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What the sources say

Black-Footed CatFelis nigripes

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Black-Footed Cat profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 48 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Endangered Wildlife Trust, Red List of Mammals of South Africa

Black-footed Cat. Endangered Wildlife Trust, Red List of Mammals of South Africa.

The page saysOne of the world's smallest cats
The source saysThe Black-footed Cat is one of the world's smallest cats
The page saysSemi-arid Nama Karoo, open savanna and grassland in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe
The source saysThe Black-footed Cat is a semi-arid specialist inhabiting Nama Karoo, open savannah, and grassland habitatsNote: countries from EWT's Countries of Occurrence table, where Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe are Extant/Native (Angola, Eswatini, Lesotho presence uncertain)
The page saysMostly mammals and birds, with larger prey in winter
The source saysMammals and birds pooled comprised 72% and 26% of total prey biomass ... Heterothermic prey items were unavailable during winter, when larger birds and mammals (> 100 g) were mainly consumed
The page saysIt's one of the world's smallest cats
The source saysThe Black-footed Cat is one of the world's smallest cats
The page saysFemales average 1.3 kilograms and males 1.93 kilograms, while the more common African wildcat is considerably larger, at 3.9 kilograms for females and 5.1 for males.
The source saysfemales weighing an average of 1.3 kg and males larger at 1.93 kg (Sliwa 2013). The congeneric and more common African Wildcat is considerably larger (females 3.9 kg; males 5.1 kg)
The page saysLife expectancy in the wild is about five years, although two monitored cats lived to at least seven.
The source sayslife expectancy in the wild is about five years (BFCWG unpubl. data), although two monitored individuals lived at least to seven years
The page saysIn captivity they are reported to live up to 16 years.
The source saysthey are reported to live up to 16 years in captive situations
The page saysAmyloidosis, a disease in which protein deposits build up in many organs, usually ending in kidney failure.
The source saysThis is a disease characterised by fibrillar protein depositions in many organs as a result of chronic inflammatory processes usually cumulating in renal failure
The page saysIt is blamed for about 70 percent of documented deaths of captive cats and 16 percent of known deaths in the wild.
The source saysAbout 70% of the documented deaths of captive cats, and 16% of known mortality in the wild are attributed to this disease
The page saysInbreeding, linked to two harmful mutated genes, may raise the risk.
The source saysinbreeding associated with two deleterious mutated genes TTR and B may exacerbate the risk of amyloidosis
The page saysis one of the world's smallest cats
The source saysThe Black-footed Cat is one of the world's smallest cats
The page saysFemales average 1.3 kilograms and males 1.93 kilograms
The source saysfemales weighing an average of 1.3 kg and males larger at 1.93 kg
The page sayswhile the more common African wildcat is considerably larger, at 3.9 kilograms for females and 5.1 for males
The source saysThe congeneric and more common African Wildcat is considerably larger (females 3.9 kg; males 5.1 kg)
The page saysLife expectancy in the wild is about five years, although two monitored cats lived to at least seven
The source sayslife expectancy in the wild is about five years (BFCWG unpubl. data), although two monitored individuals lived at least to seven years
The page saysIn captivity they are reported to live up to 16 years
The source saysthey are reported to live up to 16 years in captive situations
The page saysAdults travel an average of 8.42 kilometers a night
The source saysAdults travel an average of 8.42 ± 2.09 km per night
The page saysA study comparing them with African wildcats found that both caught roughly 12 to 13 prey animals a night, though black-footed cats took smaller prey on average
The source saysSliwa et al. (2010) found that Black-footed Cats captured smaller prey on average than African Wildcats, although both captured approximately the same number (12–13) of prey animals per nightNote: "both" is the two species, Black-footed Cats and African Wildcats
The page saysSmall rodents like the large-eared mouse are caught most often
The source saysSmall rodents like the Large-eared Mouse (Malacothrix typica), were captured the most by both sexes
The page saysIn one study, prey by mass was 72 percent mammals and 26 percent birds
The source saysMammals and birds pooled comprised 72% and 26% of total prey biomass
The page saysinvertebrates, amphibians and reptiles together making up just 2 percent
The source saysinvertebrates and amphibians/reptiles combined constituted just 2% of total prey mass consumed
The page saysIn winter they mainly eat larger birds and mammals over 100 grams
The source saysduring winter, when larger birds and mammals (> 100 g) were mainly consumed
The page saysBlack-footed cats are active throughout the night
The source saysThey are strictly crepuscular and nocturnal and are active throughout the night
The page sayshave been recorded hunting at temperatures of -8°C
The source sayseven hunting at temperatures of -8˚C
The page saysA hollowed-out termite mound makes a good bedroom.
The source saysDuring the day, the cats take refuge in dens excavated by other burrowing mammals, especially Springhare, or hallowed out abandoned termite mounds
The page saysBy day, black-footed cats shelter in dens dug by other burrowing mammals, especially springhares, or in hollowed-out abandoned termite mounds, which also matter as dens for mothers with kittens
The source saysDuring the day, the cats take refuge in dens excavated by other burrowing mammals, especially Springhare, or hallowed out abandoned termite mounds, which are also important for maternal dens
The page saysBlack-footed cats are endemic to the arid regions of southern Africa
The source saysBlack-footed Cats are endemic to the arid regions of southern Africa and have the most limited distribution among African felids
The page saysliving in Nama Karoo, open savanna and grassland
The source saysinhabiting Nama Karoo, open savannah, and grassland habitats
The page sayshave the most limited distribution of any African cat
The source sayshave the most limited distribution among African felids
The page saysThe species is listed as present in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
The source saysNamibia Extant Native – – South Africa Extant Native – – Zimbabwe Extant NativeNote: EWT's Countries of Occurrence table lists Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe as Extant/Native; Angola, Eswatini and Lesotho are presence uncertain and left out
The page saysThe global population is estimated at fewer than 10,000 mature individuals, nearly two-thirds of them in South Africa, with a continuing decline suspected across the range
The source saysThe global population size is estimated to be fewer than 10,000 mature individuals with nearly two-thirds occurring in South Africa, with suspected range-wide continuing decline
The page saysAt one long-term South African study site, densities fell from 0.17 cats per square kilometer in 1998 and 1999 to 0.03 in 2024
The source saysdensities fell from 0.17 cats/km² in 1998–1999 (Sliwa 2004) to 0.08 cats/km² in 2005–2015, and 0.03 in 2024Note: Benfontein Nature Reserve long-term study site on the Northern Cape/Free State border
The page saysIllegal poison used against predators on livestock farms, domestic dogs and vehicles are among the threats
The source saysdominated by small livestock farms, where widespread persecution of predators, including use of illegal poison is pervasive (Drouilly et al. 2023). Human-related mortalities are reported throughout the species' range including widespread indiscriminate predator control, domestic dogs, and vehicles
The page saysAmyloidosis, a disease in which protein deposits build up in many organs and usually end in kidney failure
The source saysThis is a disease characterised by fibrillar protein depositions in many organs as a result of chronic inflammatory processes usually cumulating in renal failure
The page saysis blamed for about 70 percent of documented deaths of captive black-footed cats and 16 percent of known deaths in the wild
The source saysAbout 70% of the documented deaths of captive cats, and 16% of known mortality in the wild are attributed to this disease

