Sand cat: status, range, size and diet
A small, pale desert cat with huge ears and furred paws, able to live in some of the hottest and driest places on Earth, listed as Least Concern.
Also known as Felis margarita, sand dune cat, desert cat
At a glance
| Scientific name | Felis margarita |
|---|---|
| Group | Small wild cats |
| Weight | 1.4-3.4 kg |
| Length | Head and body about 39-52 cm, tail 22-31 cm |
| Known for | Thick fur on the soles of its paws, which insulates against hot sand and hides its tracks. |
Status
| IUCN Red List category | Least Concern |
|---|---|
| Assessed in | 2016 |
Where it lives
| Range | Discontinuous across the Sahara, the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East and Central Asian deserts |
|---|---|
| Habitat | Sandy and stony desert with sparse vegetation, avoiding bare shifting dunes |
| Diet | Small desert rodents, birds, reptiles, insects and snakes, including vipers |
Main threats
- Habitat degradation and desertification
- Persecution and poisoned baits
- Disease and attacks from dogs and feral cats
- Pet trade
- Fences
About
The sand cat is a short-legged, broad-headed cat with a pale sandy coat that blends into desert. Its ears are large, low on the head and set wide apart, and the ear canals are enlarged, giving it hearing more sensitive than a domestic cat's. Dense hair covers the soles of the feet, protecting them from hot sand and leaving few tracks. It is the only cat that lives mainly in true desert.
It is solitary and strongly nocturnal, resting through the day in burrows, either dug by itself or taken over from other animals. It may travel several kilometres on a single night, and can run quickly for short bursts. Litters usually number two or three kittens, born after about two months of gestation.
Where it lives and what it eats
Sand cats live in scattered populations from the Sahara of North Africa across the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East to Pakistan, Iran and the deserts of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. They favour flat or gently rolling ground with some low plants, sand mixed with gravel and stone, and avoid big, bare dunes.
The diet is mostly small rodents such as jirds, gerbils and jerboas, with birds, lizards, insects and snakes added. It can kill venomous vipers, and desert nomads have noted this habit. It gets much of its water from prey but drinks when water is present.
Threats and conservation
Reliable population figures do not exist, and the extent of any decline is unknown, but in 2016 the species was moved from Near Threatened to Least Concern. Some regional populations are doing worse, including those in the Arabian Peninsula, the United Arab Emirates and Israel. Threats include degradation of desert habitat through overgrazing, off-road driving and development, poisoned baits and traps set for other predators, disease and competition from feral and domestic cats, attacks by dogs, entanglement in fences and capture for the pet trade.
International trade is controlled under CITES Appendix II. Legal protection varies, and the cat has none in several countries.
Cats and people
Sand cats are wild animals and do poorly as pets, and keeping them as such has been linked to illegal trade. Zoos keep a small captive population. Desert nomads know the cat as a hunter of snakes.
Profile last reviewed November 7, 2026