Inhabitant of the desert, has a thick, wooly coat that keeps it warm through the cold nights when it is most active. The soles of it's feet are covered with dense, long hairs; these protect the pads on the ground as it travels over the hot sands. Although it rarely moves much in the day and also helps spread it's weight on on the soft, shifting sand to make movement much easier. It also has short legs, enabling it to crouch low to the ground as it ambushes prey.
Truly blends in with it's environment, it's pale coat matching the desert sand. It is found in the desert zones from Morocco and northern Niger to Russian Turkestan and Pakistan. Sand dunes are a favorite feature ot it's habitat, but it also prowls among flat, stoney plains.

As a desert species, the sand cat is truly nocturnal. During the day, when temperatures may be well over 105° F it is still and listless, in a state of semitorpor in which it seems almost oblivious to anything happening around it.