The Scottish Wildcat - Is It Worlds Most Endangered Feline?

This week I will be telling you about the worlds most endangered feline species, well sort of. There are contradictory sources which say either the Spanish Lynx, or the Amur leopard are the most endangered feline species but I want to throw a third into the mix. The Scottish Wildcat. To describe my argument for this we are going to have to get a few details straight whilst leaving others slightly fuzzy.

The Scottish Wildcat is native to Scotland and is now only found in

isolate regions in the Western Highlands. It is famously the only species of cat which hasn’t been tamed by humans unlike other species such as lions and leopards. It is also the last large mammal predator left within the UK. It looks very much like a domestic cat and is somewhat similar but then different at the same time. For instance unlike the domestic cat which originated within the Middle East and are capable of breeding all year round the Scottish Wildcat is a seasonal breeder. They produce a litter of up to 8 kittens once they reach sexual maturity, at the age of 10-12months. They also differ partly in morphology as well, they look somewhat like a large tabby cat however a true Scottish Wildcat will have a large bushy tail which is clearly striped and ends with a solid black tip.

Wildcats are primarily found within the remaining fragmented patches of forest, but are not unknown to venture onto moor land periodically in the search for prey. They feed on small to medium size prey such as rats, hares and rabbits which they catch using a combination of stealth, speed and power to stalk and kill their chosen prey.

There are currently less than 100 Wildcat left roaming Scotland along with a captive population. This number is where it all gets a bit fuzzy however as the definition of a Wildcat is the problem.

The main threat to Wildcats is hybridisation, which by definition is the process of mating organisms of different varieties or species to create a hybrid. In the case of the Scottish Wildcat, domestic and feral cats from the human populations surrounding them are breeding with them and diluting the gene pool of a true Wildcat.

It is the process of hybridization which is creating the question of just how endangered the Wildcat is, if you were to only consider those individuals which possess pure Wildcat genes, the number of them remaining would drops dramatically. So the question is, is a Wildcat with 25% domestic cat in its genetics (that’s one grandparent being a domestic cat) still a true Scottish Wildcat? Where should the line be draw? This is an important decision to be made in both the captive and wild populations so breeding schemes can be utilised.

There are several morphological clues which suggest the purity of a Wildcat’s genetics, such as the strips on its tail banding together or fading in colour as well as the presence of spots on their faces and back suggest that an individual is a hybrid to some extent.

So what can be done to help the Scottish Wildcat? There are a couple of steps which can be taken depending on where you are in the world. If you live in Scotland a simple step would be to have your domestic cat neutered to stop the process of hybridization. If you don’t live in Scotland however you can still help, there are charities which are dedicated to the conservation of Wildcats that you can donate to, or you can simply spread the word about this amazing animal to help make a difference.

Thanks for reading!

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