Wildcat

Scientific name: Felis silvestris

“The thought of never having the chance to film or photograph the iconic wildcat in the Scottish Highlands is a deeply saddening thought. We must value this incredible species and do everything we can to ensure its survival.”
- Gordon Buchanan

This unique sub-population of the European wildcat is often called the Scottish wildcat but used to range across the whole of the British mainland. Hybridisation, habitat loss and historic persecution has pushed them to the brink of extinction, with as few as 115 individuals now remaining in the wild.

Taxonomy chart

Animalia – Chordata – Mammalia – Carnivora – Felidae – Felis – F. silvestris

Conservation status: UK Red List

GB: Critically Endangered

England: N/A

Scotland: Critically Endangered

Wales :N/A

Global: Least Concern

Summary

Diet: Carnivorous. Primarily rabbits, but also mice and voles.

Habitat: Mixed woodlands. Can also be found in pasture, scrub and moorland.

Size: Weight: 5kg males, 4kg females. Size: 59cm males and 54cm females, with a 26-33cm tail.

Lifecycle: Wildcats live 10-12 years. Mating takes place from February, litters born May-August. Weaning occurs at 12 weeks, and kittens become independent at 5 months.

Conservation Concerns: Originally endangered by loss of habitat and persecution, today the biggest threat facing wildcats is introgressive hybridisation with domestic cats. As close relatives, the two species are able to breed and produce hybrid offspring and endangering the genetic integrity of the species.

Terminology

Sexual dimorphism: A distinct difference in the appearance of males and females of the same species, most commonly in terms of size or colour.

Riparian: Wetland habitat, next to rivers and streams.

Geography

Determining the true range of the wildcat is difficult due to their elusive nature and the difficulties posed by identifying hybrids, but their distribution is very limited. Patchy populations can be found north of Edinburgh and Glasgow, but the 2023 Scottish Wildcat Action summary report suggests there may be no or very few wildcats north of Lairg.

Wildcats in Scotland need a mixture of habitats to survive, including more sheltered environments like scrub and woodland, along with the grassland and riparian areas which support large populations of their prey. They avoid high altitudes, lowland regions that have undergone intensive farming, and built-up or heavily urbanised areas.

Biology

Wildcats are sexually dimorphic: males are larger and longer, weighing up to 5kg and measuring approximately 59cm excluding the tail, whereas females weigh approximately 4kg with a length of around 54cm. The tail can measure from 26-33cm long.

Compared to a domestic cat, the wildcat has longer legs, a stockier build and a larger head. The tail is black-tipped and bushy with black rings, and the body will have thick, dark, grey and brown stripes running down it.

Wildcat kittens can weigh as little as 100g at birth, with an upper limit of about 160g. Their mother will only have one litter of 2-6 young per year, and cares for them past the point of weaning. The kittens are weaned at 12 weeks but will stay with their mother up to about 5 months old, learning crucial survival skills like hunting. Once independent, they leave to establish their own territories, and from this point on remain largely solitary. The exception to this is in January, where having reached sexual maturity – at around 9 months for males, and 1 year for females – the males will seek out a female to breed with.

Ecology

The wildcat is a carnivore, and its primary prey is thought to be rabbits and hares. In areas where rabbit populations are low, small rodents like mice and voles become their main food source. However, they are not specialists. Less commonly, wildcats will eat birds – even quite large ones – insects, reptiles, and amphibians, and even some small amounts of grass and bracken. In Europe, some wildcats have also been observed scavenging.

While they are mostly crepuscular, wildcats will sometimes hunt during the day. Mostly, though, wildcats will spend daylight hours in their dens, which may be tucked away amongst boulders, cairns, peat hags or tree roots, or in old fox earths or badger setts. As a highly solitary species outside of the breeding season, wildcats establish and stay within a home range, with the males usually holding a bigger territory than the females. In areas with plentiful food there may be as many as one cat per 3km2, but where conditions are less favourable, there may only be one cat per 10km2.

