European Wildcat

The European wildcat's fur is brownish to gray with stripes on the forehead and on the sides, and it has a bushy tail with a black tip. It reaches a head-to-body length of up to 65 cm (26 in) with a 34.5 cm (13.6 in) long tail and weighs up to 7.5 kg (17 lb). The European wildcat's fur varies in color from brownish to grey with paler contour hairs. It has five stripes on the forehead, which are broken up into small spots. A dark stripe behind the shoulders expands into a spinal stripe running up to the base of the tail. On the sides, it has irregular dark stripes, which break up on the hind legs, thus forming a blotched pattern. Its tail is bushy with two to three black transverse rings and is rounded at the black tip.

The top of the head and the forehead bear four well-developed dark bands that split into small spots. Two short and narrow stripes are usually present in the shoulder region, in front of the dorsal band. Some individuals have a few light spots on the throat, between the forelegs, or in the inguinal region. The dorsal surface of the neck and head are the same color as that of the trunk but are lighter gray around the eyes, lips, cheeks, and chin. A slight ochre shade is visible on the undersides of the flanks.

A black and narrow dorsal band starts on the shoulders and runs along the back up to the base of the tail. In some animals, the summer coat is ashen-colored. The patterns on the head and neck are as well-developed as those on the tail, though the patterns on the flanks are almost imperceptible.

The purpose of the "falling cat problem" is to explain the underlying physics of the observed cat righting reflex, because most little or larger cats are impervious to fall injury but nevertheless avoid falls. Because the cat is not a rigid body, the seeming clash with the law of conservation of angular momentum is resolved. Instead, the cat's flexible backbone and ineffectual collarbone allow it to shift shape during the fall.

Because it is a stealthy and patient ambush predator with excellent night vision and keen hearing, the European wildcat uses hunting skills. The wildcat is a nimble climber and can jump many meters to capture prey. It also uses trees to rest or flee from danger. The wildcat stays out of the water but can swim when necessary, just like domesticated cats, and they are from colder climates, like bobcats, lynxes, and snow leopards, and avoid water because getting wet would hamper their coats' ability to keep them warm. The wildcat's powerful homing instinct allowed it to navigate across great distances and return to its territory.

The European wildcat is primarily nocturnal in France and Italy, but it is also active during the day when there are no human activities to distract it. Small mammals, like lagomorphs and rats, are its primary prey, although it also preys on ground-dwelling birds. In Western Europe, the wildcat feeds on hamsters, brown rats, dormice, water voles, voles, and wood mice.

From time to time, it also preys on small carnivores like martens, European polecats, stoats, and least weasels (Mustela nivalis), as well as fawns of red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), and chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra). In the Carpathians, the wildcat feeds primarily on yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis), northern red-backed voles (Myodes rutilus), Tatra pine voles (Microtus tatricus), and occasionally also European hares (Lepus europaeus). In Transcarpathia, the wildcat's diet consists of mouse-like rodents, galliformes, and squirrels. In the Dnestr swamps, it preys on microtus, water voles, and birds, while those living in the Prut swamps primarily target water voles, brown rats, and muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus).

Birds taken by Prut wildcats include warblers, ferruginous ducks, Eurasian coots, spotted crakes, and gadwall. In Moldavia, the wildcat's winter diet consists primarily of rodents, while it preys on birds, fish, and crayfish in the summer. Brown rats and water voles, as well as muskrats and waterfowl, are the main sources of food for wildcats in the Kuban River delta. Wildcats in the northern Caucasus feed on mouse-like rodents and edible dormice, as well as birds, young chamois, and roe deer on rare occasions. Wildcats on the Black Sea coast are thought to feed on small birds, shrews, and hares. On one occasion, the feathers of a white-tailed eagle and the skull of a kid were found at a den site. In Transcaucasia, the wildcat's diet consists of gerbils, voles, birds, and reptiles in the summer, and birds, mouse-like rodents, and hares in the winter.

The Scottish wildcat mainly preys on European polecats, stoats, European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), European hares (Lepus europaeus), least weasels (Mustela nivalis), red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), field voles (Microtus agrestis), bank voles (Myodes glareolus), wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus), muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus), birds, reptiles, frogs and salamanders, and several fish.

Reproduction

Mating season:

• January–March, during winter-spring season.

Gestation:

• ~63–68 days.

Litter size:

• 2–5 kittens.

Birth site:

• Dens in hollow logs, rocky crevices, or abandoned burrows.

Development:

• Kittens weaned at ~8 weeks; independent at 5–6 months.

• Sexual maturity: ~1 year.

Lifespan:

• 10–12 years in the wild; up to 15 in captivity.

Thought to be man-killers as recently as the 1950s, they are ferociously aggressive, defending themselves or their young. Like much bigger cats, they may even mock-charge at larger threats, but in reality, they are deeply fearful of mankind and will do anything they can to avoid us. These cats are absolutely not a danger, and they ran away.

However, there are risks involved if you try to catch or touch them or if you come into contact with contaminated places. A stray cat is a cat that once lived in a home but now finds itself either lost or abandoned.

