tiger cat

any of several felines, as the ocelot or margay, that resemble the tiger in coloration or ferocity but are smaller.

a spotted marsupial cat, Dasyurus (Dasyurops) maculatus.

a domestic cat having a striped coat resembling that of a tiger.

Origin of tiger cat

First recorded in 1690–1700

Nero persuaded himself that his mother was watching him like a tiger-cat in act to spring.

Darkness and Dawn |Frederic W. Farrar
You with your dangerous airs of a tiger-cat if a man so much as laid a finger on your vicious body!

The Moonlit Way |Robert W. Chambers
Tiger-cat, kuching-rimau (said to feed on vegetables as well as flesh).

The History of Sumatra |William Marsden
Suddenly, however, fierce as a tiger-cat she writhed her arms upwards and clawed at his face.

The Sea-Hawk |Raphael Sabatini

She is a tiger-cat, and tiger-cats must sometimes be flogged.

The Adventures of Kathlyn |Harold MacGrath

tiger cat

a medium-sized feline mammal, Felis tigrina, of Central and South America, having a dark-striped coat

any similar feline with tiger-like markings, such as the margay