The Natural History of the Wild Cats

by Andrew Kitchener

Everyone is familiar with big cats--lions tigers, leopards, jaguars--members of the genus Panthera. The smaller cats--members of the genus Felis--are less familiar. This absorbing book presents what is known about the 37 or so species of the world's cats, including abundant information on the much-neglected smaller members of the cat family. 20 color and 101 b&w illustrations.

280 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are other more hefty and comprehensive reference books on the subject today, but this work still stands out as a timeless classic in the traditional descriptive style. Chapters on physiology, feeding ecology, social and reproductive behavior are instructive and dense with data and infographics. Though the information may be a little outdated today, for instance the evolutionary history and relationships, and more research has since been carried out on more species of cats, this book provides a useful and insightful overview on the fascinating subject of cat biology and ecology.

There is quite a great deal of information on feral domestic cats, which are arguably not a 'wild cat' species, but one descended from Felis silvestrus.