Source
02

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Felis nigripes (black-footed cat). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page sayslarger kills may be cached for later
The source saysThese larger animals may be cached for later use.

Source
03

Yuan et al. 2024

Yuan et al. (2024). The genome of the black-footed cat: Revealing a rich natural history and urgent conservation priorities for small felids. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The page saysa hunting success rate of around 60 percent
The source saysThe BFC has a remarkably high hunting success of ~60%
The page saysan appetite for a fifth of its own body weight a day
The source saysrequires the consumption of ~20% of its body weight per day to maintain energy levels
The page saysA hunting success rate of around 60 percent, paired with a high metabolic rate that needs about a fifth of its body weight in food each day.
The source saysThe BFC has a remarkably high hunting success of ~60% ... the BFC has a high metabolic rate, which requires the consumption of ~20% of its body weight per day to maintain energy levels
The page saysAbout 60 percent of its hunts succeed, a rate the researchers who sequenced its genome call remarkably high
The source saysThe BFC has a remarkably high hunting success of ~60%Note: the paper cites this figure (its ref 5) as background rather than measuring it
The page saysthe cat needs to eat about a fifth of its own body weight each day
The source saysrequires the consumption of ~20% of its body weight per day to maintain energy levels
The page saysA 60 Percent Hit Rate, Under Two Kilograms
The source saysThe BFC has a remarkably high hunting success of ~60%Note: heading; both sexes average under 2 kg (EWT: females 1.3 kg, males 1.93 kg)
The page saysthe black-footed cat has a hunting success rate of around 60 percent, a figure the researchers who sequenced its genome call remarkably high, citing earlier work
The source saysThe BFC has a remarkably high hunting success of ~60% ( 5 )Note: the paper states the figure with a citation (its ref 5), so it is background, not the paper's own measurement
The page saysThe same paper describes a high metabolic rate: the cat needs to eat about a fifth of its own body weight each day to keep its energy up
The source saysthe BFC has a high metabolic rate, which requires the consumption of ~20% of its body weight per day to maintain energy levels
The page saysThe genome study found that genes for vision, hearing, and fat and protein metabolism show signs of natural selection or rapid evolution
The source saysthe vision gene OPN1SW, and hearing-related genes, PCDH15, PTPRQ, AKNAD1, DIAPH1, MYO18B, and HOMER2 (from https://hereditaryhearingloss.org) were detected with significant signals of positive natural selection or rapid evolution in the BFCNote: fat and protein metabolism: "We identified a series of PSGs or REGs and their functions are significantly associated with fat and protein metabolism" (PSG = positively selected gene, REG = rapidly evolving gene)
The page sayswhich the authors call genetic adaptations to night hunting and a high metabolic rate
The source saysthe rapid evolution of sensory and metabolic-related genes, reflecting genetic adaptations to its characteristic nocturnal hunting and a high metabolic rate
The page saysThe species also has sensitive vision and one of the largest ratios of auditory bulla
The source saysThe BFC possesses sensitive visual capabilities and one of the largest ratios of auditory bulla size to body size among extant felidsNote: the parenthetical gloss of auditory bulla is a plain definition, not a claim
The page saysThe genome study suggests that inbreeding, linked to two harmful mutated genes, may raise the risk
The source saysinbreeding associated with two deleterious mutated genes may exacerbate the risk of amyloidosis

Source
04

Sliwa et al. 2026

Sliwa et al. (2026). Felis nigripes. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2026: e.T8542A288685609.

The page saysthe IUCN lists the species as Vulnerable
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU).Note: read through GBIF's copy of the Red List

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.