Bestiary
Sometimes known as “Marsh Cats.” Said to be a smaller, less-feral cousin of the Chapalu, kissanpentus are around the size of a small housecat. They have prehensile forked tails and dextrous paws that they use to climb and navigate the trees of the marsh, with retractable claws on each dgit. They have slit pupils, forked tongues, and generally come in shades of green, with scales coating their legs and underbelly. They live mostly in the trees of Marshland Padwell, though some stubborn varieties can be found in the lower forests of High Heart.
A kissanpentu’s diet varies slightly between varieties, but they are omnivores - though they’d prefer to snack on smaller critters such as mice, lizards, fish, and birds, they will eat plants in a pinch. They’re rather skittish in the wild towards creatures, but are surprisingly sociable for felines. They often form groups - called a väijytys or “ambush” - and take over a few trees to live in. If one is harmed, the entire tree seems to come alive with angry peeping, and a myriad of eyes staring down from the branches.
They can be tamed if treated with respect and given food, however they make the best family friends if raised from a young age by their companion. They are arboreal and excellent climbers, an important thing to remember when raising one as a kitten - they can and will get everywhere. However, once their trust has been gained, one has a small, excellent hunter friend that will give them ‘gifts’ of dead animals by dropping them on their head from a branch above.
Once tamed, it is a good idea to keep kissanpentu in groups - though their sociability extends to other species now, it is still a good idea to have others of their kind around so they can bond with them. They do make good guards - if anyone they don’t know tries to approach their person, they will drop down from the branches above and latch onto their head, biting furiously. They are kept by humans and dragons alike to keep their attics and homes clean of pests, and to make sure that nothing is going to drop onto their heads from the branches above.
Though being raised from a kitten makes for a more tame companion, it is often a point of pride for individuals to have at least one kissanpentu that they tamed from the wild. It is said that these individuals are smarter than those raised by hand, but it’s more of a ‘street smarts’ intelligence than an actual different in intelligence. Though, as kissanpentu are intelligent on their own, wild-born individuals are more likely to start destroying things when bored than hand-raised. This is one of the reasons why it is a good idea to house them in groups - they can find enrichment with each other instead of depending solely upon a human companion for entertainment.
They live for a decent period of time - though the domestic variety is more likely to have a lifespan closer to a common housecat, most of the others can live up to twenty to thirty years. The scaled variety takes after their reptilian cousins, however, sometimes living closer to a human lifespan. As such, it is important to make sure that one is ready for the investment of a house and garden full of scaly balls of fur or feathers.
They come in a few varieties depending on what area of the marsh one is in, and a more aesthetically pleasing variant has emerged through selective breeding.
A kissanpentu’s diet varies slightly between varieties, but they are omnivores - though they’d prefer to snack on smaller critters such as mice, lizards, fish, and birds, they will eat plants in a pinch. They’re rather skittish in the wild towards creatures, but are surprisingly sociable for felines. They often form groups - called a väijytys or “ambush” - and take over a few trees to live in. If one is harmed, the entire tree seems to come alive with angry peeping, and a myriad of eyes staring down from the branches.
They can be tamed if treated with respect and given food, however they make the best family friends if raised from a young age by their companion. They are arboreal and excellent climbers, an important thing to remember when raising one as a kitten - they can and will get everywhere. However, once their trust has been gained, one has a small, excellent hunter friend that will give them ‘gifts’ of dead animals by dropping them on their head from a branch above.
Once tamed, it is a good idea to keep kissanpentu in groups - though their sociability extends to other species now, it is still a good idea to have others of their kind around so they can bond with them. They do make good guards - if anyone they don’t know tries to approach their person, they will drop down from the branches above and latch onto their head, biting furiously. They are kept by humans and dragons alike to keep their attics and homes clean of pests, and to make sure that nothing is going to drop onto their heads from the branches above.
Though being raised from a kitten makes for a more tame companion, it is often a point of pride for individuals to have at least one kissanpentu that they tamed from the wild. It is said that these individuals are smarter than those raised by hand, but it’s more of a ‘street smarts’ intelligence than an actual different in intelligence. Though, as kissanpentu are intelligent on their own, wild-born individuals are more likely to start destroying things when bored than hand-raised. This is one of the reasons why it is a good idea to house them in groups - they can find enrichment with each other instead of depending solely upon a human companion for entertainment.
