CSG Species Accounts: Sand cat (Felis margarita)

Biology
Reproductive season: In the wild, births have been reported from Jan-Apr in the Sahara (Dragesco-Joffé 1993), in Apr in Turkmenistan (Ognev 1935, Heptner and Sludskii 1972) and Sept-Oct in Pakistan (Roberts 1977), but are not seasonal in captivity (Mellen 1989, Sausman 1991)
Estrus (C): 5.25±0.75 days (n=2).
Estrus cycle (C): 46 days (n=1) (Mellen 1989).
Gestation (C): 59-63 days (n=2: Scheffel and Hemmer 1974); 66-67 days (n=2: Mellen 1989)
Litter size (C): 2.92+0.21 (n=25: Mellen 1989); range up to five (P. Quillen in litt. 1993) and possibly eight (Hemmer 1977)
Age at independence (W): Young sand cats grow rapidly (Heptner and Sludskii 1972), and are thought to become independent relatively early, perhaps at 6-8 months (Sausman 1991, H. Mendelssohn in litt.1993)
Age at sexual maturity (C): 9 (P. Quillen in litt. 1993) to 14 months (Mellen 1989, Green 1991)
Longevity (C): up to 13 years, but there is a high frequency of juvenile mortality in captivity (41% of 32 sand cats born in 1991: Sausman 1991)