Mammals
European Wildcat
Felis silvestris · also called wildcat
Crouched at the edge of a woodland clearing, a European wildcat looks like a stocky tabby until its blunt, black-ringed tail gives it away, a wild species that is often mistaken for, and threatened by, the house cat.
Overview
The European wildcat, Felis silvestris, is a Least Concern wild cat found in scattered forest and upland habitat across Europe. Its tabby-like but stockier build, black-ringed blunt tail, and vulnerability to hybridisation with domestic cats make it one of Europe’s most distinctive and most easily misidentified wild mammals.
Wild, but easily confused with a tabby
The European wildcat can look so much like a domestic tabby that interbreeding with house and feral cats has become one of its main threats, blurring the line between a genuinely wild species and its domestic neighbours.
Status
Least Concern, stable across much of its range, though many European populations are small, fragmented, and affected by hybridisation.
European Wildcat: common questions
Is the European wildcat the ancestor of the domestic cat?
No, the domestic cat descends from the African wildcat, not from the European wildcat.
How can you tell a European wildcat from a domestic tabby?
It is stockier and thicker-furred, with a broad head and a bushy tail that has a blunt, black tip and distinct dark rings.
What is the biggest threat to the European wildcat?
Interbreeding with domestic and feral cats, which dilutes wild populations, is a particular problem in places such as Scotland.
Where is the European wildcat found?
It is found in scattered forest and upland populations across Europe, including Iberia, the Balkans, the Carpathians, and Scotland.