Spot that cat

Spot that
Spot cat
That spot
Cat spot

That cat
Tree cat
That tree
Cat tree

There are many spotted cats in the Congo rainforest or at least cat like creatures. The spots break up their outline in the dappled light of the forest and assist with the camouflage necessary for a successful predator. The largest and best known is the leopard. This is a true feline and despite weighing up to 90 kg it climbs extremely well. They are incredibly powerful and can drag quite large antelopes up a tree where they can enjoy their meal in peace. Next step down are the civet cats in the Family Viverridae which is the same family as the Mongoose. These are superficially catlike and good climbers but they are not true felines. They weigh in at between 10 and 15 kg and have non-retractable claws , a pointed snout and dark eye patches giving them a racoon appearance. Civets make excellent pets and are both intelligent and affectionate. We recently released some orphaned civets from the Mefou Primate Centre in Mbalmayo in Cameroon back into the wild. And as you can see from the photo they did not appreciate their new freedom.

Civet cats are omnivorous and in Sumatra are famous for their role in creating the highly regarded and very expensive coffee called Kopi Luwak. Kopi Luwak is made from partially digested coffee beans salvaged from the dung of civet cats.

Kopi Luwak is expensive and rare

But just one thing you must beware

The digested beans for this caffeine hit

Are carefully sieved from civet something or other

The smallest of the spotted jungle cats are the Genets weighing in at between 1 and 2 kg. These are also viverrids and not felines. These have long banded tails which they use as a counterweight and are extremely agile as they hunt birds, reptiles and small mammals in the forest canopy.