A mysterious stray cat—terrified and malnourished—roamed the streets of Amarillo, Texas in February 2022. She was young, probably a sub-adult, and weighed no more than 4.5 pounds. Her handlers found that the feline suffered from a host of diseases, including feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV).
The virus had got to her immune system, leaving her vulnerable to contracting other infections—much like its counterpart that affects humans, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It was immediately clear that if she were to survive, she’d need serious medical intervention, which her handlers were able to provide.
Juno—the unusual-looking cat—slowly thrived with her new caregivers and turned into a charming resident at the CARE Rescue Texas in Bridgeport. As her handlers spent more time with the Juno, one thing became clear—this was no ordinary domestic cat.
Juno was a margay (Leopardus wiedii), one of the rarest of 17 wildcat species found in Latin America. The last confirmed sighting of a margay in Texas dates back to 1852, so Juno was likely an escaped exotic pet.
She was a wildcat that did not belong where she was found and had probably contracted FIV from domestic cats she was never supposed to interact with. Very little is known about this feline.
Margay—The Cat That Is Most At Home On Trees
Margays are thought to be the most arboreal wildcat species in the world, meaning they are most at home in the tops of trees. They have evolved incredible physical characteristics to spend their entire lives in the canopy, like being able to turn their feet 180° to expertly navigate the twists and turns of branches.
Juno was fond of displaying her incredible climbing skills. Her handlers would occasionally find her hanging from the ceiling of her enclosure using only her back limbs.
A margay’s eyes are huge in proportion to its head and help it achieve 20/20 vision at night, which is when it is most active. Unfortunately, the cat’s undeniably striking features make it a coveted catch for the pet trade.
This is probably how Juno ended up thousands of miles away from her natural habitat—on the streets instead of in the trees.
Margays are “compact” felines, in contrast to bigger cats like jaguars. This makes them an easier, more marketable target for the pet trade.
Individuals of this species are often mistaken for young ocelots (with whom they compete for prey and share habitat space) in the tropical rainforests of Latin America. The uncanny likeness, despite margays being a third of the size, makes it challenging to estimate margay populations in the wild.
Margays are considered “near threatened” by the IUCN Red List of Species. In Paraguay, the feline is one of three most endangered species. They like dense forests, be it dry or wet, high in the mountains or in the plains. Inevitably, the slightest anthropogenic pressures could threaten their existence.
Aside from the margay, Latin America is home to other highly endangered small felids and they can all be mistaken for a house cat (some of them are even smaller). Here are three examples.
Oncilla or Tigrillo
This cat manages to survive at the heart of violence and destruction in Venezuela’s Orinoco Mining Arc, where gold, diamond and coltan are extracted profusely across millions of hectares. Similar in appearance to the margay and several other wildcats, the tigrillo, or oncilla, is directly threatened by diseases from high concentrations of mercury that are trickling into its watering holes.
So little is known about this cat that scientists are still debating if its populations are actually different species.
Kodkod or Güiña
The kodkod, or Güiña, is primarily found in Chile, and is the smallest wildcat in the Americas. Despite its cute appearance, it’s locally considered a harbinger of famine, disease or death, much like the proverbial black cat. Ironically, this species, like the margay and many other wildcats across the continent, falls victim to diseases spread by domestic animals.
Tirica
Until a decade ago, the tirica—a tiny cat—was thought to be a subspecies of the tigrillo. Misclassification is a well-known issue in the world of small wild cats, making them a difficult group to study. Though this feline was chosen to be the mascot of the South American Games 2022 in Paraguay, it is so shrouded in mystery that many Paraguayans haven’t heard of it. Scientists are perplexed by its behavior—they aren’t sure when it is active. According to a December 2023 story published on Mongabay, tiricas live in the most deforested, fragmented biome in South America, the Atlantic forest.
There is so much curiosity for the shrinking world of small wildcats, and yet, it is not enough. We still know next to nothing about the ecology of these species in Latin America—meaning we aren’t equipped to face the challenges to their conservation.
Does the future of wildcats in the Americas have you concerned? Many of us might claim to be zoophiles, but where are we placed on the scale? Take this test to find out: Animal Attitude Scale