Making
sure your LC is Legal to own:
Leopard
Cats are a wild and protected species. Some countries, states, counties,
cities, towns, and villages have restrictions on ownership, breeding, and/or
exhibiting wild protected species, but many allow them to be owned without
any permits as long as they are not sold or exhibited.
Please,
keep in mind that three Leopard Cat subspecies are now listed as endangered
subspecies, they are p.bengalensis bengalensis, p.bengalensis
iriomotensis, and the Tsushima Leopard cat, yet given a scientific
name.
These
three endangered subspecies and all undocumented subspecies are regulated
by the Endangered Species Act and require Endangered Species permits to
sell, purchase, transport across state lines, import, export, and/or even
own. Unless you are a zoo, research, or a major breeding facility, ESA
permits are next to impossible to obtain.
Unethical
animal brokers still try to work around the ESA regulations by discarding
documentation showing subspecies on animals that are endangered. Basically,
adding to their endangerment. This is why US Fish & Wildlife now "REQUIRES
PROOF" of subspecies on all Leopard Cats to make sure they are a non endangered
subspecies. LCF supports USFW efforts to protect these endangered subspecies
and hopes other do as well.
Basically,
USFW considers all Leopard Cats of un documented subspecies to be endangered
and it is no longer legal to buy, sell, transport, Import, or Export non
documented subspecies of Leopard Cats across state lines in the US without
an ESA permit. USFW are confiscating any Leopard Cats they find without
subspecies documentation that have crossed state lines or been imported
at Ports of Entry.
There
are animal brokers and breeders in the US and around the world who are
still offering for sale Leopard Cats without subspecies documentation.
Please do not attempt to purchase these cats because their sale makes them
subject to confiscation, euthanasia, and fines or lose of all your investment.
All animal brokers and breeders both in the US and in other countries should
already be aware of USFW requirements and should not attempt to sell you
undocumented subspecies of Leopard Cats at any time. If they are, you likely
part of a scam to take your money.
Even
if they are able to sneak an undocumented subspecies, falsely documented,
or an illegally obtain Leopard Cat through, when authorities catching them,
all their records will be confiscated and the authorities will eventually
track you and your Leopard Cat down. Not to mention all their offspring
including Bengals out of them will require ESA permits and could be confiscated.
So
PLEASE for the Leopard Cat's sake, if you are planning to purchase a Leopard
Cat, make sure they are a "DOCUMENTED SUBSPECIES" of a non endangered subspecies
and that you are abiding by your country, state, county, city, town, village,
CITES, ESA, USFW, USDA laws and regulations.
How
to tell Subspecies:
If
a Leopard Cat is a documented subspecies, all documentation, bill of sale,
CITES, registration papers, Declaration of Import/Export, Pedigree information,
health certificate, etc., should all have the full three scientific names.
The
first name is the Genus:
Prionailurus, second name is Species:
bengalensis,
and
the third name is the Subspecies (one of the 15 recognized subspecies).
If all it says it is "prionailurus bengalensis" or "Felis bengalensis",
the subspecies is missing, so it is not a documented subspecies and is
considered endangered and not legal to buy, sell, cross state lines or
import, export to or from countries .
Examples:
"prionailurus bengalensis chinensis" is the "chinensis" sub
specie. "prionailurus bengalensis euptilura" is the "euptilura"
subspecies. "prionailurus bengalensis bengalensis" is the endangered
"bengalensis" subspecies. "prionailurus bengalensis" does
not indicate subspecies, so it is an undocumented subspecies and is considered
endangered by USFW.
Also,
keep in mind that subspecies documentation will also effect importing and
exporting Bengal cats who go back to a Leopard Cat of undocumented
subspecies as they too will be considered descendants from an endangered
subspecies of Leopard Cat. Bengal cats have already been confiscated crossing
Canadian/USA borders, because they were of undocumented subspecies Leopard
Cat decedents.
LC
Care:
Leopard
Cats can live up to 20 years with proper diet and care. Unfortunately most
Leopard Cats are not raised to be good house pets, nor are most trained
to use a litterbox. LCF bottle feeds and trains all their cubs to use a
litterbox right from the start. They require raw meat diets, which should
include day old chicks, young mice, and/or whole pray. Unless you are willing
to feed them exotic diets like these and if unsocialized, provide outdoor
housing for the next 20 years, you should not even think about owning a
Leopard Cat.
