🧬 The Felid Wiki — 3,000 research summaries

After exposure, cats follow divergent outcomes that modern molecular testing has clarified. In progressive infection, the immune system fails to contain the virus, leading to persistent viremia, ongoi…

In the Russian Far East, orphaned and conflict-involved Amur tiger cubs have been rehabilitated and released back into the wild, including into areas where tigers had become scarce, offering a distinc…

Releasing captive-bred cats into the wild aims to restore or reinforce populations but requires that animals possess the skills and health to survive and reproduce. This overview surveys reintroductio…

The kin structure of lion prides, with related females and coalitions of often-related males, underlies the cooperative behaviors that define the species. This overview surveys genetic studies of rela…

Relative abundance indices, typically detections per unit effort such as photos per 100 trap-nights, are the simplest and most widely used camera-trap metrics, but their reliability is hotly debated.…

This overview examines how religious beliefs, sacred associations, and cultural traditions foster, or sometimes undermine, tolerance for big cats. It synthesises cases such as reverence for tigers and…

Remdesivir, a prodrug that is metabolized to the active nucleoside analog GS-441524, became a legally available, regulated treatment option for FIP in some countries, offering an injectable alternativ…

Remote drug delivery using dart guns and pole syringes enables chemical immobilization of dangerous or free-ranging felids from a safe distance, a foundational technique for field and zoo capture. Suc…

Satellite remote sensing is the backbone of measuring habitat change across the vast ranges of wild cats. This overview surveys the data and methods, optical imagery for land-cover classification, rad…

Producing concentrated urine conserves water, and this overview reviews the kidney function that supports desert cats. Like other arid-adapted mammals, desert cats are thought to produce highly concen…

Chronic kidney disease is a common cause of illness and death in aging captive big cats, paralleling its prominence in domestic cats and reflecting the longer lifespans achieved in managed care. Capti…

Feline renal transplantation has been performed at specialized centers as a treatment for advanced CKD, with recipient cats requiring lifelong immunosuppression and donors typically adopted by the rec…

Inhibiting the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system with agents such as ACE inhibitors and the angiotensin receptor blocker telmisartan has been studied to reduce proteinuria and protect the kidneys i…

A widely discussed observation suggests that margays may use vocal mimicry while hunting, and this overview reviews the evidence and its interpretation. Field researchers reported a margay imitating t…

This overview examines the pervasive problem of biased and incomplete data in human-big cat conflict research, which can distort understanding and management. It synthesises evidence that incidents ar…

The desert-dwelling sand cat presents distinctive reproductive characteristics shaped by its arid environment and has been bred in captivity with mixed success. This overview surveys what is known abo…

Snow leopard reproduction is shaped by the brief alpine summer and the harshness of the high-mountain environment. This overview synthesizes what is known about their breeding season, the use of shelt…

Long-term studies of wild lions allow researchers to examine how female reproductive performance changes with age and whether lionesses experience a post-reproductive period. This overview surveys evi…

When males cooperate in coalitions, reproductive skew describes how evenly or unequally reproduction is divided among members. This overview surveys reproductive skew in felid coalitions, particularly…

Male reproductive success in cats depends on the ability to acquire and defend mating opportunities, which often declines with age as competitive ability wanes. This overview surveys how aging affects…

In some social or group-housed felids, subordinate individuals may experience reduced reproduction through social or physiological suppression. This overview surveys reproductive suppression in cats,…

The fishing cat, a wetland-dependent small felid, has been the subject of reproductive research aimed at supporting captive populations. This overview surveys what is known about fishing cat reproduct…

Despite decades of study, major gaps remain in understanding disease in wild felids, particularly for less-studied species and regions. This overview surveys the priorities and unanswered questions in…

This overview examines social-science research on how Mumbai residents living near Sanjay Gandhi National Park perceive and respond to leopards. It synthesises studies of fear, tolerance, media framin…

This overview contrasts two dominant frameworks for analyzing habitat use from telemetry. Resource selection functions compare habitat at used locations with habitat available across some defined regi…

Sustaining a sprint demands rapid oxygen delivery and gas exchange. This overview surveys what is known about the cheetah heart, lungs, blood, and airways in the context of brief, maximal exercise. Fe…

This overview examines retaliatory poisoning, a leading and indiscriminate cause of large-carnivore mortality, focusing on the misuse of agricultural pesticides such as carbofuran (sold as Furadan) la…

The feline retina can degenerate with age or disease, leading to gradual or sudden vision loss in older cats. This overview surveys retinal degeneration in aging cats, which may arise from age-related…

Retinal ganglion cells are the output neurons of the eye, and their density sets an upper limit on visual acuity. In cats, ganglion cell counts peak in the area centralis and along a horizontal visual…

As public attitudes and laws have turned against using big cats in circuses, film and other entertainment, retiring these animals to lifetime care has become a significant welfare undertaking. This ov…