Wildlife
One of the ancestors of our pet cats, wildcats are thought to be the most abundant cat species across their range, which stretches from Western Europe to India. They are very rare in the UK however, with fewer than 400 remaining in the Scottish Highlands. Human encroachment on their habitat and interbreeding with domestic cats has reduced numbers and replaced the pure genetic line. Thousands of wildcats were killed as pests by farmers and gamekeepers in the 1800s and 1900s. Wildcats feed mainly on rodents, but also hunt other larger mammals, birds, lizards, frogs and fish. They sometimes scavenge and cache prey, returning to it later.
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Sylvan sanctuary
Man-made conifer forests are vital sanctuaries for red squirrels, goshawks and others.
Man-made conifer forests are vital sanctuaries for red squirrels, goshawks and others.
Little big cat
The Scottish wildcat gives a masterclass in daytime hunting.
The Scottish wildcat gives a masterclass in daytime hunting.
Wildcat kittens
There's only one thing more rare than a Scottish wildcat - Scottish wildcat kittens.
There's only one thing more rare than a Scottish wildcat - Scottish wildcat kittens.
Wealth of wildcats
Remote cameras and field experts help Liz Bonnin succeed in her wildcat challenge.
Remote cameras and field experts help Liz Bonnin succeed in her wildcat challenge.
Wildcat challenge
Liz Bonnin visits the Cairngorms to learn how to identify the elusive wildcat.
Liz Bonnin visits the Cairngorms to learn how to identify the elusive wildcat.
Species range provided by WWF's Wildfinder.
The Wildcat can be found in a number of locations including: Africa, Asia, China, Europe, Indian subcontinent, Mediterranean, Russia, United Kingdom. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The following habitats are found across the Wildcat distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Least Concern
Population trend: Decreasing
Year assessed: 2008
Classified by: IUCN 3.1
The wildcat (Felis silvestris) is a small cat found throughout most of Africa, Europe, and southwest and central Asia into India, China, and Mongolia. Because of its wide range, it is classed by the IUCN as Least Concern. However, crossbreeding with housecats is extensive and has occurred throughout almost the entirety of the species' range.
The wildcat shows a high degree of geographic variation. Asiatic subspecies have spotted, isabelline coats, African subspecies have sandy-grey fur with banded legs and red-backed ears, and European wildcats resemble heavily built striped tabbies with bushy tails, white chins and throats. All subspecies are generally larger than house cats, with longer legs and more robust bodies. The actual number of subspecies is still debated, with some organisations recognising 22, while others recognise only four, including the Chinese mountain cat, which was previously considered a species in its own right.
Genetic, morphological and archaeological evidence suggests that the housecat was domesticated from the African wildcat, probably 9,000-10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent region of the Near East, coincident with the rise of agriculture and the need to protect harvests from grain-eating rodents. This domestication probably occurred when grain was yielded from the Agricultural Revolution onwards, which was stored in granaries that attracted rodents, which in turn attracted cats.
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Coastal
Desert
Mountain grassland
Moorland
Broadleaf forest
Coniferous forest
Temperate grassland
Tropical grassland
Helpless young
Ambush predator
Camouflage
Carnivorous
Tactile sense
Acoustic communication
Food storage
Maternal care
Nocturnal
Polygynous
Adapted to running
Chemical communication
Territorial
Viviparous
Adapted to climbing