Egyptian Sand Cat

The Sand Cat is another mammal that is well-adapted to living in the desert. It has thick mats of fur on the bottom of its paws to protect them from the scorching sands. Sightings of the Sand Cat are rare. There have been less than five different sightings in the 1990's. Like many smaller desert animals, it does not have to drink water; it gets all of its moisture from its prey, which includes small rodents and the occasional snake. One would think that being a wild cat, they would tend to be larger, but they're not much bigger than a domestic house cat. In fact, the Sand Cat is believed by many to be among the ancestors of the domestic cat. After all, Egypt is where the cat is first thought to have been domesticated. We'll meet more Egyptian cats later.