How Long Does a Sand Cat Stay With Its Parents?

Felis margarita, or sand cats, are wild cats that live in desert areas of Northern Africa and Asia. There are six subspecies with variations on appearance and behavior based on the region which they are from. But there are several characteristics all of the subspecies share, most pertaining to their ability to hide their presence from predators and other animals. These include the ability to walk on top of sand without leaving footprints, an instinct to shut their eyes and crouch low when light is aimed at them so as to not reflect the light back as most cats do, and fur coloring that allows them to blend into their surroundings.

  1. Breeding

    • Sand cats will breed up to two times per year, producing litters of kittens in the spring during March and April as well as again in the fall during October. Depending on the subspecies, they can have up to eight kittens per litter, though the average number is between two and four kittens. The gestation period lasts from 59 to 63 days.

    Newborns

    • When they are first born, sand cat kittens are blind and helpless and must be taken care of by their mothers. They are small, weighing around 1.5 to 2 ounces, and live on a diet of their mother's milk. By the end of their first two weeks of life their eyes will open so that they can see. By the end of the third week they can start to walk, and at the end of the fifth week they can begin to eat solid food.

    Maturity

    • Sand cat kittens mature quickly and are able to survive independently from their mothers by six to eight months of age, though some subspecies mature even more quickly and are able to survive on their own by three to four months old. It can be almost a year, however, before they reach sexual maturity and can begin reproducing. The lifespan of a sand cat is around 13 years on average.

    Regional Effects

    • The main difference between sand cat subspecies and their reproductive cycles are based on the environment they come from. Those living in the Sahara desert breed early in the year, usually beginning in January and ending in April, while those living in Turkmenistan do not even begin the breeding season until April. Sand cats living in areas of Pakistan adhere to an autumn breeding season, that runs from September through October.