General Info
Learn basic marble cat behavior
Intro
Do you own one of these little critters and want to know why they do the things they do? Then continue reading and you might learn a thing or two.
Common behavior
People think marble cats are nocturnal creatures, but this is wrong. The cats are actually crepuscular, they come out during the day mostly to feed and at night to breed and explore. During the day marble cats are feeding on their diet of all kinds of nectar and poisonous plants, some of their favorites including foxglove leaves, jasmine berries, and Lily of the Valley. It is not uncommon to see a marble cat at the local hummingbird feeder drinking the sweet water that they love. Marble cats are different when it comes to bath time, because they don't lick themselves like most animals. This is because their tongues are so long its hard to control them, so instead they bathe in dew or in VERY shallow bird baths. They use their tongues not only for eating, but for smelling. They will flick it in and out of their mouths like snakes to taste the air and look for different scents. When it gets dark their whiskers start to glow, allowing them to see where they are going and to attract a mate (there will be more about breeding in the next section). Marble cats are highly attracted to light and shiny objects. So if you want to enjoy the wild cats do not use a bug zapper they will fly into it thinking nothing of it and die. A lot of the time people who have porch lights will hear little taps on their lights, the creatures fly into lights and just keep banging their bodies into them until the light is turned off. No one knows why they do this kind of behavior, we just assume they can't help themselves.
Breeding
During the breeding season (late April - early October) male marble cats orbs and whiskers glow very bright. A marble cat can live without its tail orb but it has less of a chance of getting a mate, they cant however live without their face orbs. Removing them would cause serious damage to the delicate cats causing death. The males also make small decorative nests (similar to bower birds) out of leaves, grass, trash, and of course stolen shiny objects. there are two different types of nests:
nest one is similar to a little hut. While
nest two is also is similar to a pouch, because unlike nest one they hang from the limbs of trees. The more attractive a males nest is the better chances of him attracting a mate. Females will lay up to four eggs and usually both parents look after them until they hatch. The eggs look like tiny colorful marbles. The eggs are not hard and crisp, but firm and elastic. Cats of different breeds cannot have eggs, they are incompatible.
BREEDING CHART
Himalayan+Oriental= NO
Oriental+Standard=NO
Standard+Himalayan=NO
Standard+Standard=YES
Oriental+Oriental=YES
Himalayan+Himalayan=YES
FAMILY TREES
Rowan's TreeColby's treeReika's treeMocal and Vidette's treeParenthood
Some cats don't look after their young and leave as soon as the eggs are laid. Others will stay and take care of them. The cats that leave their eggs before they hatch usually live solitary lives. While the ones that stay and take care of their eggs usually live in clusters with other marble cats.
Kittenhood
Baby marble cats are extremely vulnerable to predators and the elements. If there is no other cats to look after them there mortality rate is much higher than if they were in the protection of a cluster. The kittens are very curious and that often gets them into trouble. When the kits first hatch their whiskers continually glow until they reach a week of age. A marble cat gets its orb when its born, the egg is its orb. The hollow shell will solidify becoming the marble between their tails.
Gender Differences
Male cats have manes while the females don't. Males can have one of three manes: down the back, around the chest, or a combination of the two. The kind of mane really just depends on the testosterone levels of the cat. Manes serve two purposes: to protect the neck in a fight, and to show dominance. Males are larger than the females, but not by much. They are also more aggressive, the size of mane also can tell how aggressive the cat is. Bigger mane = more aggressive cat.Females are usually very docile, unless they are protecting their young then they can become very aggressive and even bite you (and you don't want a poisonous bite from a marble cat, you will become seriously sick).
Breed Differences
-Standard Marble Cats-
standard marble cats are the most common type. They have medium sized fur and average height. They are the most varied type of cat ranging from fluffy manes to short manes on males and almost any color combination. They have round heads, medium sized ears, and large round eyes.
-Oriental Marble Cats-
Oriental cats are not as common as the standard, they are also the most fragile cat. Orientals have larger and thinner bodies than all of the other cats. They have wedge shaped heads and almond eyes with very large ears. Their tails are also longer and thinner than all of the other breeds. Oriental cats have very short fur and the males do not have thick chest manes, they are very short and only go down the back nor do they ever have ear tufts.
-Himilayan Marble Cats-
They himilayan marble cats are the shortest of all cats, but the strongest. They have short stubby legs and tails, small pointy ears and a pudgy face. Himilayans have very long soft fur to protect them in the winter. They are the only cats to stay in the northern parts of the world ex:tundras, canada, northern us states ect... so long as there is food they will be fine. Since these cats are so fluffy, its very hard to tell them apart since there is no distinct mane on the males.Himilayans, like the orientals, do not have ear tufts.
