Research overview: black-footed cat use of burrows and termite mounds

The black-footed cat depends heavily on existing burrows and hollow termite mounds for shelter and breeding, and this overview compiles observations of that reliance. The species uses abandoned springhare, aardvark, and ground-squirrel burrows, as well as termitaria, to escape daytime heat, cold nights, and predators, and females raise kittens in them. This dependence ties the cat to landscapes where such structures are plentiful and where fossorial mammals remain. The repeated use of refuge sites also makes burrows useful focal points for study and monitoring. Recognizing the importance of these shelters underscores how the loss of burrowing prey and ecosystem-engineer species, or the conversion of natural veld, could indirectly undermine black-footed cat habitat.