3 Year Old Margay
This is a margay. It's back legs are double jointed, so it can swing them around backwards to climb down trees face first, one of only two cats capable of doing this (the other being the Clouded Leopard) and the only one in the Western Hemisphere.
It was captured for sale as a pet in the Bocas del Toro region of Panama. David (pictured) rescued the cat and now keeps it in a three floor thatched roof hut . Because it is the only margay on Punta Burica, it has nearly limitless options for hunting in trees, and therefore is too dangerous to other wildlife to be out in the wild. It would also be threatened by poachers and hunters.
This cat had an incredibly soft coat, but was also politely ferocious.
Comments and faves
thornydalemapco (58 months ago | reply)
Domesticated cats climb trees; and I know I've seen bobcats in trees before.
markthelow (58 months ago | reply)
haha, yeah I see how that reads. I fixed it.
nickgraywfu (58 months ago | reply)
OMG this is AWESOME. I love big cats.
nickgraywfu added this photo to his favorites. (58 months ago)
sgoralnick (57 months ago | reply)
i want one!!!!!
andrew and hobbes (52 months ago | reply)
First of all, lovely picture.....My congratulations to david for rescuing the cat, it must have been quite difficult to ''domesticate'' it although Im sure itll never be fully domesticated..... How young wasit when he aquired it?
andrew and hobbes added this photo to his favorites. (52 months ago)
markthelow (52 months ago | reply)
It was about the size of his palm. The mother had been murdered. This is fairly common in that part of Panama. It was very friendly, but I certainly could not have held it. It was like a big fluffy house cat that occasionally followed your hands with its whole head, as if ready to lunge. I know David was feeding it meat. Every time he'd let it out it would bring back kills of all kinds.
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Jason H Covert (40 months ago | reply)
A couple of years ago I spent some time down on Punta Burica and I visited David's place as well - he had said that he had found a young boy in Bocas who was keeping the emaciated Margay in a sack covered in its own filth. He paid the boy a small fee and brought it to Punta Burica.
The outcome has certainly been a positive one, but rearing a wild animal always comes with inherent dangers: I think David has the right amount of respect for the animal. As you mentioned, he feeds it a lot of red meat, but its instinct to hunt obviously isn't driven by hunger.
When I held it there was a feeling of restrained power - it was soft, but dense in a muscular way a house cat could never be (thankfully.) David's two much larger dogs gave the Margay a wide and respectful berth, and for the most part it wasn't interested in them. I'm so happy to see it doing well, and it looks like it's grown well!
markthelow (39 months ago | reply)
Woah! Thanks for the insight! I just noticed your comment now. Yes, he told me the Bocas story. It lives in its own house now. He put caging along the walls of one of the huts he built.
Things were really tough for David last time I was there. I mean, really tough. I hope he's doing well, and if you head back out there, keep me posted.
snopeke (37 months ago | reply)
if you would ever like a home for that baby margay i would love to take it and give it a f orever home. i live in michigan but have been into cats for years.
i do behavioral training for both dogs and cats alike
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Tania.Paz (21 months ago | reply)
it's soooo beautiful!!! will keep the record of this :)
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