Family of the Week: The Cats

Metazoic cats are still in the modern family Felidae, with some changes being made. During the Metazoic, all that is left of this family is the tiniest of the species. All the large felines have gone. They still resemble modern cats, the claws are retractable, the tails are long, the ears are triangular-shaped and the eyes are big. They are still very much nocturnal animals, so they do not compete with the Metazoic's daytime predators. The legs have shortened in these animals, so they constantly walk around in a splaying lizard-like fashion. But they are still fast when needed. The whiskers are the most noticable features on the faces of these animals. They are quite thick, and still help aid the animals in getting around on the darkest nights. The fur, as it is today, is quite soft and woolly. Only in the sub-genus Apertauris, fur is lacking on the ears, in exchange for excellent hearing. The sense of smell is almost completely gone in Metazoic felines, instead they use their powers of sight and hearing and their unusual whiskers to get around.

Though these animals have shrunk for the most part in the Metazoic, they remain hunters. They can overpower animals as big as themselves. They often hunt small mice, shrews, birds and eggs, small lizards, but the majority of the diet of Metazoic felines is insects. Particularly beetles, which they have mastered ripping into. Even the 2-inch rhinoceros beetle is not safe from these animals. Rarely, if ever, do these animals eat bats, but it can happen if they can catch them. Most of the time, these animals are ground-hunters. But sometimes they will climb trees. Most of the birds these animals hunt consist of ground-nesters. One species, Hydrulus, also eats fish. They have actually become skilled divers and swimmers, and easily chase after fish and aquatic insects. This particular cat evolved along the same lines as the jaguarundi. Hydrulus captures fish after a quick chase, and grasps it in their forepaws. These animals have given up their retractable claws to enable them to swim at relatively high speeds. They do have fleshy balls of fat and tough, leathery flesh on the tips of their fingers to enable them to grasp their slippery prey.

As it does today, the genus Felis dominates this family. But unlike the 32 species around today in this one genus, the Metazoic only has 6. All of which are smaller than they are today. The largest in fact is F. brevicaudatus, which is about as big as a 4-week old kitten. It also has the shortest tail, in proportion to it's body size, than any other true feline in the Metazoic. It also has the widest range in the family, inhabiting most of the Old World. This animal not only feeds on small rodents and birds, it'll also feed on smaller felines. This is the only species that can become active while there is still daylight out, usually in the mid-to-late evening. This is when this animal sneaks into a burrow inhabited by a smaller Felis species, and kills and eats them. If they are a nursing mother, the kittens will also be eaten. These animals have to eat at least about 3 times a night, and they do, whatever they can find.

Though these animals are still true predators even in the Metazoic, they can also be hunted by other larger predators. Besides the larger feeding on the smaller, they may also be hunted by night-dwelling, hunting pteropods, viverrids, snakes, birds of prey, weasels, foxes, and even carnivorous rodents. These animals can sometimes defend themselves by slashing with their claws, and hissing and appearing bigger than they are. But this technique doesn't always work with every predator or every situation. Primarily, they stay alive by remaining underground until nightfall, when most Metazoic predators are asleep.