They live for a decent period of time - though the domestic variety is more likely to have a lifespan closer to a common housecat, most of the others can live up to twenty to thirty years. The scaled variety takes after their reptilian cousins, however, sometimes living closer to a human lifespan. As such, it is important to make sure that one is ready for the investment of a house and garden full of scaly balls of fur or feathers.
They come in a few varieties depending on what area of the marsh one is in, and a more aesthetically pleasing variant has emerged through selective breeding.
Tavallinen “Common” Kissanpentu
Common kissanpentu are the most common variety found in marshland Padwell. Their main colors are various shades of greens and browns, with paler dappling along their back, and scales along their legs and underbelly. It is not uncommon for them to have small spines. They have the widest size range possible for the wild varieties, being able to be as small as a Plumed kissanpentu and as large as a Scaled kissanpentu, though those extremes are rare in the common variety. They can have subtle markings that mimic those of cat breeds in shades of green and sometimes have gold accents.
Töyhtö “Plumed” Kissanpentu
Plumed kissanpentus are quite distinct from their fellows - only found in the highest canopy of the marsh, these cats rarely grow larger than the size of a large kitten, and are covered in a coat of feathers that cover the scales along their front legs. However, they more than make up for it with their colors - while most Kissanpentus are muted tones to blend in with their surroundings, the Plumed variety have brightly colored feathers, even as their scales retain the greenish tones of the other varieties. Sometimes confused for bright birds until they run, rather than fly away. They commonly have the patterns of tropical birds.
Suomuinen “Scaled” Kissanpentu
Scaled kissanpentus are much the opposite of the Plumed variety - most, if not all of their bodies are covered in fur, and it is more common for them to have small spines than even the Common kissanpentus. These cats live in the lower branches of trees, sometimes making forays into shallow water to snag a fish and drag it into their trees. They are the largest wild variety, usually around the size of a medium housecat. Scaled kissanpentus are unable to retract their claws, and commonly have subtle patterns that resemble those of reptiles along with the normal kissanpentu dappling pattern. They can be mildly venomous.
Graniitti “Mountain” Kissanpentu
A few stubborn kissanpentu have managed to survive in the foothills of the mountains inhabited by the residents of High Heart. They share most features with the common kissanpentu, with the major exception of coloring - they are commonly found in grey and desaturated tones rather than the usual rich greens of the common variant. They are always without spines, and duller claws that they are unable to retract.
Kesy “Domestic” Kissanpentu
Domestic kissanpentus come in the widest variety of colors and sizes. Sometimes crossbred with other felines, such as Screaming Cats and regular housecats, Domestic kissanpentus can be a diverse bunch. However, they will always have a forked tongue, prehensile tail, scales along their underbelly and legs, and dextrous, raccoon-like digits on all four paws. It is common for Domestic kissanpentus to have a mix of the wild variant’s features, and to more strongly have patterns of other feline species rather than the green dappled tones of the Common kissanpentu.
Other Notes:
- Eyes come in any tone.
- They make nests in trees, sometimes stealing them from birds, and sometimes building their own out of sticks and their own fur/feathers. Holes in trees are preferred.
- The pads on the bottom of their feet are slightly sticky, rather like a gecko’s toes - they’re too heavy for this to have any real effect, but it can help a bit with climbing smoother surfaces.
- These cats are mostly silent - it is rare to hear them make a noise under normal circumstances. When they do make noises, they’re comparable to the peeping noises made by eagles, which makes it hard to take angry ones seriously… until they bite, that is.
- They have cursed raccoon hands that they can and will use to grab things and sprint off with them.
- Though only the Scaled variety is venomous, all varieties are mildly toxic if eaten.
- Probably will figure out a way to hang upside down from the middle of the ceiling.
- Purr ridiculously loudly for their small bodies.
- The plumed variety can hybridize easily with barn griffons, leading some to believe that they arose from interbreeding between those two species in the past.
- Color mutations such as albinism, leucism, vitiligo, and others can occur. They are more common among Common marshland kissanpentu.