Meet the Peter Pan cats who’ll forever look like kittens no matter how old they get

Hattie Gladwell for Metro.co.uk 

Thursday 30 Jun 2016

(Picture: Alamy)

Attention, kitten lovers: There are real cats that will forever look like kittens no matter how much they age. 
The only downfall? Unless you fancy moving to the desert, you’ll never meet one.
Sand Cats look a lot like the average feline, except they’re a lot cuter, smaller and never lose their kitten-like features.

(Picture: Alamy)

Native to desert areas in North Africa, the cats have soft, dense fur which comes is pale sandy brown to light grey in colour.

(Picture: Alamy)

They have long, dense hairs covering their feet to stop their paws burning from the hot sands and a thick coat which insulates them from the intense heat of the desert.

(Picture: Alamy)

And though they look innocent, they’re much feistier than your average cat – and have a reputation for being snake hunters, vipers in particular, which they stun with blows to the head before biting their necks to kill them.

(Picture: Alamy)

They can, however, relate to the typical house cat when it comes to sleep. As a nocturnal animal, they spend their days hidden beneath shrubs to sleep and avoid the heat, before taking up their lookout position at night, ready to hunt.

The sand cat, aka Felix margarita (Picture: Alamy)

Much like domestic cats, they growl, spit, hiss and purr – and are hot on grooming.

(Picture: Getty)

But, while absolutely adorable, full of character and being able to carry their own, they are sadly a rare breed. They are collected for the illegal pet trade in the Middle East and are trapped and caught to be shot for ‘sport’ – making them a seriously threatened species.

(Picture: Alamy)

You can help save these beautiful little things by signing up to volunteer with non-domestic cat rescue organisations.

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