Domestic cats are hugely popular as pets, yet little is known about their ancestor, the Afro-Asiatic wildcat. This species, Felis lybica, is the most widely distributed wildcat in the world, but experts still don’t know its exact population. The wildcat faces several threats to its survival, including interbreeding with domestic cats and the diseases they can transmit, Mongabay contributor Petro Kotzé reported in May.
To date, the only long-term study conducted on the species’ behavior and population genetics was a four-year effort by Marna Herbst, now a regional ecologist for South African National Parks, who published her findings as part of her Ph.D. studies in 2009. At the time, Herbst spent 10-12 hours a night in the harsh Kalahari landscape of Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, attempting to observe and catch the elusive wildcats, Kotzé wrote.
She managed to catch and collar several wildcats, which are roughly the same size as domestic cats (F. catus) but with longer legs. Kotzé wrote that wildcats have faint tabby stripes or spots and varying colors, including reddish, sandy, tawny brown and grayish, depending on the region they come from. The species also has a slim tail marked with a dark tip and a distinct pinkish-orange tint on its ears, according to Herbst.
Herbst learned that the Afro-Asiatic wildcats can easily adapt to their landscape, season and any available prey. Although they have a preference for small rodents, they also eat reptiles and invertebrates. Herbst even saw some of the male cats preying on hares as big as themselves. Wildcats that live near watering holes are known to hunt birds.
Arash Ghoddousi, lead author of the assessment carried out to determine the species’ conservation status in 2022, told Kotzé that its adaptability allowed the wildcat to spread out over two continents. Because of its wide distribution and sightings from many different locations, it’s considered a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List. However, Ghoddousi says scientists lack data on the true state of the species in the wild.
Among the biggest threats to the species, specifically its genetic integrity, is interbreeding with domestic cats. Indeed, Herbst’s main reason for conducting her research in the Kalahari was because its remoteness makes it one of the few places where the wildcats are still genetically pure.
Hybridization with domestic cats has been observed throughout the Afro-Asiatic wildcat’s range. Herbst told Kotzé that pet owners in areas near wildcat habitat should spay their domestic cats, which compete with wildcats for prey and space, and can potentially transmit diseases.
The wildcats are also at risk of poisoning and conflicts with locals whose poultry they sometimes prey on.
Read Petro Kotzé’s full report here.
Banner image of the Afro-Asiatic wildcat subspecies F. lybica cafra in South Africa’s arid Kalahari Desert. Image courtesy of Marna Herbst.
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