ASIAN GOLDEN CAT  
Pardofelis temminckii

Sometimes called "Temminck's Golden Cat", the Asian Golden Cat is a medium-sized wild cat which lives throughout Southeast Asia, ranging from Tibet and Nepal to Southern China, India, and Sumatra. It prefers forest habitats interspersed with rocky areas, and is found in deciduous, subtropical evergreen, and tropical rainforests. Most of what is known about this beautiful cat is through observing them in captivity, as they are very shy and elusive. They can weigh up to 35 pounds, and live as long as 20 years in captivity.

The fur of the Asian Golden Cat is most often a foxy red or golden brown color; however, black and grey color variations have been found. Normally, their coat is plain, with just a few spots on the underside, with sometimes very faint, ghost-like spotting appearing on the rest of the coat. However, in China there is a color variant with leopard-like spots, so that the Asian Golden Cat there resembles a Leopard Cat. This spotted fur is a recessive characteristic to the solid fur, thus when a spotted Asian Golden Cat breeds with a plain Asian Golden Cat, their offspring will have the plain fur.

RETURN to HDW's Wild Cats Portrait Gallery