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- The Black-Footed Cat is the smallest of all the African cats<\/li>\n
- These small cats are endemic to the southern African subregion<\/li>\n
- This shy and secretive cat is among the rarest of all African feline species<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
The Digging Cat<\/h2>\n
The Black-Footed Cat is a solitary animal who prefers roaming the open savanna or arid deserts during the night – which makes sense as it would be quite warm during the day. During the heat of the afternoon these cute and cuddly cats will seek shelter in unoccupied burrows, dense vegetation and even empty termite mounds. It is probably a great thing for this feline that they tend to live in the open grasslands as they are surprisingly poor climbers. Their short, stalky limbs are not suited for a life in the trees, however, they are perfect for digging, which comes in handy when they are looking for a nice underground home. I guess at the end of the day, it works out that they live in an area with few trees but the question I have is do they live in the open plains because they are terrible climbers or are they terrible climbers because they live on plains?<\/p>\n
![\"Black-Footed](\"http:\/\/www.wild-facts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/blackfootedcat2-300x300.jpg\" "\\"blackfootedcat2\\"")
<\/a>Photo from Zooborns.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The Midnight Stalker<\/h2>\n
With a weight around \u00a01.6 kg (3.6 lbs), the Black-Footed Cat is the smallest found in Africa and as such chases after much more manageable prey than their cousins. Their meals consist mainly of rodents, small birds and insects. Although, they have been known to take down animals larger than themselves such as the Cape Hare, so they clearly still have those killer instincts found in the larger African cats. These midnight stalkers are incredibly active hunters and will typically kill up to 14 small animals in any given night, so if you are a rodent living in their distribution range… I would hide!<\/p>\n
A Vulnerable Cat<\/h2>\n
While the population of the Black-Footed Cat is still somewhat stable with over 10 000 breeding adults remaining throughout their limited distribution range, they may have some tough times ahead. Currently they are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Endangered Species list and with the degradation of their preferred habitat, they can easily be up-listed to endangered in the near future. Hunting these cats is illegal in South Africa and Botswana, however, they are technically fair game throughout the rest of their range and are often killed by farmers that see them as pests.<\/p>\n
For added inspiration as to why we need to ensure the Black-Footed Cat lives a long healthy life…watch the video below.
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