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Felis silvestris
– Least Concern
Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
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ANIMALIA
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Phylum:
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CHORDATA
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Class:
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MAMMALIA
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Order:
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CARNIVORA
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Family:
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FELIDAE
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Scientific Name:
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Felis silvestris
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Species Authority:
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Schreber, 1775
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Infra-specific Taxa Assessed:
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See Felis silvestris ssp. grampia
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Common Name/s:
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| English | — | WILD CAT, WILDCAT |
| French | — | CHAT ORNÉ, CHAT SAUVAGE |
| Spanish | — | GATO MONTÉS, GATO SILVESTRE |
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Taxonomic Notes:
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Includes Felis catus Linnaeus, 1758 (the domesticated cat), although some authors treat it as a separate species.
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Assessment Information
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Red List Category & Criteria:
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LC ver 3.1 (2001)
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Year Assessed:
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2002
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Assessor/s:
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Cat Specialist Group
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Evaluator/s:
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Nowell, K., Breitenmoser, U., Breitenmoser, C. & Jackson, P. (Cat Red List Authority)
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Justification:
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Based on estimates of density and geographic range (Nowell and Jackson 1996), the wildcat’s total effective population size is estimated at greater than 50,000 mature breeding individuals, but with a declining trend due to hybridization and competition with domestic cats.
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History:
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| 1996 | - | Lower Risk/least concern (Baillie and Groombridge 1996) |
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Geographic Range
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Range Description:
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The wildcat has a very wide distribution stretching across Europe (F. silvestris, silvestris group), Central Asia (F. silvestris, ornata group), and Africa (F. silvestris, lybica group) (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
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Countries:
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Native:
Afghanistan; Albania; Algeria; Angola; Armenia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Belarus; Belgium; Benin; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Botswana; Bulgaria; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Chad; China; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Croatia; Czech Republic; Djibouti; Egypt; Eritrea; Ethiopia; France; Gambia; Georgia; Germany; Ghana; Greece; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Hungary; India; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Israel; Italy; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Lebanon; Lesotho; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Luxembourg; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Malawi; Mali; Mauritania; Moldova, Republic of; Montenegro; Morocco; Mozambique; Namibia; Niger; Nigeria; Oman; Pakistan; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Russian Federation; Rwanda; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Serbia; Sierra Leone; Slovakia; Slovenia; Somalia; South Africa; Spain; Sudan; Swaziland; Switzerland; Syrian Arab Republic; Tajikistan; Tanzania, United Republic of; Togo; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Uganda; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States; Uzbekistan; Western Sahara; Yemen; Zambia; Zimbabwe
Regionally extinct:
Latvia; Lithuania
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Population
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Population:
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The category "Least Concern" can be misleading, for although the wildcat is probably the most widespread and numerous, it is seriously threatened by genetic loss through hybridization with domestic cats. In Scotland, the proportion of hybrids is estimated at as high as 40% of the "wild" population.
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Population Trend:
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Habitat and Ecology
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Habitat and Ecology:
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European wildcats are primarily associated with forest, and are found in highest numbers in broad-leaved or mixed forests. They are also found, in Mediterranean maquis scrubland, riparian forest, marsh boundaries and along sea coasts (Nowell and Jackson 1996). Asiatic wildcats are most typically associated with scrub desert. They range up to 2,000-3,000 m in mountain areas with sufficient dense vegetation (Nowell and Jackson 1996). The African wildcat has a very broad habitat tolerance, appearing to be absent only from tropical rainforest (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
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System:
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Terrestrial
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List of Habitats:
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| 1.4 | Forest - Temperate |
| 2.1 | Savanna - Dry |
| 3.8 | Shrubland - Mediterranean-type Shrubby Vegetation |
| 5.3 | Wetlands (inland) - Shrub Dominated Wetlands |
| 5.4 | Wetlands (inland) - Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands |
| 8.2 | Desert - Temperate |
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Threats
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Threats:
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The wildcat is the direct ancestor of the housecat. The process of domestication began thousands of years ago in North Africa and Southwest Asia. Domestic cats are now found in large numbers throughout the world, living in peoples’ homes as well as feral in the wild. Feral cats compete with wildcats for prey and space, and there is also interbreeding or hybridization, which is leading to a strong decline in genetically pure wildcats. There is also disease transmission between domestic cats and wildcats (Nowell and Jackson 1996). Other threats include habitat and population fragmentation; significant human-caused mortality, especially road kills; and vulnerability to diseases transmitted by feral cats (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
In the past, Asiatic wildcats have been trapped in large numbers in several areas. However, at present there is little international trade in Asian wildcats (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
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List of Threats:
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| 1 | Habitat Loss/Degradation (human induced) (ongoing) |
| 2.3 | Invasive alien species (directly affecting the species) - Hybridizers (ongoing) |
| 2.4 | Invasive alien species (directly affecting the species) - Pathogens/parasites (ongoing) |
| 4.2.2 | Accidental mortality - Collision - Vehicle collision (ongoing) |
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Conservation Actions
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Conservation Actions:
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Included on CITES Appendix II. The species is fully protected across most of its range in Europe and eastern areas of Central Asia, but is only protected in part of its African range (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
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List of Conservation Actions:
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| 1.2.2.1 | Policy-based actions - Legislation - Implementation - International level (in place) |
| 1.2.2.2 | Policy-based actions - Legislation - Implementation - National level (in place) |
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Bibliography
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Bibliography:
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Baillie, J. and Groombridge, B. (compilers and editors) 1996. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. Cat Specialist Group. For more information, see the Specialist Group website IUCN. 2002. 2002 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. . Downloaded on 8 October 2002. Nowell, K. and Jackson, P. (compilers and editors) 1996. Wild Cats. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. (online version)
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