The Scottish Wildcat: Ghosts of the Highlands

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Once upon a time, the British Isles were home to several large predators, including fierce felines. Massive cave lions roamed the land 14,000 years ago (4). More recently, smaller cats like lynx shared the forests with wolves and bears (2, 4). Now, they’re all gone, except for one rugged hold-out. Felis silvestris grampia, a subspecies of the European wildcat known as the Scottish Wildcat or Highland Tiger, is Britain’s last native cat. And they’re hanging on by a claw-tip.

This week, we’re doing a different kind of breed profile. As fascinating as the different breeds of domestic cat are, there are many species of wild cats, big and small, that deserve our attention as well. A lot of them are endangered. The least we can do is learn their stories.

A Brief History of Wildcats

Wildcats are a specific kind of wild cat. They are small feline predators that first came on the scene in Europe about 2 million years ago in the form of Martelli’s wildcat, Felis lunensis (2, 8). Martelli’s wildcat became the modern wildcat about 0.35-0.45 million years ago (2). The early wildcats lived in a heavily forested Europe. However, they later expanded their range into Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, where they formed five or six subspecies, depending upon who you ask (2).

According to the International Society for Endangered Cats Canada, current taxonomy recognizes the European wildcat, F. silvestris silvestris; the Scottish wildcat, F. silvestris grampia; the Caucasian wildcat, F. silvestris caucasia; the Near Eastern wildcat, F. lybica lybica; the Southern African wildcat, F. lybica cafra; and the Asian wildcat, F. lybica ornata. The Scottish wildcat is considered by some taxonomists to be a population of European wildcats rather than a distinct species (2, 4). Whether or not this is true now, it was certainly the case at one time. About 10,000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age, receding glaciers trapped a group of European wildcats on the British Isles (2, 8). Their descendants became the Scottish wildcat (2, 8).

For thousands of years, Scottish wildcats roamed the entirety of Britain, masters of the thick forests that then covered the land. But the first signs of trouble were already brewing. Far to the south, their cousins F. l. lybica had given rise to a new creature, the domestic cat. And the two great threats to the Scottish wildcat are humans, unsurprisingly, and their domestic cats. Domestic cat bones have been recovered from Iron Age sites in Britain (2). But at the time, a few housecats probably weren’t a big deal to a thriving wildcat population. Only after years of human persecution would domestic cats become the catastrophic threat to Scottish wildcats that they are today.

Celebrity or Vermin?

As humans began to cut down Britain’s forests and form societies based on agriculture, they formed a strained relationship with the Scottish wildcat to say the least. On the one hand, for some the fierce, untamed, and independent animal in their midst was a source of pride. Wildcats have been incorporated into heraldry since the 1200s (2). In Scotland, Clan Chattan, a super-clan formed by an alliance of other clans, includes a wildcat in their crest, for example (2, 4). The “clan of the wildcat,” as they’re known, has as their motto “touch not the cat without a glove” (2, 4).

Yet for all the apparent pride in this native cat species, the Scottish wildcat’s human neighbors once chose to kill them en masse. It was bad enough that deforestation destroyed most of their habitat, but the wildcats did a pretty good job of adapting to the moor open wild places that remained in the wake of the devastation (8). As long as there was still prey to eat, they seemed to manage all right. Not spectacular, but all right.

Unfortunately, wildcats were hunted for their furs for a long time (2, 4). Wildcats were also killed because farmers believed they hunted livestock, even larger animals like sheep (2, 4). Whether Scottish wildcats actually took livestock any larger than chickens is very much in doubt, but the belief was enough for many of the cats to be killed as a form of “predator control.” The rise of sporting estates in the mid-nineteenth century was especially detrimental to the Scottish wildcat population (2). These estates would keep game birds for sport hunting, and because Scottish wildcats eat birds, they were not tolerated on these estates (2). Gamekeepers exterminated wildcats in great numbers (2).

Perhaps the only thing that saved the Scottish wildcat from extinction was World War I (2, 5). Many of the gamekeepers and farmers who killed wildcats went off to war, giving the species a short break to recover their numbers a bit (2, 5). But in many ways it was too late. The last documented wildcat sighting in England was in 1849 (4, 9). The species had been driven out of England and Wales entirely, up into the northwest recesses of Scotland, and it has expanded its range little since. Scottish wildcats were given legal protection in 1988 (7), but threats both new and old continue to threaten the survival of Britain’s last native cat.

What Makes the Scottish Wildcat Special?

Appearance

It is surprisingly difficult to define exactly what a Scottish wildcat should look like. That’s because they can interbreed with domestic cats, and have been doing so with increasing frequency. There may have been hybridization since the Iron Age, when domestic cats first arrived (2). As no Iron Age wildcats are still around for reference, biologists have had a hard time pinning down the type-specimen look for a Scottish wildcat. But they have reached a workable consensus.