Conservation

The European wildcat is widely distributed throughout continental Europe, and the IUCN lists its global population as Least Concern. While they used to be found throughout mainland Britain, significant population declines have restricted them to a fragmented range north of Edinburgh and Glasgow. In both the UK and Scotland, they are listed as Critically Endangered, and there are no longer any wildcats outside of captivity in England or Wales. Areas in England and Wales with potential for reintroductions have been identified, and the South West Wildcat Project is currently assessing the feasibility of a wildcat reintroduction in Devon.

As a European Protected Species, the wildcat receives full protection under the Habitats Directive 1994, and it is an offense to kill or disturb them. The prevalence of hybrids can pose challenges with regards to identification, particularly for landowners managing feral cats using lethal control, and NatureScot offers guidance for this. NatureScot also issues licenses for development where this might impact wildcats, and necessary research or surveys that may cause disturbance.

Historically, a combination of habitat loss and persecution have been the biggest threats faced by wildcats. While these are the likely causes of their initial decline, today wildcats are most significantly threatened by hybridisation with domestic cats. Habitat loss remains a factor, and urban environments around wildcat populations may act as a barrier that restricts their dispersal. Road collisions, diseases and secondary rodenticide poisoning may also impact wildcat survival.

History

Wildcats have lived in the UK for 7000-9000 years, crossing over from mainland Europe shortly after the last Ice Age and quickly becoming widespread throughout the British mainland. It wasn’t until the 19th century that changes in land use, intensive predator control and hunting for fur saw the wildcat gradually disappear from its former range. At the start of the 1800s, no wildcats remained in the south of England, and by the 1850s, it was almost extinct in Wales. 30 years later, only the Scottish wildcat remained. By 1915, the wildcat had been restricted even further to the north-west of the country.

Despite this, wildcats are closely interwoven with Scottish folklore and history, particularly in the Highlands. Clan MacPherson is one of many clans to feature the wildcat in both their crest and their motto: in Gaelic, Na bean don chat gun lamhainn – Be wary of the ungloved cat. “The ungloved cat” refers to both a wildcat with its claws out and the fierceness of the MacPhersons, and the phrase serves as a warning to other clans.

The modern county of Caithness is also named after the wildcat, and used to be known as Caitaibh, or ‘Land of the Cats’. The Celtic legends of the Cat Sith tell stories of a cat-like creature, thought to be either a witch or a fairy, which could steal souls and must be appeased with a saucer of milk. The Cat Sith is thought to have inspired modern superstitions, such as cats having nine lives and black cats being associated with bad luck, and was very likely inspired by either the Scottish wildcat or wildcat hybrids.

Identifying and surveying

Surveying period: Autumn and winter, when breeding is finished. Lack of vegetation makes den sites more visible, and snow can be beneficial for finding and identifying footprints, although these can be difficult to distinguish from domestic cat prints.

Survey types: Following initial research suggesting a likelihood of wildcat presence in an area, walk-over surveys can establish presence of wildcat dens. If a potential wildcat den is found, leave the area and contact NatureScot for guidance. If additional surveys are required, these may involve trail cameras – which requires a license at den sites – or genetic testing of scat or hair.

Frequently asked questions

Wildcats are elusive and shy by nature, and will not attack humans unprovoked.
Despite their similarities to domestic cats, they are wild animals. The process of domestication is long and difficult, and even wildcats kept in zoos retain their natural fear of humans.
Some predators, like birds of prey and foxes, will prey on wildcat kittens. In the UK, an adult wildcat has no natural predators, but many are killed by road collisions.

Confusion species

Domestic cat (Felis catus)

The domestic cat and wildcat look very similar. Wildcats are bigger than the domestic cat, with longer legs, a stockier build, and a line running down the back which stops at the base of the tail. A domestic cat may have thin or no stripes on the nape and shoulder, while a wildcat will have 4 thick stripes on the nape and 2 on the shoulder.