Rene Knapp| The Bulletin
I have a fascination for any animal that has the word cat in its name, and the ringtail cat is an all-American mammal. Of course, it turns out it is not actually in the cat family and in fact has no relation to felines — it doesn’t look like a cat and how it got its name is a complete mystery.
Although they are known by different names — Miner’s cat or Civet cat — these little creatures are actually part of the raccoon family. As the name suggests, they have rings on their tails. The body is elongated and raccoon-like, and the face is more fox-like with a pointed snout and large eyes framed by a raccoon-like mask. They are very appealing little creatures, are even smaller than the average house cat and it is said they even make good pets.
Ringtails are found in most parts of North America, in semi-arid deserts, rock plateaus and canyons. The area where they are most prominent is the southwestern U.S., places such as northern California, Nebraska, Missouri, Wyoming and most of Mexico. They also have been the state mammal of Arizona since 1986. They are designed to be a climbing animal and their long tail provides balance for negotiating narrow ledges and limbs. They can even do a cartwheel if they have to quickly reverse direction. They can climb up and descend cliffs, trees and even cacti. They can go through narrow passages by pressing all four feet on one wall and their back against the other or pressing both right feet on one wall and both left feet on the other. They make varied sounds such as squeaks, chirps, chitters, whimpers and, when scared or upset, they will hiss, grunt or growl in a warning manner.
Omnivores
Because they primarily feed on insects or small birds, but will also eat fruits and berries, they are considered omnivores. They have what you might call a seasonal diet in the wild. In the autumn, it is mostly plants and insects; come winter they eat more birds and small mammals like mice, squirrels or rabbits. Spring and summer give them an abundance of insects to choose from.
Besides being a predator, they are also hunted. Their greatest enemies are the same as those of our domestic kitties: owls, coyotes, foxes, bobcats, fisher cats and raccoons. Despite being on the lower end of the predator food chain, their population is very stable and they are not considered threatened in any way. They are killed by farmers because they are looked at as a threat to their harvest. No barn is out of their reach, no orchard tree is too high or difficult for them to climb, and this is why many farmers will attack these little creatures on sight.
Ringtails are primarily nocturnal and develop a dislike for daylight at a young age. This is something you need to remember if you want to keep one as a pet. Their normal wild habitat is a rocky type area, not too far from water. They can also be found in semi-arid landscapes such as juniper forests and oak woodlands. They will hole up in tree hollows, rock crevices, other animals’ abandoned burrows and even in abandoned buildings. As adults, ringtails, usually lead solitary lives and move frequently, rarely spending more than three nights in a row in the same den.
Single pet
They tend to come together with other ringtails only during mating season and that makes it easy to have a one as a single pet. Their life expectancy is about seven years.
The ringtail is easily tamed and can make an affectionate pet as well as an effective mouser (move over housecats, you’ve got competition). Miners and settlers once kept pet ringtails to keep their cabin free of vermin. As a pet, they need to be provided with a dark den-like area for them to sleep in during the day. They will come out after dark to hunt. Of course, if you don’t have a house infested with mice and bugs you will have to feed your ringtail. Of course, if you think you want a ringtail as a pet, you need to research your state’s laws because it is viewed as an exotic animal.
Ringtails seem to be very friendly, social and intelligent with people. If you live in the areas in which they are common, chances are you might have a nightly visitor that is not a raccoon; but rather, a ringtail cat.
If you are not going to have a chance to be in the areas that are populated by the ringtail, but would like to see what one looks like, you can do one of two things. Wikipedia has several pictures of these little creatures, or you can rent the 1976 Disney Series “The Secrets of Old Glory Mine,” which portrays one of these animals. I think they are endearing and I like the fact they belong to America.
Rene Knapp writes Pet Talk, which appears in The Sunday Bulletin. E-mail her at helpingpaws@sbcglobal.net
