Species comparison
Rusty-spotted Cat vs Pallas's Cat
A side-by-side look at Prionailurus rubiginosus and Otocolobus manul across body measurements, habitat, diet, behaviour and conservation status.
At a glance
- The pallas's cat averages about 2.8 times the body mass of the rusty-spotted cat.
- Both species use semi-arid scrub.
- Their ranges both include Asia.
- Red List categories differ: Rusty-spotted Cat is listed as Near Threatened, Pallas's Cat as Least Concern.
Identification
How each species is named and classified.
Rusty-spotted Cat
Prionailurus rubiginosus
Pallas's Cat
Otocolobus manul
Rusty-spotted Cat
Prionailurus
Pallas's Cat
Otocolobus
Rusty-spotted Cat
Leopard cat lineage
Pallas's Cat
Leopard cat lineage
Rusty-spotted Cat
Small cats
Pallas's Cat
Small cats
Rusty-spotted Cat
Hummingbird cat
Pallas's Cat
Manul, Steppe cat
Body and movement
Published field measurements for adults. Ranges cover both sexes unless noted.
Rusty-spotted Cat
14 in – 19 in (35–48 cm)
Pallas's Cat
18 in – 2 ft 2 in (46–65 cm) Longer
Rusty-spotted Cat
6 in – 12 in (15–30 cm)
Pallas's Cat
8 in – 12 in (21–31 cm) Longer
Rusty-spotted Cat
7 in – 9 in (17–22 cm)
Pallas's Cat
11 in – 13 in (28–32 cm) Taller
Rusty-spotted Cat
2–3.5 lb (0.9–1.6 kg)
Among the lightest of all wild cats.
Pallas's Cat
5.5–9.9 lb (2.5–4.5 kg) Heavier
The heavy coat makes the animal look considerably larger than it is.
Rusty-spotted Cat
Not reliably measured
Not measured in the field.
Pallas's Cat
Not reliably measured
Not measured; the species relies on concealment rather than escape speed.
Life span
Typical adult longevity. Figures for managed care come from zoo and sanctuary records.
Rusty-spotted Cat
8–10 years
Pallas's Cat
8–11 years Longer
Rusty-spotted Cat
12–14 years Longer
Pallas's Cat
11–14 years
Habitat and range
Where each species lives and the conditions it tolerates.
Rusty-spotted Cat
dry forest, tropical rainforest, semi-arid scrub, agricultural mosaic
Deciduous forest, scrub, grassland with rock cover, bamboo and cultivated land; it is not restricted to dense forest as was once believed.
Pallas's Cat
steppe, rocky alpine, semi-arid scrub, desert
Cold, dry grassland, rocky outcrops and mountain steppe up to about 17,000 feet, where winter temperatures fall far below freezing and snow cover stays shallow.
Rusty-spotted Cat
Asia
Most of India, plus Sri Lanka and the Nepalese terai, with scattered records extending the known range in recent decades.
Pallas's Cat
Asia
Mongolia, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and parts of the Caucasus and northern India.
Diet and behaviour
Feeding ecology, social organisation and hunting technique.
Rusty-spotted Cat
small mammals, birds, reptiles, insects
Rodents and small birds dominate, with lizards, frogs and insects taken regularly.
Pallas's Cat
small mammals, birds, insects
Pikas and voles form the core of the diet; ground birds, marmots and insects are taken opportunistically.
Rusty-spotted Cat
Solitary
Nocturnal and secretive; most records come from camera traps, road surveys and occasional rescues of kittens from farmland.
Pallas's Cat
Solitary
Shelters in rock crevices and abandoned marmot burrows, and depends on those refuges both for cover and for raising kittens.
Rusty-spotted Cat
Nocturnal
Almost entirely night active, sheltering by day in tree hollows, rock crevices and abandoned structures.
Pallas's Cat
Crepuscular and cathemeral
Most active around dawn and dusk, but activity shifts through the day in cold weather and near pika colonies.
Rusty-spotted Cat
Rapid ground and tree hunting
Hunts small prey with quick rushes, and readily follows rodents and birds into trees.
Pallas's Cat
Stalk and ambush at burrow entrances
The cat waits beside pika holes or creeps along rock lines, using cover rather than speed to close the distance.
Rusty-spotted Cat
Exceptional More developed
Extremely agile in trees for its size, using branches for both hunting and shelter.
Pallas's Cat
Limited
Heavy-bodied and short-legged; it scrambles over rock but is not an agile climber.
Rusty-spotted Cat
Very limited
Little recorded association with water.
Pallas's Cat
Very limited
Occupies dry, cold habitats and avoids water.
Conservation
Red List category, population direction and the pressures documented for each species.
Rusty-spotted Cat
NT — Near Threatened
Assessed 2016
Pallas's Cat
LC — Least Concern
Assessed 2020
Rusty-spotted Cat
Decreasing
Pallas's Cat
Decreasing
Rusty-spotted Cat
Conversion of scrub and forest to cropland, Road mortality, Killing near poultry, Trapping and pet trade, Predation by domestic dogs
Assessed as Near Threatened. Habitat conversion is the leading pressure, though records from farmland suggest more tolerance of modified landscapes than previously assumed.
Pallas's Cat
Rodent poisoning campaigns, Loss of marmot burrows used as dens, Killing by herding dogs, Trapping and incidental snaring, Overgrazing of steppe habitat
A wide range keeps the global category low, but the species is naturally sparse everywhere, and the loss of marmots and pikas to poisoning campaigns removes both prey and shelter.
Notable traits
Details that do not fit neatly into a measurement table.
Rusty-spotted Cat
- It competes with the black-footed cat for the title of the world's smallest wild cat.
- Kittens are often mistaken for domestic kittens when found near villages.
- Its known range has expanded considerably as camera trapping has spread across India.
Pallas's Cat
- It has round pupils rather than the vertical slits typical of small cats.
- Kittens are highly susceptible to toxoplasmosis outside their native range, a long-standing problem in zoos.
- Its coat contains more hairs per square inch than that of any other felid.
Sources used for this comparison
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Global assessment categories, population trends and documented threats.
- IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group Species accounts, distribution notes and Cat News reporting for every wild felid.
- Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation Dedicated research and field reporting on the lesser-known felids.
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Reviewed species accounts with morphometric ranges and reproductive data.
- National Geographic — Animals General natural-history reference for behaviour, range and ecology.
- PICA — Pallas's Cat International Conservation Alliance Range-wide status review and field ecology of the Pallas's cat.