Two black-footed cat kittens were born at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center on April 15, 2026, to a first-time mother who was born there herself.
Adana delivered two females. The Texas center describes them as healthy and feisty, and their arrival brings its black-footed cat population to nine. With very few of the species left in American zoos, two more matters more than the number suggests.
Twelve years of building a population
Fossil Rim has worked on black-footed cats since 2014, when then-executive director Dr. Patrick Condy decided to bring the species in. Since then the center has recorded 20 surviving kittens and become a leading breeding facility for the species in North America.
It is also home to the three oldest black-footed cats in human care anywhere. Among them is Naia, who at 19 is the oldest on record.
The center is a long-standing member of the Black-Footed Cat Consortium and credits the run to veterinary support, nutrition and enrichment applied consistently over years rather than to any single intervention.
Visitors can look for Naia at Animal Discoveries, an interactive stop along the center’s scenic drive.
