Ever wished your adorable kitten would stay small and playful forever? This is the reality of the sand cat, a desert-dwelling tiny feline that looks like a kitten all its life. Its scientific name is felis margarita, after the Sahara-exploring General Marguerite of 17th-century France, according to Zooborns.
Sand cats are native to North Africa, Pakistan, The Middle East and Southwest and Central Asia. These little guys are also known as sand dune cats, seeing as they only exist in desert areas, according to White Wolf Pack. Their foot pads have evolved to deal with the very hot sand, and they're the only felines that can survive such extreme temperatures.
They are so small and light on their feet that they barely leave footprints in the sand, and their sandy-colored coat helps them blend and elude predators. This isn't the only thing it helps them elude, though! Because they're so sneaky, they're very hard to study in the wild. What we have been able to find out about them is that they only weigh 4-8 pounds, and they're mostly nocturnal. They dig to hunt, feeding mostly on gerbils and birds. These cats are very rare, and their population is on the decline - there are only 116 listed worldwide, and many of those are in zoos, according to Big Cat Rescue. However, they may just be hiding very well in the sand!
These cats have a broad head with low, wide-set ears. Their coats are mostly sandy-colored, with a white underside and stripes on their legs. They have amazingly sharp hearing and smell, according to Zooborns.
Even though they're adorable and look cuddly and kitten-like, sand cats aren't going to be domesticated anytime soon, so your regular cats will have to do. If you want to see a sand cat in person, call your local zoo and see if they've got one.
