Now we must delve into the realm of incredibly cute. It is hard to imagine that something as little and as cute as these cats are could be so fierce and wild. But they are. They are also extremely energetic, unlike our house cats, they hunt all night leaving sleep for the daytime where they hide in termite mounds or hare burrows. They are tenacious as well, the natives have a legend claiming the ‘Anthill Tiger’ can bring down giraffes. While this is untrue, it pays homage to the fierce determination of these feisty little felines. They have been observed stealing prey away from polecats and chasing off jackals.
The black footed cat lives in the South African Deserts, and a large male can get up to 5 1/2 pounds; now that’s smaller than my smallest house cat.
According to The International Society For Endangered Cats, one of these little guys eats about 3000 rodents every year. Their habitat is threatened in many ways; by dogs, by encroachment, and by poisoning. The poison is not meant for them, but it kills just the same. They are extremely difficult to breed in captivity, but the Wuppertal Zoo in Germany has been breeding them with some success.
Thanks to the cat researcher, Dr Brian Sliwa, there exist a whole set of wonderful photos of these little creatures; they are tracking them, taking their photos, and learning about how they live. And it was Dr Sliwa’s photo that I used as a reference for this painting.
Please visit the International Society for Endangered Cat‘s website to learn more about the black footed cat and see Dr Sliwa’s photographs.

This little painting is SOLD!!! A donation has been made to the research and conservation of these little cats.