty grey. However there is only one specimen of the latter phase.
No subspecies have been described.
White stripes mark the face and the backs of the rounded ears are blackish brown. The top of the head is dark and there are two dark stripes across the cheeks from the outer corners of the eyes. The chin is white and Sunquist et al (1994a) state that there is a dark “M-shaped” marking on the back of the head. Along the underside of the distal half of the extremely long, tapering tail is a white streak, the tip is also white with a terminal black spot. The fur of the latest specimen was speckled with black markings. The skull of the bay cat is proportionally higher and more rounded than the very much larger Temminck’s cat. It has a vestigial anterior upper premolar with only one root.
No subspecies have been described.

Principal dimensions

(From preserved skins only)	Overall	Males	Females
Head and Body lengths (cm)	53-67
Height at Shoulder (cm)	28
Tail lengths (cm)	32-39
Weight (Kg)	2-4

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Distribution and Habitats

As its name suggests, the Bornean red cat is confined to the island of Borneo. Found in the dense tropical forests up to an altitude of 900 metres (one unconfirmed sighting at 1,800m), it has been observed in rocky limestone outcrops and recently in logged dipterocarp forest. The latest individual to be caught was on the Sarawak/Indonesian border but other records are widely distributed in the northern half of the island.
At least three specimens were found near rivers, but this is probably due to collector bias/convenience rather than evidence of habitat preference.

The map shows the present distribution of Bay cats in grey.
The map is based on information in the Wild Cats Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan published by the IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group in 1996. See our Books page for more details.

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Diet

Said to feed on small mammals, birds, monkeys and carrion.

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Behaviour

Unknown

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Reproduction

Unknown

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Conservation Status

Borneo is suffering from appalling deforestation, thus the habitat of the Bornean bay cat is being rapidly destroyed.
Insufficient information is available to be able to estimate the status of the populations of this species and how they are likely to react to human disturbance. In view of this situation and the scarcity of sightings the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) placed it on Appendix II (Conservation and Legal Status of Wild Cats. Cat News, 12, 1990, p. 26). Species listed on Appendix II are considered to be in serious danger of becoming extinct if potential trade is not strictly regulated.
There are no reports of bay cats being traded.
The IUCN Red List has the bay cat as Vulnerable. (Cat News 23 ", 1995, p.21)
The cat is fully protected by law over most of its presumed range.

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