Cats…the internet loves them, musicians and movie stars love them, they are “cooler” than dogs, and they make the best roommates. What about this little grey and brown tabby cat makes it so much more deadly (highly skilled at it) than house cats, feral cats, big cats, and most animals? Don’t let their small frame fool you into believing their behavior is cute, cuddly, and even kitten-like. This is not the loving biscuit-maker you hoped for, this is the murder cat.
Meet the Black-Footed Cat
Scientific Name
Common Name: Black Footed Cat
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata (Vertebrata)
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Genus: Felinae (Felis)
Species: nigripes
Appearance
The appearance of the lovely and spicy black-footed cat is almost surreal because it looks almost exactly like a miniature domesticated grey and brown tabby. This fierce kitty has no problem letting anyone know they aren’t playing games—well, at least not the type of games that small prey animals might enjoy.
The black-footed cat is a bit different than usual wild cats. It has pink skin, like a house cat. Its paw pads and fur around the bottom of the paw are black, which is what gives it its name. They are small, compact cats that closely resemble domesticated grey, brown, and black tabby cats, which are quite common.
This cat has black spots along its back and stomach that are typically not seen in domesticated cats, except with wild cats and domesticated mixes such as the Savannah cat. The half-house cat, the half-serval animal, is bred to look as much like a serval as the breeders can get because they are worth more money that way. The black-footed cat has very large eyes to help it spot its next victim in the black of night.
Size
The tiny black-footed cat is half the size of a typical 10-pound housecat. These cats average a weight of 2.4 – 4.2 pounds. The females are usually smaller. A male black-footed cat can measure between 14 – 17 inches long, not including its tail. Their tails are another 6 – 10 inches in length and very strong, used as a balancing rod when the cats climb steep surfaces. They stand 8 – 10 inches tall.
Diet
There is little in the savannah grasslands that the petite black-footed cat won’t at least try to eat. The small cat is an excellent hunter as it silently blends in with the savannah background. The abundance of small animals that are perfect prey for the cat helps to give the cat an advantage.
The savannah doesn’t have many predators, like you might find in a forest. It is home to plenty of rodents, insects, reptiles, birds, and arachnids to keep the belly of the black-footed cat full. Because of its small size and heightened energy requirements, the black-footed cat requires more meals, more often than other wild cats in the area. This is why the black-footed cat was given the title of the world’s most deadly cat.
Just to keep their energy and health up, these cats will kill an average of 14 prey animals a night! Now, we aren’t talking about taking down large prey. The black-footed cat is tiny, just like its prey, so it’s possible the 14 nightly kills might be 14 spiders. One of their favorite foods is locusts. Not every meal is a fresh kill. They eat leftovers just like humans do, only they might be eating someone much larger’s leftovers.
Habitat
The black-footed cat is a citizen of the arid South African deserts in Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Angola. At one point, these little cats were also found in Botswana, though they had not been seen there in a long time. The cats live amongst the sandy grasslands of the savannah, where there are plenty of hiding places for prey to hide or for the cat to have a camouflaged den for their kittens.
The black-footed cat is known to make its den in holes found in termite mounds or abandoned dens that animals once dug. The long grass of the savannah attracts birds and rodents because of the safety it offers in the grassy plains, which is one reason the cats choose this area.
Reproduction
Female black-footed cats reach sexual maturity around 8 – 12 months of age. This is quite different from our domesticated cats, who are capable of reproducing at 3 – 4 months old, though most often the cats reach sexual maturity at six months old. The numbers of black-footed cats compared with domesticated cats show how a longer time to reach maturity can negatively impact the small animals’ population numbers.
Domesticated cats are overpopulated everywhere a city exists. Feral cats are attracted to cities, where a meal is easy to come by and where plenty of manmade hiding places exist. Unfortunately, overpopulation isn’t the only issue. A waterfall of problems arises from overpopulation. There isn’t enough territory or food to go around. Cats that are kept too closely together will fight; with fighting comes disease.
Male cats mark their territory, which isn’t welcomed anywhere because of its stinky smell. Big cats are the same and also spray urine to mark their territory. Another side effect of feline overpopulation is the rise of fleas. Fleas caused the Black Plague, not rats. The fleas infected the cats, which isn’t just annoying to humans sharing the same space. It can eventually kill the cat due to anemia and can cause other severe health issues.
Lifespan
Like most felines, black-footed cats’ lifespans can vary widely from living in the wild to living in a zoo. In captivity, they can live for up to 18 years, though it is very rare one lives that long. Most black-footed cats in captivity live to be around 10 years old.
In the wild, it is up to nature whether or not they survive. If water and food are available in a location that is safe from predators and other natural elements, the cats might live to be 10 years old. Even when there appears to be no water available, the little cat gets all the hydration it needs from the prey it eats.
Conservation Efforts for Black-Footed Cats
Botswana and South Africa are forbidden from hunting small cats, and they are also protected by national legislation throughout most of their habitat. The elusive cat is excellent at going unnoticed as it silently stalks prey at night.
Much remains to be learned about these interesting, shy cats. It is a little tricky to understand that this 3-pound cat is the murderer with the highest headcount. The tenacious, sneaky black-footed cat is excellent at flying beneath the radar, so they are still alive in large numbers.
Interested in discovering more about the adorable serial killer: the black-footed cat? YouTube has amazing videos of black-footed cats in the wild, rescue, and captivity. Be sure to check them out and be prepared to be blown away.
