Black-footed Cat
Felis nigripes
A. Sliwa
Description
The black-footed cat (Felis nigripes) is part of the genus Felis and is considered to be a monotypic species.
The black-footed cat is one of the smallest cat species in the world and the smallest in Africa. The black-footed cat is named after its black pads and the black underparts of its hind feet. Its fur is tawny and marked with black and brown spots, merging into broad bands on its neck, legs and on the tail. The tail is relatively short measuring less than 40% of its head-body length and is marked with a black tip. The head of the black-footed cat is similar to that of domestic cats and it has large ears and eyes. The auditory bullae are enlarged with total length about 25% of the skull length. Males are heavier than females.
Weight
1 - 2.5 kg
Body Length
37 - 52 cm
Tail Length
14 - 20 cm
Longevity
at least 8 years, upto 16 years in captivity
Litter Size
1 - 4 kittens, avg. 2
P. Meier
Status and Distribution
The black-footed cat is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List and in the National Red List of Mammals of South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho. It is rare compared to the other small cat species occurring only in southern Africa at low densities. Its distribution is thought to be relatively restricted and patchy. The collection of records over the past five years has shown that the species reach their highest densities in a distribution band running North-South through central South Africa. East and West of this band there are fewer records. In a long-term study of radio-collared black-footed cats in an area of 60 km² on Benfontein Nature Reserve, Northern Cape Province, central South Africa, the density of the black-footed cat was estimated at 17 animals per 100 km² in 1998–1999 but at only 8 individuals per 100 km² in 2005–2015. On Nuweijaarsfontein farm, density was estimated at 6 black-footed cats per 100 km². However, both these areas are of high quality, and it is thought that in low quality habitats the densities are possibly much lower.
The population size of black-footed cats is estimated at 13,867 animals of which 9,707 are estimated to be mature. No subpopulation is considered to contain more than 1,000 mature individuals due to the species' patchy distribution. In South Africa, the population is estimated at 8,334 mature individuals.
The black-footed cat is endemic to southern Africa and occurs primarily in South Africa and Namibia, where it is equally scarce but is also found in Botswana as well as marginally in Zimbabwe and possibly marginally in southern Angola. The northernmost records are from around 19 degrees South in Namibia and Botswana. It is thus a restricted range species with the smallest distribution of any cat species in Africa.
Ecology and Behaviour
The black-footed cat is mainly ground-dwelling. It is nocturnal and solitary except for females with dependent kittens, and during the mating season. It is active most at night and travels on average 8.4 km when it is searching for food. It co-occurs with various larger felids and canids such as caracal and black-backed jackal, which are competitors for food, but also its predators. During the day, the black-footed cat is only rarely seen since it rests in rocky crevices or in abandoned burrows of springhares, ground squirrels or porcupines. Several individuals were observed to take refuge in occupied aardwolf dens. In some areas, they use hollowed out dead termitaria, which has earned them the name “anthill tiger”.
Home range sizes vary between regions depending on the available resources and are large for a small cat, with an average size of 8.6–10 and up to 21.5 km² for females and on average 16.1–21.3 and up to 79.9 km² for males. Male home ranges overlap with those of 1–4 females and intra-sexual overlap of home ranges occurs on the outer margins between resident males (3%) but on average 40% between females. Both males and females scent mark with urine sprays, especially during the mating season and is thought to play an important role in reproduction and social organisation.
The black-footed cat stalks its prey on the ground or waits at the burrow entrances of rodents. It can catch birds in the air when they are taking off since it is an excellent jumper. The black-footed cat uses every suitable place for hiding.
