European Wildcat

Felis silvestris

European Wildcat

“ In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this. ”

– Terry Pratchett

Scientific Taxonomy & Character Information

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Clade: Synapsida

Class: Mammalia

Order: Feliforma

Family: Felidae

Subfamily: Felinae

Genus: Felis

Species: Felis silvestris

Descendant: Felis lunensis

Named by: Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber

Year Published: 1777

Size: 65 cm (26 in) with a 34.5 cm (13.6 in) long tail, and weighs up to 7.5 kg (17 lb)

Lifespan: 13–14 years

Type: 

Title: 

Pantheon: Terran/Gaian

Time Period: Pliocene–Holocene

Alignment: Docile

Threat Level: ★★

Diet: Omnivorous

Elements: n/a

Inflicts: Bleeding; gnashed

Weaknesses: Fire, air, ice, poison

Casualties: ???

Based On: itself

Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC) – IUCN Red List

The European wildcat (Felis silvestris) is a small wildcat species native to continental Europe, Scotland, Turkey and the Caucasus.

Physical Appearance

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.

Abilities

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.


When in the wild, the wildcat can use stealth mode as a tactic. Due to countershading, enemies or prey cannot see this species. The cat can run through meadows or forests and climb trees. Cats from colder climates, like bobcats, lynxes, and snow leopards, avoid water because getting wet would hamper their coats' ability to keep them warm.

Ecology

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 rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), field voles (Microtus agrestis), bank voles (Myodes glareolus), wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus), and birds.

Behavior

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.

Distribution and Habitat

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.


Tamed

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.

Lore

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.

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