# Black-footed cat (*Felis nigripes*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-footed-cat  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The black-footed cat (Felis nigripes), also called the anthill tiger or small-spotted cat, is a mammal of the family Felidae in the order Carnivora. It is a medium-sized terrestrial carnivore by our size classification, with a representative adult body mass of 1.3 kg and values up to 2.1 kg, and a cathemeral activity pattern. Gestation lasts from 63 to 67 days, litters hold from 1 to 2 young, and sexual maturity is reached at 1.2 years. The IUCN Red List classifies the black-footed cat as Vulnerable, a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 1.3 kg – 2.13 kg |
| Length | 35 cm – 52 cm |
| Lifespan | 13.8 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 15.6 years |
| Main food | vertebrates |
| Habitat | grassland |
| Gestation | 63 days – 67 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 – 2 |
| Age at maturity | 14.3 months – 14.6 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 4 |
| Reproduction | Live birth |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Felidae
- genus: Felis
- species: *Felis nigripes* Burchell, 1824

Synonyms: *Felis nigripes nigripes*, *Felis nigripes thomasi*

## Common questions

### How heavy is a black-footed cat?

The black-footed cat has a representative adult body mass of 1.3 kg, with values up to 2.1 kg reported by our sources.

### What does the black-footed cat eat?

The black-footed cat is a carnivore.

### Is the black-footed cat endangered?

The black-footed cat is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.

### How long does a black-footed cat live?

The black-footed cat has a lifespan of 13.8 years, with values up to 15.6 years reported by our sources.

### How many young does a black-footed cat have?

A black-footed cat litter holds from 1 to 2 young, after a gestation period of 63 to 67 days.

### What kind of animal is the black-footed cat?

The black-footed cat is a mammal of the family Felidae, subfamily Felinae, in the order Carnivora.

### Who named the black-footed cat?

The black-footed cat, Felis nigripes, was named by Burchell, 1824.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Black-footed cat (Felis nigripes). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-footed-cat