
The black-footed cat has a tawny fur that is entirely covered with black spots. Its head is darker than the rest of the body, but paler above the eyes. Its whiskers are white, and its ears bear grizzled dark brown hairs. On the neck and back, some spots are elongated into stripes. On the shoulders, the spots form transverse stripes. The fore legs and the hind legs bear irregular stripes. Its tail is confusedly spotted. The underparts of the feet are black.[2] The throat rings form black semi-circles that vary in colour from dusky blackish brown to pale rufous and are narrowly edged with rufous. Some individuals have a pure white belly with a tawny tinge where it blends into the tawny colour of the flanks.[10] The ears, eyes and mouth are lined with pale off-white.[11] Two black streaks run from the corners of the eyes across the cheeks. Individuals vary in background colour from sandy and pale ochre to dark ochre.[12] In the northern part of its range, it is lighter than in the southern part, where its spots and bands are more clearly defined. The three rings on the throat are reddish brown to black, with the third ring broken in some individuals.[4][13] The black bands are broad on the upper legs and become narrower towards the paws. The 25 to 30 mm (0.98 to 1.18 in) long guard hairs are gray at the base and have either white or dark tips. The underfur is dense with short and wavy hair.[13] The fur becomes thicker and longer during winter.[11] The pupils of the eyes contract to a vertical slit, like in all Felis species.[4] They are light green to dark yellow.[11]
The black-footed cat is the smallest cat species in Africa.[12][13][14][15] Females measure 33.7–36.8 cm (13.3–14.5 in) in head and body length with a 15.7 to 17 cm (6.2 to 6.7 in) long tail. Males are between 42.5 and 50 cm (16.7 and 19.7 in) with a 15–20 cm (5.9–7.9 in) long tail. Its tapering tail is about half the length of the head and body.[12] Its skull is short and round with a basal length of 77–87 mm (3.0–3.4 in) and a width of 38–40 mm (1.5–1.6 in). The ear canal and the openings of the ears are larger than in most Felis species. The cheek teeth are 22–23 mm (0.87–0.91 in) long and the upper carnassials 10 mm (0.39 in) long.[4] It has small pointed ears ranging from 45 to 50 mm (1.8 to 2.0 in) in females and 46 to 57 mm (1.8 to 2.2 in) in males. The hindfoot of females measures maximum 95 mm (3.7 in) and of males maximum 105 mm (4.1 in).[10][13] Its shoulder height is less than 25 cm (9.8 in).[16] Females weigh between 1.1 to 1.65 kg (2.4 to 3.6 lb) and males 1.6 and 2.45 kg (3.5 and 5.4 lb).[17][11]
The African wildcat (Felis lybica) is almost thrice as large as the black-footed cat, has longer legs, a longer tail and a mostly plain grey fur with less distinct markings. The serval (Leptailurus serval) resembles the black-footed cat in coat colour and pattern, but has proportionately larger ears, longer legs and a longer tail.