The following books and references are used to source content for Cats For Africa.
These are secondary references however the authors are well respected experts in the wild cat community and have thoroughly researched and verified the primary sources used in their books. The books all have comprehensive bibliographies listing the primary literature.
The book links will take you to Amazon USA where most of the books have a digital kindle edition which can be downloaded wherever you are based (no kindle device required). For southern African residents, try Loot.co.za (South Africa) and for UK residents, try NHBS.com if you are interested in hardcopy editions.
Any other references are included directly on the content pages.
I personally own these books so feel to Contact me if you have any particular queries. Note that some of the books have duplicate names, but are by totally different authors and are not related editions of the same book.
Kindly note our affiliate disclosure.
Taxonomy Reference
In 2017 the IUCN Cat Specialist Group (CatSG) published an updated taxonomy for the Felidae cat family based on a full review of all the cat species by a specialist task force:
- Kitchener et al. 2017. A revised taxonomy of the Felidae. The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group. Cat News Special Issue 11, 80pp.
- The summary classification can be downloaded at 2017 revised taxonomy of the Felidae pdf.
Cats For Africa has been updated with the wild cat species and subspecies classification as described in this publication.
The IUCN CatSG is also responsible for updating the status and taxonomy of the Felidae species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. However individual species are typically updated once every five years or even less often for the less threatened species, so you may see prior classifications on the IUCN Red List for some time yet.
Any future updates on Cats For Africa will follow publications by or verified with the IUCN CatSG as the leading authority on wild cat species globally.
Cats For Africa is a subscribed member of Friends of the CatSG and receives their journal Cat News and library update notifications.
Wild Cats of the World by Luke Hunter 2015
Wild Cats of the World by Luke Hunter is the most recent compilation of the latest research on wild cats.
All our new Fact Sheets will reference this book as the primary source. Content on other pages is being reviewed against this publication and updated if needed.
Wild Cats of the World by Mel and Fiona Sunquist 2002
Additional information from Wild Cats of the World has been added within the text of our website.
This comprehensive work written by two wild cat researchers, Mel and Fiona Sunquist, is an excellent reference to all the wild cat species. Each chapter has a comprehensive bibliography of literature used in compiling the detailed descriptions of each species.
The Sunquists have subsequently published a less academic but still nonetheless fascinating book called The Wild Cat Book, a welcome addition to any wild cat enthusiast's collection. See Wild Cat Family's list of books for more about this book and other books on wild cats.
Cats of Africa by Luke Hunter 2005
Cats of Africa was the first publication used to reference content for our website.
It is one of the very few books dedicated to only the wild cats of Africa and was based on scientific research available at the time - including research conducted by the author himself.
It is now out of print but ebook versions are available on Amazon or used copies might be found at second hand bookstores including AbeBooks.
We gratefully received permission to use Gerald Hinde's wonderful photographs that illustrate this book on our website.
Cats of Africa by Paul Bosman and Anthony Hall-Martin 1997
This beautiful book is illustrated with sketches and paintings by well known South African wildlife artist Paul Bosman to accompany the authoritative text by Anthony Hall-Martin.
Although Cats of Africa is an earlier publication, it was used as the starting point for the comparison charts such as the one for the medium-sized cats. The charts are based on the useful synopsis of each species tabled at the back of the book. The information is updated as per more recent publications.
The book is out of print however used copies might be available via Amazon or AbeBooks. No kindle edition has been produced.
