Range and Habitat
There are three distinct populations of the wild cat:
The African wild cat (Lybica group) ranges throughout Africa and the Middle East, with exception of western Africa where there are rainforests. They inhabit the mountains, plains, and woods. It is believed that the Lybica group of wild cats, those that inhabit North Africa, are the direct ancestors of today's domestic cats.
The European wild cat (Silvestris group) inhabits the coniferous and deciduous woodlands everywhere in Europe but Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Finland).
The Indian wild cat (Ornata group) inhabits the semi-desert and steppelands in parts of the Middle East, India, Russia, and China.
It is this species from which the domestic housecat descended. Domestic cats are known as Felis catus, and are found worldwide.
Physical Appearance
The African wild cat: Though their color does tend to be lighter overall than the European wild cat, due to the fact that they inhabit less densely wooded areas, they have a wide diversity on coloration. There are two main color variations: a steely grey variety and a greyish tan variety, with the lighter one found in more arid regions, and the darker one found in forested regions. Typically the ground color is sandy, yellow grey, greyish brown or dark grey, with an overlaying darker tabby pattern, which can also range in intensity and pattern.
The European wild cat: They generally have thicker, darker fur than the African subspecies, being a slate grey to mid brown, with dark tabby markings. They tend to have broader heads than domestic cats. They have color variations depending on the region in which they are found. Black individuals found have been determined to not be truly melanistic, but the result from hybridization with domestic cats.
The Indian wild cat: The cats living in the eastern parts of their range tend to be smaller. They have a light sandy ground color with brown spotted markings, which sometimes converge into stripes along their backs.
All wild cats cats have five toes on the front feet and four on the back with retractable claws. Females have four pairs of mammae. They have 30 teeth, with the dental formula: 2(I 3/3, C 1/1, P 3/2, M 1/1).
Diet
The African wild cat will eat rodents, insects, birds, and small mammals.
The European wild cat tends to feed on small rodents such as the wood mouse, pine vole, water vole and shrew, while the Scottish subspecies tends to feed more on rabbits and hares. They will also eat birds, small reptiles and insects.
The Indian wild cat feeds primarily on rodents such as the sand rat and desert gerbil. They will also eat hares, sand grouse, and peafowl.
Reproduction and Social Behavior
Wild cats tend to be solitary, terrestrial, and nocturnal. Hunting is usually carried out at night, though they also hunt at dusk and dawn as well.
After a gestation period of 56-63 days, 1-5 kittens are born. They open their eyes by 10 days old and walk around by 16-20 days old. They start hunting at 12 weeks old and are usually independent by 5 months old. Sexual maturity is 11 months. They can live for 15 years. The male European wild cat has been observed helping the female care for the young. Also, European wild cats are monogamous (mate with the same female year after year).
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