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The Scottish Wildcat -Felis silvestris grampia
The Scottish wildcat is a beautiful feline and is the only Native cat in Britain. Its numbers have sharply declined recently due to interbreeding with the domestic cat. The wildcat looks very similar to the domestic cat, but is larger and fiercer.
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“Sadly, our wildcat is critically endangered with only 400 individuals remaining in the wild and barely a handful in the captive breeding population.” The Scottish Wildcat Association.
If you want to help save the Scottish Wildcat, please visit the link below. Thank you.
Scottish Wildcat Fun Fact - The wildcat is the quickest Scottish animal to fend for itself after birth.
The difference between the wildcat and the interbred hybrid cat is that the rings on the true wildcat are very marked and distinct, the rings on the hybrid cat merge.
The wildcat’s tail is thick and ends bluntly, the hybrid cat’s tail tapers at the end, like the domestic cat’s. Though coat and colour changes are making it more difficult to depend on these criteria.
The wildcat is a crepuscular predator - it is active during the hours of dawn and dusk. It feeds mainly on rodents but may hunt mammals up to the size of hares and fawns when offered the opportunity. They have been known to eat fish, lizards, frogs and birds. As with most wild cats, they will hide their prey and return later to feed at leisure.
The wildcat is a solitary creature and protects its own territory. The male’s territory will overlap with female cats, but the female cat rarely overlaps her territory with other females. Though the wildcat cannot roar, it uses a variety of sounds to communicate. They include growling, mewing, purring and hissing.
The wildcat mates in February and March. After a gestation period of sixty-three to sixty-eight days, the female gives birth to around two to six kittens. The kittens stay with their mother until they are six months old. They may stay with their siblings for a longer period of time.
The wildcat may live up to twelve years. Its numbers have been drastically cut by human encroachment on habitat, being persecuted in the 1800’s and 1900’s as it was regarded as vermin, and through interbreeding with domestic and feral cats. Captive breeding programs, and domestic cat neutering programs are viewed as a potential way to help save the species.
