The Rusty-spotted Cat
Felis (Prionailurus) rubiginosa
I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire

The rusty-spotted cat is one of the smallest species of cat in the world. Similar in overall appearance to the leopard cat (Felis (Prionailurus) bengalensis) its greyish fur is marked with the reddish spots which give it its name. The grizzled coat is short and soft, grey with a rufous tinge. It is marked with lines of brown elongate blotches. The belly and insides of the limbs are white with large dark spots. Two dark streaks mark the face with two white superciliary streaks which extend along the sides of the nose. Four dark streaks run from the top of the head to the nape. The tail, about half the length of the body, is more rufous in colour and only indistinctly spotted. The soles of the feet are black. Young rusty-spotted cats lack the markings. Ears are small and rounded and there are only two upper premolars. The skull is generally short and rounded with the orbit completely encircled in bone. Nasal bones of rusty-spotted cats are distinctly narrowed, in comparison to those of the leopard cat.
Rusty-spotted cats have been placed in the genus Felis, but Wozencraft (1993) in the latest review of cat taxonomy emphasises that the Prionailurus cats (leopard cat P. bengalensis; flat-headed cat P. planiceps; and fishing cat P. viverrinus) are more closely related to one another than they are to the other cats.

Two subspecies are usually recognised:

F. (P.) r. phillipsi is rather more brightly coloured than the subcontinental subspecies.

The subcontinent of India encompasses the entire geographical range of the rusty-spotted cat. The known distribution is somewhat disjointed. It is found in southern India, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, and Sri Lanka, but recent reports of sightings elsewhere in India suggest that it may be more widely distributed.
The Indian form, F. (P.) r. rubiginosus is restricted to relatively open country including dry grassland scrub although in the Gir Lion Sanctuary rusty-spotted cats have been seen in dense forest as well as cultivated areas. This environment is very different to that in Kashmir. They are also found near villages, rocky regions, hill slopes, the dry beds of reservoirs and drains in open country.
In contrast, F. (P.) r. phillipsi is a true forest dweller, living in the humid mountainous regions in the south of Sri Lanka, up to an altitude of 2,100 metres. It is absent from the dry northern parts of the island.
The most northerly recorded rusty-spotted cats were from Jammu and Kashmir in October 1975 (Rusty-Spotted Cat Photographed in Gir Lion Sanctuary. Cat News 13, 1990, p.15). There is also a population believed to be in the Bangs forest, north of Bombay in southern Gujarat, and one possibly in Andhra Pradesh, south east India.
Three kittens and their mother were caught in the attic in a village house in Kerala, southern India (Rusty-spotted cats living in Abandoned Houses. Cat News 16, 1992, p.19; More Rusty-spotted cats Caught in South India. Cat News 17, 1992, p. 16). They were surprisingly far from wild habitat.
The map shows the probable distribution of Rusty-spotted cats in grey. Note the dots in the north-east and the far north where single specimens have been recorded. Such a small cat may have escaped observation in other areas.
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.

Rusty-spotted cats prey on small birds and mammals, and are known to eat insects, reptiles and frogs. They are reported to kill domestic chickens when they have the chance.

Primarily nocturnal, rusty-spotted cats rest in dense cover during the day. Partly arboreal, they are accomplished climbers. Nothing is known about their social systems, but they are probably solitary. They have been reported to be very playful, which is said to make them conducive to being pets.

Three kittens are born after a gestation period of 67 days. They do not have adult coloration. Courtship is almost identical to that of the domestic cat.

Worah (1990) states that the rusty-spotted cat does not seem to be rare in Gujarat, even though they are hunted and eaten. Almost every village in a survey reported to have seen them.
In the early 1990s there were 36 rusty-spotted cats in captivity, all of the Sri Lankan subspecies, 19 males and 17 females (African Lion and Rusty-spotted Cat Studbooks. Cat News 18, 1993. p. 26). A breeding population of the Indian subspecies ought to be established as well, to safeguard their future.
A limited distribution in scattered areas implies that the populations could be very vulnerable. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) does not consider the rusty-spotted cat to be threatened, but the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has restricted international commerce (Conservation and Legal Status of Wild Cats. Cat News 12, 1990, p.26). Trade in animals from the Indian populations is prohibited under CITES Appendix I. The Sri Lankan populations are on Appendix II, where trade is strictly limited.

A captive breeding programme needs to have regard to keeping separate the various subspecies, while at the same time avoiding the dangers of inbreeding.
This is achieved by the maintenance of a studbook which is used to select suitable breeding partners for captive animals. Such studbooks are maintained on a voluntary basis by dedicated individuals or teams at various zoos around the world.