Scottish wildcats are larger than domestic cats, although estimates range from 25-100% larger (5-8). A Victorian-era account describes unearthing a wildcat skeleton that was four feet (1.23 m) long from nose to tail tip (8)! Most today seem to be smaller than that, but then most today are probably also wildcat/domestic hybrids. The pre-Iron Age Scottish wildcat was probably a substantial cat, indeed.

Some Wild Cats have been taken in this kingdom of a most enormous size. We recollect one having been killed in the county of Cumberland, which measured, from nose to the end of its tail, upwards of five feet.

Thomas Bewick, A General History of Quadrupeds, 1790

Besides its larger size, the Scottish wildcat looks similar to a brown tabby domestic cat, and in fact the two are often confused. The extensive hybridization between wildcats and housecats only complicates matters. But there are some key differences. Scottish wildcats have flatter heads with ears positioned more toward the sides (9). They have much larger jaws than domestic cats (8). Usually the easiest difference to spot is the tail, which is broad and blunt-tipped, not tapering like a domestic cat’s (2, 6-8). That’s a trait our house panthers inherited from their Near Eastern wildcat ancestors (2). Internally, Scottish wildcats have a much larger cranial capacity than domestic cats (6). They also have shorter guts (6).

The coat markings are one of the most-frequently used methods of distinguishing a wildcat from a domestic cat from a hybrid, simply because in many cases that is all conservation workers have to go on. Seven key points have been established for determining visually if a cat is a wildcat, hybrid, or domestic cat (2, 5). A cat can score a 1, 2, or 3 in each of the seven categories, with 3 indicating the most wildcat-like and 1 the most domestic-like (2). Different organizations use different cut-off points for what they consider wildcat enough. 17 seems to be a common choice.

1. Nape stripes: wildcat has four that are broad, wavy, and unfused
2. Shoulder stripes: wildcat has two distinct stripes
3. Flank stripes: wildcat has unbroken stripes
4. Dorsal stripe: wildcat dorsal stripe always stops at the base of the tail
5. Hindquarters: wildcat may have broken stripes but must not have spots
6. Tail bands: wildcat has distinct tail bands that completely encircle the tail
7. Tail tip: wildcat has blunt, black tail tip

White fur is not naturally part of the Scottish wildcat gene pool, so white fur anywhere means interbreeding (7-9). Wildcats have light brown fur on their muzzles and underbellies instead (8).

Habits and Habitat

Scottish wildcats currently live in Scotland north of the urban and industrial Central Belt that runs from Glasgow to Edinburgh (2, 5). Although they are restricted to the highlands, they don’t care for the high-altitude life and are not usually found more than 2,625 feet (800 m) above sea level (6, 9). They have adapted to a variety of habitats, now occupying dense forests, woodland edges, pastures, tree plantations, and open grassland (6, 7, 9).

The primary prey of Scottish wildcats is rabbits and hares, seconded by smaller mammals (4, 6, 7-9). As one of the last sizable predators left in Britain, Scottish wildcats play an important ecological role in controlling the populations of these small mammals (8). Scottish wildcats will also eat birds, bugs, lizards, fish, and even fresh carrion, depending upon what’s available (4, 6, 7-9). Legends of wildcats bringing down deer and other large animals may have come from sightings of them eating the recently-deceased animals (8).

Scottish wildcats are solitary animals, socializing only when it’s time to mate (6, 8, 9). Unlike domestic cats, which mate year-round, Scottish wildcats have a defined mating season and produce a single litter of kittens each year (6, 7-9). They mate in the winter, from January to March, and the kittens are typically born in April and May (6, 7-9). Each litter averages 2-4 kittens (6, 7-9). The mother raises the kittens by herself for the next six months, at which point they are independent enough to strike out on their own (6, 8).

Teetering on the Brink of Extinction

Scottish wildcats are very reclusive and avoid humans, which makes it difficult to assess how many of them are left in the wild. None of the numbers are uplifting, unfortunately. Estimates range from about 30 to 430 individuals (7). Data from the mid-2010s puts the number in the neighborhood of 100-300 wildcats, which is better than 30 but still extremely low (6).

The primary threat to the Scottish wildcat today is domestic cats. The two species hybridize easily and produce fertile offspring. That wouldn’t be a big deal if it only happened occasionally. However, wildcat numbers have decreased drastically while the number of feral, stray, and outdoor cats has done just the opposite. Domestic cats may outnumber wildcats by as much as 3000:1 (8). This means that Scottish wildcats have a hard time finding other wildcats to mate with, but no trouble at all encountering domestic cats. Wildcats are being bred into oblivion.

