Crag Cat

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Creature Name: Crag Cat

Observations by: Jensen Rintel

Creature Type: Animal ((94))

Creature Subtype: Feline

CTS trainable: Not yet (under Team review).

Introduction

Crag Cats are slender and agile cats. Adults stand about 3.0 to 3.5 ft tall at the shoulders. The length of the an adult is around 8 ft long nose to tail. Both Males and Females have an average weight of about 135 to 190 pounds. In rare cases, some may reach over 300 lb. The head of the cat is round and the ears erect. Its powerful forequarters, neck, and jaw serve to grasp and hold large prey. It has five retractable claws on its forepaws and four on its hind paws. The larger front feet and claws are adaptations to clutching prey. The musculature of this animal can be seen in its graceful movements, and can sometimes be underestimated.

The head of the cat is round and the ears erect. Its powerful forequarters, neck, and jaw serve to grasp and hold large prey. It has five retractable claws on its forepaws and four on its hind paws. The larger front feet and claws are adaptations to clutching prey. The musculature of this animal can be seen in its graceful movements, and can sometimes be underestimated.

Crag Cats cannot roar, lacking the specialized larynx to do so. Like domestic cats, Crag Cats vocalize low-pitched hisses, growls, and purrs, as well as chirps and whistles. They are well known for their screams, although these may often be the misinterpreted calls of other animals like the Kirre, Panther, and Cougar.

Crag Cat coloring is plain, but can vary greatly between individuals and even between siblings. The coat is typically silvery-grey to white, with lighter patches on the under body including the jaws, chin, and throat. Black circle spots and markings are apparent across its body. Infants are born with blue eyes and rings on their tails; juveniles are pale, and dark spots remain on their flanks.

Crag Cats have large paws and proportionally the largest hind legs in the cat family. This physique allows it great leaping and short-sprint ability. It is adept at climbing, which allows it to evade canine competitors. Although it is not strongly associated with water, it can swim.

Feeding Habits

A successful generalist predator, the Crag Cat will eat any animal it can catch, from insects to large animals. Like all cats, it is an obligate carnivore, feeding only on meat. Its most important prey species are various deer species. Other species such as Bighorn Sheep, infant owlbears, horses, and domestic livestock such as cattle and sheep are also primary food chooses. Birds and small reptiles are sometimes preyed upon, but this is rarely seen.

Though capable of sprinting, the cougar is typically an ambush predator. It stalks through brush and trees, across ledges, or other covered spots, before delivering a powerful leap onto the back of its prey and a suffocating neck bite. The cougar is capable of breaking the neck of some its smaller prey with a strong bite and momentum bearing the animal to the ground.

Disposition and Social Habits

Like almost all cats, the Crag Cat is a solitary animal. Only mothers and kittens live in groups, with adults meeting only to mate. It is secretive and crepuscular, being most active around dawn and dusk.

Females reach sexual maturity by three years of age. They typically average one litter every two to three years throughout their reproductive life. Only females are involved in parenting. Females are fiercely protective of their kittens, and have been seen to successfully fight off animals as large as grizzly bears in their defense. Litter size is between one and six kittens, typically one or two.

Caves and other alcoves that offer protection are used as litter dens. Born blind, kittens are completely dependent on their mother at first, and begin to be weaned at around three months of age. As they grow, they begin to go out on forays with their mother, first visiting kill sites, and after six months beginning to hunt small prey on their own. Kitten survival rates are just over one per litter.

Sub-adults leave their mother to attempt to establish their own territory at around two years of age and sometimes earlier; males tend to leave sooner. Life expectancy in the wild is reported at between 8 to 13 years, and probably averages 16 to 20 years. Causes of death in the wild include disability and disease, competition with others, starvation, accidents, and, where allowed, human hunting.

A successful generalist predator, the Crag Cat will eat any animal it can catch, from insects to large animals. Like all cats, it is an obligate carnivore, feeding only on meat. Its most important prey species are various deer species. Other species such as Bighorn Sheep, infant owlbears, horses, and domestic livestock such as cattle and sheep are also primary food chooses. Birds and small reptiles are sometimes preyed upon, but this is rarely seen.

Though capable of sprinting, the cougar is typically an ambush predator. It stalks through brush and trees, across ledges, or other covered spots, before delivering a powerful leap onto the back of its prey and a suffocating neck bite. The cougar is capable of breaking the neck of some its smaller prey with a strong bite and momentum bearing the animal to the ground.

Habitat

Forest areas. Caves and other alcoves that offer protection are used as litter dens.

Fylgia

Most compatible: Panther

• Related to living Panthers, the Craig Cat and the Panther Fylgia would be most compatible with each other.

Other notes

The Knowledge to tame such a creature is not yet available in this world. Yet you sense a connection between you and this creature and you fell the number 94 is some how a key. The fabled “Hunter-of-Man” is a sure-footed predator of the North. More than just a simple Bobcat, however, it wields some magical properties as well.