---
title: "What the sources say about the Black-Footed Cat | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "48 claims from the Black-Footed Cat profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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---

# What the sources say about the Black-Footed Cat (*Felis nigripes*)

> 48 claims from the Black-Footed Cat profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Black-Footed Cat](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/black-footed-cat/)

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

https://ewt.org.za/black-footed-cat/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| One of the world's smallest cats | The Black-footed Cat is one of the world's smallest cats |
| Semi-arid Nama Karoo, open savanna and grassland in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe | The Black-footed Cat is a semi-arid specialist inhabiting Nama Karoo, open savannah, and grassland habitats (note: countries from EWT's Countries of Occurrence table, where Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe are Extant/Native (Angola, Eswatini, Lesotho presence uncertain)) |
| Mostly mammals and birds, with larger prey in winter | Mammals 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 |
| It's one of the world's smallest cats | The Black-footed Cat is one of the world's smallest cats |
| Females 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. | females 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) |
| Life expectancy in the wild is about five years, although two monitored cats lived to at least seven. | life expectancy in the wild is about five years (BFCWG unpubl. data), although two monitored individuals lived at least to seven years |
| In captivity they are reported to live up to 16 years. | they are reported to live up to 16 years in captive situations |
| Amyloidosis, a disease in which protein deposits build up in many organs, usually ending in kidney failure. | This is a disease characterised by fibrillar protein depositions in many organs as a result of chronic inflammatory processes usually cumulating in renal failure |
| It is blamed for about 70 percent of documented deaths of captive cats and 16 percent of known deaths in the wild. | About 70% of the documented deaths of captive cats, and 16% of known mortality in the wild are attributed to this disease |
| Inbreeding, linked to two harmful mutated genes, may raise the risk. | inbreeding associated with two deleterious mutated genes TTR and B may exacerbate the risk of amyloidosis |
| is one of the world's smallest cats | The Black-footed Cat is one of the world's smallest cats |
| Females average 1.3 kilograms and males 1.93 kilograms | females weighing an average of 1.3 kg and males larger at 1.93 kg |
| while the more common African wildcat is considerably larger, at 3.9 kilograms for females and 5.1 for males | The congeneric and more common African Wildcat is considerably larger (females 3.9 kg; males 5.1 kg) |
| Life expectancy in the wild is about five years, although two monitored cats lived to at least seven | life expectancy in the wild is about five years (BFCWG unpubl. data), although two monitored individuals lived at least to seven years |
| In captivity they are reported to live up to 16 years | they are reported to live up to 16 years in captive situations |
| Adults travel an average of 8.42 kilometers a night | Adults travel an average of 8.42 ± 2.09 km per night |
| A 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 | Sliwa 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 night (note: "both" is the two species, Black-footed Cats and African Wildcats) |
| Small rodents like the large-eared mouse are caught most often | Small rodents like the Large-eared Mouse (Malacothrix typica), were captured the most by both sexes |
| In one study, prey by mass was 72 percent mammals and 26 percent birds | Mammals and birds pooled comprised 72% and 26% of total prey biomass |
| invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles together making up just 2 percent | invertebrates and amphibians/reptiles combined constituted just 2% of total prey mass consumed |
| In winter they mainly eat larger birds and mammals over 100 grams | during winter, when larger birds and mammals (> 100 g) were mainly consumed |
| Black-footed cats are active throughout the night | They are strictly crepuscular and nocturnal and are active throughout the night |
| have been recorded hunting at temperatures of -8°C | even hunting at temperatures of -8˚C |
| A hollowed-out termite mound makes a good bedroom. | During the day, the cats take refuge in dens excavated by other burrowing mammals, especially Springhare, or hallowed out abandoned termite mounds |
| By 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 | During 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 |
| Black-footed cats are endemic to the arid regions of southern Africa | Black-footed Cats are endemic to the arid regions of southern Africa and have the most limited distribution among African felids |
| living in Nama Karoo, open savanna and grassland | inhabiting Nama Karoo, open savannah, and grassland habitats |
| have the most limited distribution of any African cat | have the most limited distribution among African felids |
| The species is listed as present in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. | Namibia Extant Native – – South Africa Extant Native – – Zimbabwe Extant Native (note: 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 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 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 |
| At 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 | densities fell from 0.17 cats/km² in 1998–1999 (Sliwa 2004) to 0.08 cats/km² in 2005–2015, and 0.03 in 2024 (note: Benfontein Nature Reserve long-term study site on the Northern Cape/Free State border) |
| Illegal poison used against predators on livestock farms, domestic dogs and vehicles are among the threats | dominated 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 |
| Amyloidosis, a disease in which protein deposits build up in many organs and usually end in kidney failure | This is a disease characterised by fibrillar protein depositions in many organs as a result of chronic inflammatory processes usually cumulating in renal failure |
| is blamed for about 70 percent of documented deaths of captive black-footed cats and 16 percent of known deaths in the wild | About 70% of the documented deaths of captive cats, and 16% of known mortality in the wild are attributed to this disease |

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

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Felis_nigripes/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| larger kills may be cached for later | These larger animals may be cached for later use. |

## 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.

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2310763120

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| a hunting success rate of around 60 percent | The BFC has a remarkably high hunting success of ~60% |
| an appetite for a fifth of its own body weight a day | requires the consumption of ~20% of its body weight per day to maintain energy levels |
| A 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 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 |
| About 60 percent of its hunts succeed, a rate the researchers who sequenced its genome call remarkably high | The 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 cat needs to eat about a fifth of its own body weight each day | requires the consumption of ~20% of its body weight per day to maintain energy levels |
| A 60 Percent Hit Rate, Under Two Kilograms | The 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 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 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 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 BFC has a high metabolic rate, which requires the consumption of ~20% of its body weight per day to maintain energy levels |
| The genome study found that genes for vision, hearing, and fat and protein metabolism show signs of natural selection or rapid evolution | the 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 BFC (note: 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)) |
| which the authors call genetic adaptations to night hunting and a high metabolic rate | the rapid evolution of sensory and metabolic-related genes, reflecting genetic adaptations to its characteristic nocturnal hunting and a high metabolic rate |
| The species also has sensitive vision and one of the largest ratios of auditory bulla | The BFC possesses sensitive visual capabilities and one of the largest ratios of auditory bulla size to body size among extant felids (note: the parenthetical gloss of auditory bulla is a plain definition, not a claim) |
| The genome study suggests that inbreeding, linked to two harmful mutated genes, may raise the risk | inbreeding associated with two deleterious mutated genes may exacerbate the risk of amyloidosis |

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

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2026-1.rlts.t8542a288685609.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| the IUCN lists the species as Vulnerable | IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU). (note: read through GBIF's copy of the Red List) |