The Black-Footed Cat Project

What is known today about the home range, behaviour and food spectrum of the black-footed cat has been found during a field study in South Africa. The study area is situated close to the famous diamond city of Kimberley, in the Northern Cape Province

Benfontein Game Farm, owned by DeBeers Consolidated Mines, is located about 10 km southeast of Kimberley. The farm covers 11,400 ha and the study site includes more than 7,000 ha of the farm. From 1891 - 1970 Benfontein was used as both a sheep and game farm. Since then it has primarily been a game farm, with a few thousand hectares in the southern part still used for cattle ranching.

There are approximately 3,500 hoofed game animals on the farm. No large carnivores survive on the farm, but a number of smaller species still occur - black-backed jackal and caracal represent the black-footed cat’s mammalian predators. Other carnivores include African wildcat, bat-eared fox, cape fox, striped polecat, small spotted genet, yellow mongoose, water mongoose and meerkat.

Dr. Sliwa captured his first black-footed cat in December 1992. He got closer and closer to the cats each night, eventually observing them from 15-30 metres away. After several weeks of habituating individual cats to the sound of the truck and the shine of the low powered spotlight (always held behind them) he could follow them for most of their nocturnal activity periods. He has returned to the study area in subsequent years to track and study the cats, utilizing three capture methods:

Method 1: Spot lamp searching. A 4x4 vehicle drove along dirt roads at a speed of 20 km/hr while looking for the bright eye shine of cats. Usually two people stand on the open back of the vehicle, operating two spot lamps.

Method 2: Once black-footed cats have been located by using their eye-shine with spot lamps, their species identification was confirmed with binoculars. If positively identified, they were pursued by the vehicle for a short distance between 100-600 m, which resulted in the cat squatting low to the ground in front of the stopped vehicle. One or two people with fish landing nets got off the vehicle and netted the cats. On other occasions, the cats would find a den system (dug by aardvark, ground squirrel, springhare) and were either captured by exposing them after digging or lost to the capture team by escaping deep into the den system.

Method 3: Live trapping, using traps of two basic designs. One had a fixed frame covered with galvanized mesh, the trap door consisting of a solid metal plate triggered by a baited hook. The second type was a foldable trap constructed using thin galvanized wire, triggered by the animal pulling on the baited hook. Bait was either small dead birds or small pieces of larger birds, which were freshly defrosted before being affixed onto the triggering mechanism of the traps. For lure, shredded pilchards, sardines in oil, cod liver oil and urine from oestral domestic cats was used. These were smeared on the outside structure of the trap, or sprinkled inside. Each trap was serviced twice a day. In the evening traps were set and baited during the last 3 hours of daylight. Bait that was not taken was replaced every second day, due to desiccation. All traps were checked during the first two hours after sunrise and those not yet triggered, closed for the daylight hours.

Captured cats are anesthetised with an intramuscular injection and covered with a blanket to shield them from lights and sounds. Upon immobilization all cats are measured, weighed, examined for general body condition, parasites, and when possible 2.0 ml of blood is drawn. After fitting a small radio collar (45 g), the cats are then placed in a small plastic crate for recovery.

All captured cats are released back into a den close to their capture location. A blanket is used to cover the den entrance, keeping them inside until they are fit to leave on their own account. After an initial habituation phase of two weeks, each individual is followed in a 4x4 vehicle at a distance of about 10-30 m for the whole night to obtain behavioural information.

ISEC Canada has been a proud supporter of research on the tiny black-footed cat since the project started. Biologists are learning more about these endangered little cats with each trip, and you can help. Donations over $50 will receive reports from the biologists with details on the study and wild lives of these feisty felines.

See the Photo Gallery: Black-footed Cats

Black-footed Cat Working Group website