THE SMALL CATS
Small cats can be further classified as either Old World (from Africa, Asia, or Europe) or New World from Central and South America). Old World cats include domestic cats, wild cats, fishing cats, lynx, bobcat, caracal, serval, and cheetah. New World cats include ocelots, Geoffroy’s cat, and pumas.
There is not as clear a division between the New and Old World cats as there is within other species
of animals, mainly because all cats are evolutionarily pretty tightly knit. However, there are a few
behavioral differences.
For example:
Old World cats lie with their paws tucked under the body (in the “meatloaf position”), while
New World cats do not.
Old World cats are less likely to pluck the feathers from their small bird prey, while New World
cats are inclined to thoroughly pluck before eating their birds.
Old World cats bury their poop, while New World cats do not. (Imagine how different our litterbox situation might have played out had our beloved house cats descended from the New World, rather than the Old!)
Cat Daddy Fact
All big cats roar (except for snow leopards), but they don’t typically purr (except for ch Small cats purr, but can’t roar. This is due, in part, to a small bone in the neck called the hyoid.
In big cats, this bone is flexible, but in small cats, it is rigid. The big cats also have a flat, square vocal cords, and a longer vocal tract that allows them to make a louder, lower sound with less effort.
In small cats, the hardened hyoid combined with vocal folds are believed to create the purring sound.
Roaring may give big cats another way to control their turf without fighting or engaging in face-to-face conflict. Its sheer volume is a long-distance message—“I’m here, keep your distance please.” (For more on purring, see chapter 4.)
With all of this talk about what separates Old and New World, big and small cats, and small from one another, we might forget the most remarkable, undeniably raw fact: all existing cat species (currently estimated at forty-one) share a common ancestor.
That means that all felines are obligate carnivores, with large eyes and ears, powerful jaws, and a body built to kill. All cats walk quietly on their toes, with protractible claws, which supports their silent stalk-and-rush hunting style. And, last but not least, perhaps the most unifying (and definitely the most Mojo-rific) force connecting all felines, from lions to tabbies, is the drive to claim and own territory.