dune cat

The dune cat or sand cat of Kazakhstan, among its wild relatives, is perhaps the smallest, its body length is 65-90 cm, with 40% occupied by the tail, the height at the withers is only 24-30 cm; The weight of adult males is from 2 to 4 kg. The females are smaller. The head perhaps stands out on the whole body; the head is large and wide, flattened, with sideburns. The ears are very large and wide, without tufts. The eyes are yellow. The legs are short and strong. The feet are covered with hard fur, which protects the soles of the paws from burns from hot sand. The fur is thick and soft, color varies from sandy to light gray. There are darker, gray-brown stripes on the back and tail. The pattern on the head and legs is darker and more pronounced. The tip of the tail is blackish or black. The chest and chin are lighter in tone. The dune cat lives mainly in the Kyzylkum desert and is found in the sandy dunes of the Caspian lowland. She is a good hunter, her prey is mainly mouse-like rodents and small birds, and less often eats reptiles and insects.

What is interesting is that the cat can be called a snake catcher, since it actively and successfully hunts snakes, especially horned sand vipers. With quick blows to the head, she stuns the snake, and then kills it with a bite to the neck. The cat is also distinguished by its practicality, so it often buries large prey in the sand in order to return to it for feeding later. The sand cat can go without water for a long time. It hunts mainly at night, but in the cold season it also hunts during the day. In May you can see litters of kittens, their number sometimes reaches up to 8, which by the end of the year already reach the weight of adults. During the breeding season, cats bark loudly in an attempt to attract females in heat. The cat behaves very interestingly when it moves in search of food, it moves low, as if creeping, in dashes, and can reach speeds of up to 40 km/h over a short distance. A cat's hearing is well developed and helps it hear both prey and enemies. Her enemies include snakes, birds of prey, jackals and wild dogs.

In captivity, cats very quickly get used to people; of course, we are talking about kittens. But their behavior is different from domestic cats and requires more attention. You need to hand feed the kitten so that it gets used to you and considers you an integral part of its life and the kitten must know that your presence is safe for it. Under no circumstances should you shout or hit the cat. Cats are very smart and easily understand what is wanted from them if you show them love and patience. For example, it would be enough as a punishment to lock the cat alone in the room. A sand cat, like any kitten, needs to be toilet trained from childhood. You should not play with your cat with your hand or foot; use special toys for this; do not forget that you still have a wild kitten in the house. As a rule, the porridge responds with affection and love for caring for the cat. It is important that the whole family takes part in raising the kitten, since the cat will consider you as its pack. The average lifespan of a cat in captivity reaches 13 years.