Temperament:
Though
not an aggressive species, Leopard Cats have a strong instinct to fear
humans and will seldom make good pets because of this. Most unsocialized
LC's will rarely come out when humans are present and are extremely fast,
able to run out an open door in a flash. They are also very strong
and have been known to go through a window screen without much effort as
well as turn and open door knobs. They usually start spraying and marking
their territory at a young age (7 months). Even females will spray if not
fixed. If they are bottle raised and socialized, like at LCF they can make
outgoing friendly pets and better breeder's.
Hybrid
Breeding:
Most
animal dealers and exotic breeders will not tell you the fact that 90%
of all Leopard Cats will never breed a Bengal cat or other domestic cat.
Think of it this way, would you by a stud cat from someone knowing 9 out
of 10 of the cats they sell will NEVER BREED for you?
Even
if you hit the lottery and are lucky enough to find one that will breed
domestics, they are usually very unpredictable breeders and will
only be attracted to a few domestic queens and that is if the domestic
queen will even allow them to breed them. Some Leopard Cats will not even
breed with Leopard Cats in captivity and some will pair and breed only
with one mate for life and have been known to never breed after a mate
has died.
Also,
you MUST be prepared to bottle raise, train and socialize all Bengal kittens
out of them. The last thing the Bengal world needs is more poorly socialized
and untrained Bengal cats out there.
Captive
bred Leopard Cat genes are much too important to THEIR species, to just
be used in a Hybrid breeding program or for many to be sold as pets. It
is important that their be a large gene pool maintained in captive Leopard
Cats of documented subspecies be bred to like subspecies. So unless you
want to become part of the problem, most of you should maintain a pure
subspecies breeding program for them. Once enough of a subspecies has been
established in captivity, their offspring can then be offered to non breeding
homes and is another reason to know what subspecies they are.
Regardless
what some would like to think, the only way Bengal hybrids will ever help
preserve the Leopard Cat species is by raising funds for a pure subspecies
Leopard Cat program like LCF.
Summary:
1.
You need to make sure the LC is of a documented
subspecies and legally raised. Contact LCF before
purchase.
2.
You need to acquire all certificates, permits and/or
licenses required in your country, state, county,
city, town, or village, before hand.
3.
Leopard Cat ownership requires a 20 year
commitment and responsibility.
4.
Leopard Cats are a high maintenance animals and
requiring special raw exotic diets and if not socialized
special housing as well.
5.
Leopard Cats seldom make good house hold pets
and are naturally afraid of humans. Bottle feeding
and early socialization and training is a MUST!
6.
90% of Leopard Cats will not mate with a Bengal
cat or other domestic cat, regardless how they are
raised. This may be lowered if socialized and raised
with domestic cats. Also, some subspecies seem to
be more prolific then others.
7.
Each Leopard Cat carries unique genes that are
invaluable to the future of their species. It is up to
you, to be part of the solution, not part of the
problem, by only purchasing Leopard Cats of
subspecies that are well established in captivity.
Bottom
line, the Leopard Cat species is already a threatened and endangered species
in the wild. Their numbers in captivity especially in documented subspecies
are even in worse shape.
Because
of this, every Leopard Cats unique genes are invaluable to their sub-species.
Unless you plan to breed pure subspecies of Leopard Cats, please don't
purchase any that have not yet been established well in captivity and do
not support people who do.
LCF
is planning to offer young unrelated pairs (1 male & 1 female) and
young trios (1 male & 2 females) of documented non endangered pure
subspecies beginning in fall 2008. Established Zoos and breeding facilities
with a serious Leopard Cat breeding program of pure Leopard Cat subspecies
will have top consideration for placement. Only those non endangered subspecies
that have well established gene pools in captivity will be offered. If
you are Interesting in finding what non endangered Leopard Cats subspecies
will be available and price, please contact Email
Mike Bloodgood.
If
you would like to own an exotic looking domestic cat that have a wonderful
loving and well behaved nature and help support the Leopard Cat Foundation,
check out our personal Bengal cats at Bamboo's
Bengals .