Wee Wild Cats

Okay, maybe not wee, but definitely not the size of a lion.  There are a myriad of small sized wild felines out there not nearly as well known as their larger cousins.  Like the kodkod, a cat only found in Chile and a few adjoining areas of Argentina.  It has the spots of a leopard and the striped tail of the tiger.

Source:  Wikipedia

They live in the temperate rainforest and their main prey are birds, lizards and rodents.  With their small range they are a vulnerable species because of habitat loss due to logging.

The Bay cat is a slightly larger endangered cat only found in Borneo.  Also a forest dweller, this elusive cat is thought to be mainly nocturnal, but there have been so few sightings not much is known about it or how many there really are.

Source:  Wikipedia

Then there is the leopard cat - not the same thing as a leopard as you will see!

Source:  Wikipedia

Only found in Asia there are 12 subspecies which differ greatly in looks.  This is also a leopard cat, also known as the Amur cat, found in Siberia, Manchuria and Korea.

Source:  Wikipedia

Leopard cats are solitary, and as could be expected the major part of their diet are rats and mice, with a few birds and lizards thrown in for good measure.

Geoffroy's cat is another South American cat that even though it is only about the same size as our domesticated cats, it is at the top of the food chain in many areas of its distribution.

Source:  Wikipedia

Its usual fare are rodents, hare, lizards, frogs and fish.

The two cats that vie for the 'smallest wild cat in the world' title are the Rusty-spotted cat found in India and Sri Lanka...

Source:  Wikipedia

and the black-footed cat of southern Africa.

Source:  Wikipedia

Click here and here for a couple of videos about these beautiful cats.