Sand Cat

A Sand cat may look like a cute little average housecat but the fact is, it is a wild cat that lives in the deserts of African and in the Middle East. Images of a Sand cat can be betraying as the Sand cat size is small – as small as or sometimes smaller than a domestic cat. They are usually 3-11 pounds. The other thing that you will notice when you look at pictures of Sand cats is that their ears are rather large in comparison to its body and they are set further apart on the head. Sand cats also have a dense, wiry fur covering their footpads. This does two things: it protects them from extreme heat or cold and it prevents them from making markings in the sand when they walk. This makes them very difficult to track. They also bury their excrement, much like a domestic cat, so those who are interested in them will have a difficult time studying them. When a light is shone in their face they will shrink back into their environment and close their eyes so that they can not be seen. The behavior of a Sand cat and Sand cat adaptations keep them relatively safe in their environment.

The Arabian Sand cat and the Pakistan Sand cat have the lower population of all the Sand cats as many of them were collected during the animal trading years. In fact, until recently, it was thought that they were extinct in those areas. Some have been spotted in recent years and they are still known to be occupying those areas.

Sand cats are night hunters. They typically hunt for small rodents, insects, snakes, and lizards. Their means of attack are to stun the creature with a rapid blow to the head.

A Sand cat kitten is very small – only about 1.5-2 ounces at birth – and they are very dependant on their mothers. They typically reach maturation at about 3-4 months, at which point they are sexually mature adults themselves.

Many are interested in studying the Sand cat. What is being done to preserve them from extinction gives scientist little opportunity to study them. In fact, there are very few Sand cats in captivity. Because of their preservation techniques, Sand cats are difficult to study in their natural environment, however, some scientist persist in their quest to learn more about the Sand cat and provide us with interesting Sand cat facts.