River Cats

"You got them river cats handled, yeah?"
"Yeah, yeah, I got 'em, pa, don't worry."
"Right, 'coz last time you done let them escape. They're cute fellas, but you ain't gotta go lettin' 'em go. They just make their way back 'ere for food, yeah?"
"Yeah, pa."

— Unknown

Peculiar but nearly Perfectly So

Drifting along quietly underneath the surface of rivers, one might find a peculiar little creature. Sleek and feline in shape, with short stubby faces, a flat tail, and wide paws, river cats are known for their illustrious affinity for swimming and moving around in water. It uses its long, powerful hind legs to propel itself through the water and has claws for digging through the dirt and sand at the bottom of rivers.
Their curious nature brings them close to towns and cities, where they might find food more easily, as well as find a good safe place for them to rest and make their homes.
Preferring water to solid ground to find their food, river cats hunt alone, making use of their whiskers should the water be murky or if the day has turned to evening. Able to swim up to 50 kilometers an hour for short stretches of time, river cats are very quick at catching their prey and even harder to catch by anyone who wants to be rid of them.

Paws in the Present

While they might hunt alone, river cats are very social creatures. They take care of their young in small groups, with their kittens holding onto the thick tails of their carer before they learn how to swim. Communicating with each other through almost throaty chirp-like sounds, even underwater, river cats have been known to "sing" at times. It's not known as to what specifically makes them sing, but it's largely believed to be a way of soothing their kittens and young river cats when something distressing has happened to them.
When they do sing, all the river cats of the group huddle together, with the adults on their backs and holding paws, and the young holding onto the adults tails.

Lifespan

10 years

Average Height

10 to 12 inches

Average Weight

Approx. 10 to 13 lbs

Average Length

30 to 35 inches