Meet Kuda, the Rusty Spotted Cat

A Rusty-spotted cat is a small wild cat, with two subspecies found in India and Sri Lanka. They usually weigh anywhere between 1-2kgs but can be as little as 900g. They have a varied diet of rodents, birds, eggs, reptiles, small vertebrates, and insects. Their distinctive physical features are their small, slender bodies (which are smaller than domestic cats) and their small, round heads. They have red to brown colouring, hence the ‘rusty’ name, along with darker spots and stripes, which camouflage them perfectly into their habitat.

The latest IUCN Red List assessment classified the Rusty-spotted cat as ‘Near Threatened’, with their population numbers seen to be decreasing. The Rusty-spotted cat faces several threats in the wild: from human development resulting in a loss of habitat and a lack of prey due to human-wildlife conflict through hunting.

Source: thebigcatsanctuary.org