Characteristics
The bay cat is much smaller than the Asian golden cat. Its fur is of a bright chestnut-colour, rather paler beneath, the limbs and the tail being rather paler and redder. The tail is elongate, tapering at the end, with a white central streak occupying the hinder half of the lower side, gradually becoming wider and of a purer white towards the tip, which has a small black spot at its upper end. The ears are rounded, covered with a short blackish-brown fur at the outer side, paler brown within and with a narrow brown margin.
In the years between 1874 to 2004, only 12 specimens were measured. Their head-to-body length varied from 49.5–67 cm (19.5–26 in) with 30–40.3 cm (12–15.9 in) long tails. It is estimated to have an adult weight of 3–4 kg (6.6–8.8 lb), but too few living specimens have been obtained to allow a more reliable estimate.
The short, rounded head is dark greyish brown with two dark stripes originating from the corner of each eye, and the back of the head has a dark ‘M’ shaped marking. The backs of the ears are dark greyish, lacking the central white spots found on many other cat species. The underside of the chin is white and there are two faint brown stripes on the cheeks. Body proportions and the extremely long tail give it the look of the new world jaguarundi.
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