The birth season is not yet fully studied. Wild cats mate between late July and March, leaving only 4 months where no mating occurs in central South Africa. The main mating period starts at the end of winter, in July and August resulting in litters born in September/October. One or more males follow the female, which is receptive for only 2.2 days, and copulate up to 10 times. The oestrus cycle lasts 11–12 days and the gestation period 63–68 days. Kittens open their eyes with 6–8 days, take solid food at 4–5 weeks and may start to kill live prey at 6 weeks. They are weaned at 9 weeks. At 5 months kittens are independent but remain within the range of the mother for longer. In captive black-footed cats age at sexual maturity was recorded at the earliest with 7 months for females and the onset of spermatogenesis in males occurred at 9 months.
Unusually high levels of creatinine and urea have been found in the blood of the black-footed cat. It also appears to have higher energy requirements than African wildcats.
Prey
The black-footed cat has a varied diet with over 50 different prey species having been identified. It preys mainly on rodents, small birds (weighing c. 100 g) and invertebrates. It takes mostly small mammals such as mice and gerbils. Its prey generally weighs less than 30–40 g and it captures around 10–14 small vertebrates per night. Occasionally the black-footed cat also feeds on reptiles and larger prey such as small bustards (for example the black bustard) and hares. When preying on these larger species it caches part of its prey for example in hollows for later consumption. The black-footed cat preys also on emerging alates of the harvester termite, catches larger winged insects such as grasshoppers and has been observed to feed on black bustard and lark eggs. It is also known to scavenge. As an adaptation to arid conditions, the black-footed cat gets all the moisture it needs from its food. It is independent of open water. In terms of interspecific competition, the black-footed cat captures on average smaller prey than that of the African wildcat.
A. Sliwa
Main Threats
The main threats to black-footed cats are habitat degradation and indiscriminate pest control methods such as the use of poison. Farmers in South Africa and Namibia consider the similar looking African wildcat a predator of small livestock and set steel-jaw traps and poisoned bait to remove it. These also kill the black-footed cat. Carcass poisoning for jackal control could be a threat too. Moreover, interest for black-footed cats in the trophy hunting industry is rising, as indicated by permit applications and requests made to taxidermists.
The loss of key resources such as prey and den sites due to human impact, is thought to be the most serious long-term threat to the species, in particular, the decline of springhare populations through bushmeat hunting.
Climate change may also pose a longer term threat and one model predicts that black-footed cats within the Felidae, will experience a particularly significant impact from climate change.
The species is particularly vulnerable to the disease AA-amyloidosis. It has been found in wild individuals, and is the main cause of mortality in captive animals, often making captive breeding programmes unviable.
Agriculture and overgrazing by livestock is prevalent throughout the species' range resulting in habitat deterioration which can lead to reductions of the black-footed cat’s small vertebrate prey. The black-footed cat also die infrequently in collisions with vehicles and is subject to predation from snakes, jackals, caracals and owls as well as opportunistically being killed by domestic dogs. Increasing interspecific competitions and intraguild predation are emerging threats to the species. Domestic cats can also threaten the black-footed cat through disease transmission.
Conservation Effort and Protection Status
The black-footed cat is included in Appendix I of the CITES and is protected across most of its range. Hunting is prohibited in Botswana and South Africa.
It is one of the best studied small felids. Radio-collared animals have been observed over many years (since 1992) near Kimberley in South Africa and a lot is known about its ecology and behaviour. Two other study areas were established, one close to De Aar, South Africa, 300 km to the south of Kimberley, between 2009-2018 and another one in southern Namibia, between 2020-2023. Despite this, the species is difficult to observe, and there is still little information available about its distribution and conservation status.
Recommended conservation measures include more detailed research on its distribution, threats and status as well as further ecological studies in different habitats.
The Black-footed cat Working Group aims to conserve the black-footed cat by conducting multidisciplinary research on the species by different means such as camera trapping, radio telemetry and the collection and analysis of biological samples.
A. Sliwa
Habitat
The black-footed cat is a specialist of grassland and semi-desert habitats including arid open, sparsely vegetated habitats such as open savannah, grasslands, the Karoo and Kalahari regions with sparse shrub and tree cover and a mean annual rainfall of between 100 and 500 mm. It occurs at elevations of 0 to 2,000 m.