One helluva pretty puddy tat! The Margay.

[Atlas Mugged]

[patrice]

1. Wow! Does it have long legs?

kind of like a cheetah, right?

[Atlas Mugged]

2. They're very small, actually.

Unfortunately, they've been a exotic pet fad for a while, and they're highly unsuitable as domesticated animals. Oh, and then there's the Cruellas of the world...

"Misc.: Of all of the felines, the Margay is most adapted for a true arboreal life. It is the only cat to possess the ability to rotate its hind legs 180° , enabling it to run head first down trees like squirrels. It can also hang from a branch by one hind foot!"


More info here:

http://www.bigcatrescue.org/margay.htm

[patrice]

3. Not for a pet unless you've got acreage with trees then.

Beautiful long neck and small compact head.

[MnFats]

4. ok, i can't have one for a pet. but it sure would be cool to have...

...a pair running around the little forest in back of my place.
but probably only for the summer.
i'm guessing they wouldn't do too well in winter here.
beautiful cat, though...

[havocmom]

5. If any of you cat lovers get to Tucson, go over Gates Pass and take in

the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. It has all the critters and plants fond in the area and is one of the most beautiful places to stroll and see them all in one day. Lovely habitat areas.

The 'Cat Canyon' is a treat. Margay, bobcat, jacarundi, you can view from ground level, in out of the sun, or from above, looking down into the habitats. The big cat, puma, is in a different part of the place with a pretty nice big playground.

It is a real experience and I recommend it highly.

I got to see bobcat babies there a couple times!

And if you like aviaries, it has two that are wonderful. One is just for hummingbirds.

Tucson in the summer is a bummer but the up side is that the Desert Museum has been open Saturday nights for the past several years. I would assume they will still do it. It's fun to be out when the night critters are active. You can do supper there and if you are lucky, like we were one night, a wild ringtail(called miners' cat too)who just happens to live on the grounds might peak down from the big tree on the terrace to see what you ordered!

To sit and wait for a glimpse of the shy margay is a real zen kinda thing. See it close to dusk. Your soul will thank you.

[Atlas Mugged]

6. Thanks for the suggestion!

I researched the ASDM and bookmarked it. Sounds fantastic.