Wildcat (Felis sylvestris)

Wildcats are a more robust, ‘wilder’ version of the domestic cat Felis catus, and have similar behaviours and food habits. This is not surprising since it is thought that the African wildcat is the ancestor of the domestic cat. Wildcats are distributed widely over a variety of habitats, and many authors have separated them into three different ‘groups’ or lineages:

F.s. silvestris group (forest cats) of Europe, the Caucasus and Asia Minor

F.s. ornata group (steppe cats) of South and Central Asia (right) 

F.s. lybica group (tawney cats) of Africa and the Middle East

Wildcats show a wide variety of ground colours, depending on habitat. Colours can vary from a darker greyish brown and greyish yellow in forested habitat, through to a pale sandy brown or greyish colour in semi desert and steppe country. The Asian subspecies differ from the European by being distinctly marked with small black or red-brown spots, sometimes fusing into stripes. The African form has a lighter build, less distinct markings and thin, tapering tails. The fur is thick with a woolly underfur in more northerly areas, but is shorter and sleeker in warmer habitats.

There are often a number of dark stripes on the forehead and neck that merge into a spinal band from which a number of transverse bars run down to the belly. The chin and throat are usually white and the underparts are a creamy white. The head is somewhat broader than the domestic cat, with two parallel black streaks on each cheek, irises of greenish yellow, and ears that are rather small and pointed, sometimes with faint black tufts of hair. The backs of the ears are brownish grey but do not have a central pale spot. The legs have transverse striping and the soles of the feet are usually black. Their tail is bushy and blunt ended, with black rings and a black tip. Black wildcats (known as Kellas cats) are becoming common in Scotland, and are thought to be the result of hybridization between wildcats and feral domestic cats.

Wildcats are mainly nocturnal and terrestrial, although they are also accomplished climbers. In Europe, they are predominantly forest cats, although in Scotland they can be found in more open habitats such as rocky outcrops and heath lands. Wildcats in Germany prefer coniferous forests whereas those of the Caucasus prefer deciduous woodlands. African wildcats can be found in woodlands, wooded grasslands and savannah, while Indian desert cats are adapted to the semi deserts and steppes of the Middle East as far east as northern India.

Much like the domestic cat, wildcats usually stalk their prey, attempting to approach within a few bounds before pouncing. Their diet consists of a variety of rodents such as mice, rats, voles, and gerbils, as well as rabbits, young wild boar, birds, reptiles, frogs, fish, insects and domestic poultry. 

Mating occurs in Europe and central Asia from January through March. Births have occurred at the Berne Zoo from March through August. The female is polyestrous, with the receptive period lasting two to eight days. The mating ritual is much the same as the domestic cat, with males competing for females, and both sexes announcing their desires by loud ‘caterwauling’. Females establish their den among rocks, in old fox dens, under stumps, or in thick vegetation. Litters contain one to eight, usually four, kittens, and the gestation period lasts an average of 66 days in Europe (58- 68) and up to a week less in Africa. In productive habitat, two litters per year are possible. Kittens weigh 80 - 130 grams at birth; their eyes open after 10 - 11 days; they first walk at 16 - 20 days; and they nurse for six to 12 weeks. They emerge from the den at four to five weeks and begin to hunt with the female at 12 weeks. At the age of five months they are out on their own, and attain sexual maturity at nine to ten months for the females, and 22 months for the males. Individuals have lived up to 15 years in captivity.

Domestication of the African wildcat by the ancient Egyptians is thought to have taken place around 4,000 - 8,000 years ago. African villagers still adopt wildcat kittens as pets, and keep them around the house to control rodent populations. Nearly extinct in the wild, Arabian desert cats are one of the most endangered subspecies of the wildcat. In 1986, a breeding program was initiated in Abu Dhabi, with a captive male and a wild caught female. Owners of this colony became concerned that the entire subspecies could be wiped out by a catastrophe and sought to establish breeding programs in other areas, sending cats to Germany and California.

The main threat to all wildcats is the dilution of the species gene pool through continued interbreeding with feral domestic cats. This constant interaction over the centuries has probably obscured the true relationships between the various wildcat subspecies forever. Other threats include persecution by farmers for their poultry raiding habits, habitat and population fragmentation, death by automobile and vulnerability to diseases transmitted by feral cats. The African group is not protected over most of its range, whereas the European group is fully protected over most of its range. The Asian group is fully protected in the east of its range, but hunted commercially or not protected over the rest. In the past, this group had been hunted extensively for the fur trade, but international trade in their pelts has decreased drastically. CITES has placed all wildcats on Appendix II.