The wildcat is a symbol of wilderness, mystery, and independence in European mythology. It appears in Germanic and Celtic mythology as a spirit of freedom and stealth or as a protector of forests. The cat was sometimes feared as a nighttime omen or a witch's familiar.

Because of the ties in European and Asian folklore, the image of the wildcat is sometimes combined with that of the domestic cat in media or heraldry, concealing its wild individuality. Some people in Britain employ the "Celtic wildcat" image without acknowledging its ecological or cultural origins in Scotland's conservation battles. Respect for wild wildlife as separate from pets, rather than as magical or domesticated symbols, is being emphasized in ethical conservation storytelling.

This cat is native to continental Europe, Scotland, Turkey, and the Caucasus. It inhabits forests from the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, and Central and Eastern Europe to the Caucasus. It has been extirpated in England and Wales.

The wildcat's preferred habitat is rocky slopes with dense vegetation, scrublands, and deciduous and mixed woods. Its altitude range is limited to about 2,000 meters above sea level. The wildcat is most prevalent in isolated wooded regions far from populated areas, where it needs plenty of rodent prey and dense vegetation for concealment.

In the 2600s and 2700s, the "Sky People" or Terrans from Earth brought the European wildcat to two exoplanets that resembled Earth: Reinachos from Cygnus and Berbania from Ursa Major. Despite the fact that our planet is on the verge of extinction, conservation efforts are helping this species recover from endangerment or near extinction. Human interactions for game hunting and rewilding produced this species, but they backfired when the European wildcat became an invasive species. In two exoplanets that resembled Earth, the European wildcats thrived in environments and climates identical to those of Earth.

• Movement Pattern: Nomadic

• Individual Type: Solo/Group

• Population Trend: Stable

• Population: ???

• Locomotion: Terrestrial

• Habitat: Montane Grasslands and Shrublands; Temperate Coniferous Forests; Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests; Temperate Deciduous Forests, Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Subtropical Coniferous Forests; Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Stone Forest; Tropical Coniferous Forests; Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Grasslands; Tropical Savannas and Shrublands; Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub; Mushroom Forests; Mushroom Fields; Flooded Grasslands and Savannas; Swamp; Bayous/Billabongs; Riparian; Wetland; Mangrove Forest; Cold Bamboo Forests; Tropical Bamboo Forests; Air-breathing Coral Reefs; Graveyard Vale; Radiated Citadel; Volcano; Warm Ghost Town; Cold Ghost Town; Ruined Skyscraper.

• Earth: 

  • Extant (Resident): Albania; Andorra; Austria; Azerbaijan; Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Croatia; Czechia; France; Georgia; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Italy; Luxembourg; Moldova; Montenegro; Netherlands; North Macedonia; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Russia; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Switzerland; Türkiye; Ukraine

  • Possibly Extant (Resident): Armenia

  • Possibly Extinct: United Kingdom

But that couldn't be further from the truth. Wild cats look similar to the domestic tabby, apart from their size, but their temperaments and characteristics are completely different, and no one has ever managed to domesticate them. The wildcat or feral cat can be domesticated and taught to eat acceptable rodents and fish.

In 2023, it was announced that beginning in 2024, wildcats would be reintroduced in Devon and Cornwall for the first time in 500 years as part of a conservation project.

• Aragonés: Gato montesino

• Arabic: قط بري

• Boarisch: Wüdkotz

• Bengali: বুনো বিড়াল

• Čeština: Kočka divoká

• Deutsch: Wildkatze

• Ελληνικά: Αγριόγατα

• English: Wildcat, Common Wild Cat

• Español: Gato montés

• Euskara: Basakatu

• Suomi: Metsäkissa, Villikissa

• Nordfriisk: Wil kaat

• Français: Chat sauvage

• Galego: Gato bravo

• Hrvatski: Divlja mačka

• Magyar: vadmacska

• Հայերեն: Անտառակատու

• Íslenska: Villiköttur

• Italiano: Gatto (Gatto selvatico europeo)

• 日本語: ヨーロッパヤマネコ

• 한국어: 야생고양이

• Latviešu: Meža kaķis

• Mirandés: Gato muntés, Gato brabo

• Nederlands: Wilde kat

• Norsk: Villkatt

• Polski: Żbik

• Português: Gato-bravo

• Română: Pisică sălbatică

• Русский: Лесной кот

• Srpskohrvatski / Српскохрватски: Divlja mačka

• Slovenščina: Divja mačka

• Svenska: Vildkatt

• Türkçe: Yaban kedisi

• Українська: Кіт лісовий

• Tiếng Việt: Mèo hoang dã

• Western Elvish: Pfabi

• Eastern Elvish: Pfiban

• Coming soon

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_wildcat

• https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q148833

• https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Felis_silvestris

• https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Felis_silvestris_silvestris

• https://www.gbif.org/species/7193910

• https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=726325#null

• https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/342134-Felis-silvestris-silvestris

• https://www.departments.bucknell.edu/biology/resources/msw3/browse.asp?s=y&id=14000058

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Info&id=463207

• https://eol.org/pages/1243776

• https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/181049859/181050999

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/European-Wildcat-976546088