neptunesdolphins | CAT (FELIDAE) FAMILY: Otherness (Reply)

I will be doing a series on the spirituality of the members of the Cat Family.

To many people, cats are mysterious creatures. Even for scientists, understanding cats is a major undertaking. The taxonomy problem of cats is so complex that many scientists have simply divided cats into Big Cats (Pantherinae) (Note 1) and Small Cats (Felinae) (Note 2). But that is not enough. The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) are in their own sub-families. Built for speed, the cheetah’s body type is similar to the greyhound’s. Meanwhile, Clouded Leopard is believed to be the intermediary between Big and Small Cats.

Even among regular people, confusion over cats abounds. Pumas and leopards are both called “panther.” (Note 3) However, “black panthers” are either jaguars or leopards. (Note 4) Pumas, belonging to the Small Cat Sub-family, are also known as “mountain lions.” Then there are the “mystery cats” – cats that have been sighted but not easily studied. King Cheetah, Kellas Cat, and Otway Panther (Note 5) are three such mystery cats. Do they exist as separate species or hybrids of current species?

From the massively powerful tiger to the tiny Black-footed Cat, they all are highly skilled hunters of prey. Equipped with sharp claws, cats use them for climbing, seizing, and killing prey. Their large canines help cats catch and kill their prey. They are the ultimate killing machines.

Since the beginning of time, cats have been a part of human’s lives. In Africa, early humans lived among lions and leopards. Ancient Egyptians and Romans revered Domestic Cat. In the Americas, the Mayas and Aztecs believed that the jaguar could shape-shift and enter other worlds. Around the world, Big Cats traditionally had the powers of life and death. Because Small Cats live such secretive lives, people told stories of “fairy cats.” Moreover “special cats,” such as Black Panther, White Tiger, and White Lion, have their own particular mystical meanings. People’s and cats’ lives have been intertwined across the millennia.

People look at cats with all their grace and independence and see the beauty and beast in themselves. Cats, on the other hand, do not particularly want to know people. Cats can be so intolerant of human intrusion into their lives that they will vanish into the night.

What cats teach is a sense of the “Other.” People have shared their lives with cats, Big and Small, and still do not understand these animals. For their part, cats care little what people think. Cats are what they are – familiar yet alien. They are the Other, the shadow that accompanies people on their journeys.

In “A Monograph of the Felidae,” Daniel Giraud Elliot observed, “Among the families that constitute the class Mammalia, no more attractive one can be found than that of the FELIDAE…. The family comprises not only the largest and most ferocious of the beasts of prey, but also the graceful little animal that delights to make its home within man’s abode.”

Rudyard Kipling in “Just So Stories” has the last word. “But the wildest of all the wild animals was the Cat. He walked by himself, and all places were alike to him.”

The Cat Subfamilies

Felinae includes the puma, ocelot, jaguarundi, and margay cat.

Pantherinae includes the bobcat, jaguar, lion, leopard (panther), lynx, and tiger.

Cat Groupings

Crash of Tigers

Kindle of Cats

Leap of Leopards

Pride of Lions

Notes:

Note 1. Big Cats (Pantherinae) include the bobcat, jaguar, lion, leopard (panther), lynx, and tiger. Big Cats differ from Small Cats in several ways. They roar instead of purr, with their roars being very loud and resonant. Unlike Small Cats, Big Cats attack animals larger than themselves. They suffocate the prey with a strangle hold on the neck or by covering the prey’s snout with their jaws. Messy eaters, Big Cats do not groom themselves as meticulously as Small Cats.

People have endowed mystical qualities to Big Cats, because of their silent killing and nocturnal ways. By wearing cat skins, warriors could remain unseen in battle, and priests could shape-shift into Big Cats. In addition, people have used various parts of these animals as mystical amulets, such as tiger whiskers and lion “hair balls.”

Note 2. Although many Small Cats (Felinae) are small, the puma (cougar) and ocelot are not. However, they are smaller than Big Cats. Felines differ from Big Cats in other significant ways. Felines hunt by biting the back of their prey’s neck with their needle-sharp teeth. They sever the neck vertebrae of their prey. When Felines eat, they crouch. Meticulous, they strive to keep themselves clean and spend many hours grooming themselves.

Note 3: True panthers (Panthera pardus) live in the Old World. The jaguar (Panthera onca) is found only in the New World. The jaguar is stockier, and more powerful than the panther (also known as the leopard.) However, they belong to the same Sub-Family. Meanwhile, the Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) is a separate species in the Big Cat family. However, the Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is considered neither a Small Cat nor a Big Cat.

Note 4: “Panther” is a commonly used word for several cats. The puma (cougar), a member of the Small Cat Sub-family, is called “panther.” The leopard is also called “panther.”

Note 5: The King Cheetah is thought to be a mutation of the cheetah, with a blotchy coat instead of spots. Kellas Cat is believed to be a hybrid of the Scottish wildcat and the domestic cat. Meanwhile, the Otway (Lithgow) Panther is a mystery, since panthers are not supposed to inhabit Australia.

CAT (FELIDAE) FAMILY: Otherness

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