As if that weren’t enough, wildcats are also susceptible to the diseases of the domestic cat (5, 6, 8). Communicable diseases such as Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV), Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), and cat flu can easily be spread from feral cat populations to Scottish wildcats (5, 6). Habitat loss and fragmentation continue to contribute to declines in wildcat populations, and wildcats are still killed by predator control measures (6, 8).

Sometimes this is intentional, although illegal, but it can also be accidental. Bullets meant for feral cats or snare traps meant for foxes–both legal–can injure or kill wildcats just as easily (2, 6, 8). It is hard enough to tell the difference between domestic cats, hybrids, and wildcats in good lighting and with calm nerves, but when an animal is menacing your pheasants in the dark of night, it can be impossible to judge.

Ghost in the Genes

Conservationists have been working to save the Scottish wildcat for upwards of thirty years. Research, education, and captive breeding are important aspects of their work. In particular, genetic research to better determine which cats are true wildcats has been a priority in recent years. Genetic methods, while sometimes helpful, revealed a crushing truth.

In 2018, researchers at the Wildgenes Lab at Edinburgh Zoo announced that they had found Scottish wildcats to be so thoroughly hybridized with domestic cats as to be part of the same gene pool (3). In other words, as best they could tell, there are no true wildcats left in the British wilderness. The fittingly ominous term for this a “hybrid swarm” (2, 3). The team declared the Scottish wildcat functionally extinct in the wild (3). The only hope left for the species resides in the captive wildcat population, which was found to have stronger Scottish wildcat genetics (3).

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland has plans to release wildcats from their breeding program in 2022 (1). Up to 60 Scottish wildcats are hopefully going to be released in Highland Wildlife Park in Kincraig (1). But there’s a lot that will need to be done aside from adding more wildcats to the highlands.

What Can We Do to Help?

Scottish wildcat conservation groups are adamant that the single best thing we can do for wildcats right now is get a handle on the domestic cats. British cat owners need to make sure their pets are sterilized and vaccinated (1, 2, 5, 6). Good advice generally, but in this case it prevents hybridization and the spread of diseases. Wildcats can’t just take a trip to the vet if they get sick! When possible, help to TNVR–trap, neuter, vaccinate, and return–feral cats in your community (2). There are lots of organizations you can volunteer with that do this incredible work that helps community cats and wildcats.

You can adopt a Scottish Wildcat housed in the Edinburgh Zoo captive breeding program. This helps pay for the care of the captive wildcats as well as the breeding program which will hopefully lead to the release of lots of Scottish Wildcats into the wild.

Should happen to see a Scottish wildcat, you can report the sighting to the Scottish Wildcat Action project to help with Scottish wildcat research and conservation. Even if you aren’t 100% sure it was a wildcat, I recommend reporting it anyway. Conservationists still want to preserve the wildcat population in the wild, hybrid swarm that it might be, and they can’t do that work if they don’t know where the cats are. Every data point helps.

Finally, if you are able, consider donating to the conservation organizations that are hard at work trying to save this incredible species, such as Save the Wildcats or Wildcat Haven,

Works Cited

1. Keane, K. (2019, November 19). Captivity-bred wildcats to be released into wild in Cairngorms. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-50464091
2. Macdonald, D.W., Yamaguchi, N., Kitchener, A.C., Daniels, M., et al. (2010). Reversing cryptic extinction: The history, present, and future of the Scottish wildcat. In D. Macdonald and A. Loveridge (Eds.), The biology and conservation of wild felids (pp. 471-491). OUP Oxford.
3. Macdonald, K. (2018, December 20). Scotland’s wildcats ‘functionally extinct’ in the wild. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-46617965
4. Mancini, M. (2016, September 13). 11 fierce facts about Scottish wildcats. Mental Floss. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/85793/11-fierce-facts-about-scottish-wildcats
5. National Museums Scotland. (n.d.). Scottish wildcat. https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/stories/natural-world/scottish-wildcat/
6. Scottish Wildcat Action. (n.d.). Wildcat FAQs. https://www.scottishwildcataction.org/about-wildcats/
7. The Mammal Society. (n.d.). Scottish wildcat guide: how to identify, where they live, and conservation efforts. Discover Wildlife. https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/facts-about-scottish-wildcats/
8. Wildcat Haven. (n.d.). The Scottish wildcat. https://www.wildcathaven.com/scottish-wildcat
9. Woodland Trust. (n.d.). Scottish wildcat. https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/animals/mammals/scottish-wildcat/

Published January 19, 2021

Updated May 12th, 2023