The sand cat lives up to its name. Living in deserts and arid parts of the world, the sand cat has adapted remarkably well to its surroundings. It has a thick medium-long coat which serves as insulation from the surprisingly cold desert nights. It also has pads on its feet to protect them from the hot desert sand. Its diet of small rodents, insects, reptiles, and birds makes its ability to hear movement above and below ground very useful. Because of the extreme heat on a normal desert day, sand cats are nocturnal. They pass the day time hours under rough scrub vegetation in a burrow dug in the sand or in a hollow between rocks. Since water is not common in the desert, the sand cat receives its fluids from its prey. Its numbers are not known since its habitat is so remote.

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