The Hogle Zoo in Utah has welcomed an adorable new resident whose sweet exterior and big eyes are deceitful relative to her ferocious nature.
Gaia, a tiny, black-footed African cat, arrived in Utah from Glen Rose, Texas last October after being born eight months ago in May.
The zoo, which posts pics of the baby cat regularly to much fan fare, says she weighs about 2.64 pounds.
Before being introduced to the public several weeks ago, she underwent a quarantine period and full health check.
She is now being described by Bob Cisneros, the Associate Director of Animal Care as a ‘pretty feisty cat,’ and a ‘mighty warrior.’
Gaia, a tiny, black-footed African cat, arrived in Utah from Glen Rose, Texas last October after being born eight months ago in May
![The young feline is currently being kept on a strict diet of ground bone, skeletal muscle and organs, and 'the occasional mouse that’s already been humanely euthanized through the zoo’s distributors'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/01/04/80712095-13031431-image-m-26_1706762792620.jpg)
The young feline is currently being kept on a strict diet of ground bone, skeletal muscle and organs, and ‘the occasional mouse that’s already been humanely euthanized through the zoo’s distributors’
Cisneros added that Gaia has been settling in to her new environment at night when nobody else is around to observe her.
‘When we all come in (in the morning), she’s hunkered down in her little cave,’ he said.
The young feline is currently being kept on a strict diet of ground bone, skeletal muscle and organs, and ‘the occasional mouse that’s already been humanely euthanized through the zoo’s distributors.’
Black foot cats like Gaia are considered to be some of the deadliest cats in the world.
They have a 60 percent success rate when hunting, as compared to an approximately 20 percent success rate among larger cats.
According to the Hogle Zoo, black-foot cats can eat around 3,000 rodents per year in their natural habitats.
‘These guys are voracious hunters. They have a reputation for being a very fierce cat,’ said Cisneros.
Despite their miniature stature, black-foots can spring up to five feet in the air and six-and-a-half feet in distance.
![The very cute eight-month-old cat is making herself at home at the Hogle Zoo in Utah after arriving in October](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/01/04/80712107-13031431-image-a-31_1706763465398.jpg)
The very cute eight-month-old cat is making herself at home at the Hogle Zoo in Utah after arriving in October
![Gaia snacking on a bone, which is part of the strict and specific diet she is currently being kept on](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/01/04/80712123-13031431-image-m-41_1706763573551.jpg)
Gaia snacking on a bone, which is part of the strict and specific diet she is currently being kept on
![The zoo, which posts pics of the baby cat regularly to much fan fare, says she weighs about 2.64 pounds](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/01/04/80712109-13031431-image-m-37_1706763523596.jpg)
![Gaia is one of four black-footed kittens to come out of her litter at the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Texas.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/01/04/80712099-13031431-image-m-39_1706763535534.jpg)
Despite Gaia’s extremely unassuming appearance, black foot cats are considered to be some of the deadliest cats in the world
Black-footed cats are native to Africa and are found mostly in the arid eastern parts of Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa. They are the smallest species of wild cat found on the continent.
In the Afrikaans language, they are called ‘ant-hill tigers.’
Gaia is one of four black-footed kittens to come out of her litter at the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Texas.