When I was first getting my kitty Nala checked by the vet, he made a passing remark about cats being desert animals, which I mentally dismissed as sounding unlikely....

Then I bumped into this today. Who knew?

Felis Margarita? Sounds more like a bar cat...... 😺

Quote

 

The sand cat is a small wild cat that inhabits sandy and stony deserts far from water sources. With its sandy to light grey fur, it is well camouflaged in a desert environment. Its head-and-body length ranges from 39 to 52 cm with a 23 to 31 cm long tail.

Can a sand cat be a pet?

Sand cats (Felis margarita) are wild felines native to arid desert regions. They are not domesticated animals and have not been bred for domestication like house cats. While they can be tamed to some extent in captivity, their wild nature makes them unsuitable as pets.

Sand cats live in three distinct regions of the world: Africa's Sahara desert, which stretches through Algeria, Niger and Morocco; throughout the Arabian peninsula; and in parts of central Asia including Turkmenistan, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Fearless hunters, they can prey on venomous snakes. May "meow" like domestic cats and use a bark-like call during breeding season. An ancient Muslim story says sand cats accompanied the Prophet Muhammad and his daughter in a journey across the desert, leading to respect for these cats.

 

 

Interesting. Thanks.

This was the mighty feline desert warriors...