Sand Cat

Perfectly adapted to its environment, the Sand Cat is difficult to find. This tiny animal is a scientific marvel.

The Sand Cat’s adaptations make it perfectly suited for its environment. Sand cats have thick black hair on their feet that protects them from the extreme temperature differences in the dessert, and allows them to walk on the sand without sinking. Their unique color blends in naturally with their environment, making them difficult to spot. The behavior of the Sand Cat also makes it difficult to find – they are nocturnal and bury both their excrement and their kills, making them a challenge to study.

There are four kinds of Sand Cat – the Pakistan Sand Cat, F.m. scheffeli, the Arabian Sand Cat, F.m. harrisoni, the Saharan Sand Cat, F.m. margarita, and the Turkistan Sand Cat F.m. thinobia.

The Sand Cat kitten has a difficult life ahead of it. With a juvenile mortality rate of about 41%, many do not live to adulthood. Since the Sand Cat’s size is small, the ones that do survive sometimes become victims of the illegal pet trade. In the wild, the life of the Sand Cat is a solitary one.

The Sand Cat is perfectly at home in the desert. A competent digger with excellent hearing, it can easily find prey both above and below the surface. A loud mating call that resembles a barking dog helps it to find and attract a mate.

One of the sadder Sand Cat facts is that there are only a little over a hundred left in the world. 36 of these elusive little cats have homes in the United States. With so few of the Sand Cat left, some wonder what is being done to save them. Conservationists in the United States and Europe are working together to establish breeding programs to up the populations. Luckily, the Sand Cat is seen as a companion for the Prophet Mohammed, so it is not hunted, and few will challenge it for its desert home.

However, if nothing is done, all the world will be left with is pictures of Sand Cats to enjoy. Some cat conservation groups post images of a sand cat to spur interest in their survival. Big Cat Rescue has endearing images of their Sand Cats at their website. Their two Sand Cats, sent to them during Desert Storm for protection, are on hold for potential use as breeders if their kittens can be returned to the wild. Big Cat Rescue does not breed cats to have them spend their life in captivity.