The Borneo bay cat is the most elusive and rarest cat in the world. It is so rare that the first photograph of a live Borneo bay cat was not taken until 1998. It was first discovered in 1855 when a dead cat was discovered. In 1992 the first Borneo bay cat was captured, but unfortunately, this cat did not live long. This reddish brown cat lives exclusively on the Island of Borneo and has a long tail and small rounded ears. It is about the size of a domestic cat. Because so few cats have been seen, it is likely that the Island of Borneo's development is threatening the cat.

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The kodkod, or guigna, is the smallest cat in South America and is about half the size of a domestic cat. Kodkods live in Chile and Argentina. They are similar in appearance to Geoffroy's cats and have yellowish-brown fur with black spots, stripes on the face and a short, thick tail. Kodkods are nocturnal cats that live in forests and hunt birds, reptiles and other small mammals. These cats are said to be excellent climbers and occasionally hunt in the trees. Unlike other cats, kodkods are more social rather than solitary. Not much is known about kodkods because they are so rare. Extensive habit destruction is their biggest threat. The IUCN currently lists the kodkod as vulnerable.

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Very little is known about this spotted cat. As one of the smallest cats in the Americas, it weighs between 4 and 8 pounds. The oncilla also is known as the little spotted cat, little tiger cat and tigrillo, and it is often confused with the margay. The oncilla lives in South America in the forests, savannas and scrub lands of Costa Rica, Brazil and Venezuela. It eats rodents and insects. The oncilla has a friendly call which sounds like a gurgle and is used at close distances. Because of their admired fur, oncillas have been one of the most heavily hunted small wildcats in South America. Hunting of oncillas has dropped dramatically in the last 20 years, but it continues today. Deforestation and continued hunting pursuits are its major threats.

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The puma is known by many names; it's also commonly referred to as a mountain lion, cougar or panther, and it is the largest of the smaller wildcats. Pumas have many different names because they inhabit as far north as Canada all the way through the bottom tip of South America and are highly adaptable. They can live anywhere from swamps to forests to deserts. The average adult male found in North America weighs about 150 pounds. Pumas are slender, muscular cats with rounded ears and brownish coats that can vary in shades depending on in what region they are located. For example, reddish-brown coated pumas generally live in tropical regions. However, all black and melanistic coated pumas have been found in South and Central America. Pumas can kill and drag prey up to seven times their own weight. They are opportunistic hunters that will eat almost anything they can catch. They have sharp claws, an exceptionally keen sense of sight and run up to 40 miles per hour. The IUCN currently lists the puma as near threatened.

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The medium-sized ocelot cat weighs between 17 and 22 pounds. The ocelot lives throughout South and Central America with a small population remaining in southern Texas. They can be found in tropical and subtropical areas and live in both forests and brush areas. They eat rodents, reptiles and fish and are excellent swimmers. Ocelots are good jumpers and climbers, spending lots of time in trees, but they hunt mostly on the ground. Many pre-Colombian people in South and Central America worshipped the ocelot in the past and many figures and sculptures of ocelots have been found in these areas. Ocelots often only have one kitten per litter — the smallest of any wildcat — and two years between litters, which is extremely long for wildcats. These two factors make it hard for ocelot populations to recover when they have been devastated. Additionally, this cat has been hunted for its beautifully spotted coat. Hunting and habitat loss are the ocelots' major threats in the wild.

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Pampas cats are small cats — about the size of a large domestic cat — native to the Pampas region in South America. They also inhabit much of Central and southern South America, living in grasslands and forests. Their fur ranges in color from white to gray or brown, often with brown or black stripes and spots. Little is known about Pampas cats, but it is believed that they are nocturnal hunters that prey on small mammals and birds. Pampas cat litters usually contain two to three kittens and their breeding season is believed to be from April to July. They can live up to 16 years in captivity. Habitat loss is the Pampas cat's biggest threat. The IUCN currently lists the Pampas cat as near threatened.

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Many experts consider this cat to be the smallest cat species in the world, weighing between 2.4 and 3.5 pounds. The rusty-spotted cat has a coat that is short and gray, and its tail makes up 50 percent of its body length. It lives mostly in India and Sri Lanka. The rusty-spotted cat lives in forests, grasslands and rocky areas. The rusty-spotted cat has a reputation for being very ferocious and has been known to attack much larger prey. It can climb trees quickly and has amazing agility though it lives mainly on the ground. The rusty-spotted cat is mostly nocturnal but is active during some of the day. It eats insects, frogs, birds and chickens. Deforestation and the spread of cultivation are serious threats to this cat along with hunting.

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The snow leopard is one of the most endangered big cats with only 3,500 to 7,500 left in the wild. The snow leopard weighs between 71 and 121 pounds. This cat lives in the highest altitudes of Central Asia in countries such as Mongolia, China, India, Nepal and Afghanistan. This secretive cat's large long, furry tail, in which it wraps itself, is 75 percent as long as the rest of the cat. Its white spotted fur helps to camouflage the cat in the rocky snow-covered areas where it lives and its large paws help it walk in the snow. Snow leopards also have large nostrils that allow them to breathe more air in the high altitudes where there is less oxygen. Each snow leopard's markings are different, which allows researchers to identify specific cats. Snow leopards are the least aggressive of the big cats toward humans. The snow leopard's major threats in the wild are hunting and prey loss.

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The sand cat weighs 4 to 8 pounds and lives in the deserts of the Middle East. "They have very big ears, so in the desert environment, they can hear a lot farther than a domestic cat, and this allows them to hear their prey much easier," says Bill Swanson, director of animal research at the Cincinnati Zoo. "They also have very thick fur on the bottom of their feet, allowing their pads to never touch the ground." This thick fur ensures that the cats don't burn their sensitive pads on the hot sand. "They don't really drink in the wild. In the desert there is very little open water, and so they get pretty much all their water from the prey they eat," Swanson says.

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This cat weighs about 11 pounds and has a very long body. Its coat pattern and coloring are similar to that of a clouded leopard with large dark blotches. Marbled cats have a thick top coat and soft undercoat. Marbled cats spend much of their time in the trees and are good climbers. These cats have a very bushy tail that is as long as the rest of its body. They use their tails for balance and have large paw pads that help the cats climb trees. Marbled cats like to eat chickens squirrels, birds, frogs, rats and lizards. They live in tropical forests and are found in Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Borneo, Malaysia, southern China, India, Nepal, Myanmar and Cambodia. The marbled cat has been seen on beaches and in swampy areas. Its main threats in the wild are deforestation and hunting.

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Caracal caracal is distributed over much of Africa, Central Asia and southwestern Asia. North African populations are disappearing, but caracals are still abundant in other African regions. Their range limits are the Saharan desert and the equatorial forest belt of Western and Central Africa. In South Africa and Namibia, C. caracal is so numerous that it is exterminated as a nuisance animal. Asiatic populations are less dense than those of Africa and Asiatic populations are of greater concern. The historical range of caracals mirror that of cheetahs, and both coincide with the distribution of several small desert gazelles. There is little to no distribution overlap with their allies, African golden cats. However, their other allies, servals, share a notable portion of their range with caracals. Wildcats, Felis sylvestris, specifically the subspecies Felis silvestris lybica (African wildcats) and Felis silvestris ornata (Asian wildcats), share much of their range with caracals.

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