Scientists Documented Sand Cat Kittens in the Wild for the First Time … and They Are Really Adorable (VIDEO)

Hold on to your seats because this video of wild sand cat kitties is too cute to handle!

In the early morning hours of 2 a.m. in the Moroccan Sahara, Panthera France Director Gregory Breton – who also serves on the Sand Cat Sahara Team – was keeping his SUV driver awake while a colleague squatted on the roof, shining lamps into the bushes. The team was close to giving up on their expedition … but then something (really adorable) happened! They saw three gleaming pairs of eyes peering back up at them.

The three little pairs of eyes belonged to young sand cats, yellowish in color with broader faces and larger ears than a domestic cat. Seeing the kittens was a breakthrough and quite possibly the first time researchers have ever documented wild sand cats in their natural African range. Spotting a sand cat is difficult: they don’t leave behind any of their remains of their prey, their vocalizations are quiet, they move stealthily at dusk, night and dawn, and are adept at hiding. But luckily, the Sand Cat Sahara team was able to get video footage of these precious babies!

What’s more, when the team was leaving the area, they spotted an adult sand cat, quite possibly the kittens’ mother. Panthera hopes to collect footage of her and follow her for a period of time collecting data. The first time this has ever been documented!

Know of any cat lovers? Be sure to send them this video of these baby sand cats!