Introducing Arya

Introducing Arya

The Black-Footed Cat That Everyone Loves To Love

Social media star, Arya the black-footed cat, is now four months old and continues to thrive after surgery in April, thanks to the life-saving care provided by The Living Desert's expert animal care and veterinary teams. For those new to her story, at two-weeks old she suffered a lifethreatening injury and was quickly brought under the expert care of the veterinary team who worked tirelessly and passionately to help her heal.

Today, Arya is learning to be more independent, as is natural for her age, and has moved into a behind-the-scenes habitat. She continues to meet all of her developmental milestones and is learning socialization skills alongside other animals, including fellow black-footed cats. We are excited to share that she now weighs one kilogram; a small weight but a big success, as adult black-footed cats weigh between 1-2.5 kilograms.

Though small and undeniably adorable, black-footed cats are fierce and adept hunters, with a predation success rate of 60%! Black-footed cats are a vulnerable species, as categorized by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and Arya's birth was the result of a Species Survival Plan (SSP ® ) recommendation to ensure genetic diversity and sustainability in the human care population of black-footed cats.

Continue to check in on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to see updates on this fierce, little warrior.