The Hummingbird with Nine Lives!

Rusty-spotted cat, Kabini

He’s small. He’s hyperactive. He’s highly agile. And he spends most of his day high up on a tree. It is these qualities that have given the Rusty Spotted Cat of Kabini the label of ‘Hummingbird of the Cat Family’. The smallest known wild cat in the world, this beautiful little bundle of energy is also the most playful, and can spend all his time frolicking without a care in the world. Half the size of the common domestic cat and twice as naughty, this wild spirit is often kept as a pet and proves an affectionate, expressive and playful companion. The upside of all this inexhaustible energy is that the pet owner can save money on his Gym fee. Our pal ‘Rusty’ is not just a gymnast, athlete and goofball rolled into one, but is also one handsome hunk. In fact he gets his name from the lines of small rusty-brown spots that coalesce to form solid stripes on the back of his head, flanks and back. In the wild, he’s an opportunistic predator who hunts small animals, rodents, frogs and reptiles, and like his human BPO cousins, sleeps by day and works at night. He hunts on the ground by making rapid, commando style attacks, and retreats to his arboreal perches to avoid predation. Surprisingly, he features, not only on the dinner list of larger animals, but is also considered a delicacy by some men who live on his range. While they don’t lick their chops on seeing him, there are those who’d only rejoice at his demise: when ‘Rusty’ hunts, he often doesn’t discriminate between wild fowl and domestic livestock, and his speed and agility while escaping with his prey ensures that the last thing farmers feel like doing in his presence is humming!

Photograph: Santosh Saligram Story: Rajesh Ramaswamy