What is a Scottish wildcat?
Short answer: A native wild cat of the Scottish Highlands, distinct from domestic cats and now critically endangered. Threats include breeding with domestic cats, disease and habitat loss, and conservation projects breed and release wildcats.
Quick facts
- The animal. The Scottish wildcat is a wild species, not a stray. It looks like a sturdy tabby, with a thick tail that ends in a blunt black tip and has dark rings.
- Critically endangered. It is thought to be one of the rarest cats in the world. Main threats include breeding with domestic and feral cats, disease and habitat loss.
- Conservation. Projects in Scotland, including Saving Wildcats, breed wildcats and have begun releasing them in the Highlands in the 2020s.
- How pet owners can help. Conservation groups encourage neutering, microchipping and vaccinating pet and feral cats in wildcat areas, which reduces breeding with wildcats and the spread of disease.
Student report
I travelled to the Highlands hoping to observe a wildcat. I did not see one, which I was told is the point. I did see a great deal of heather, a small stream, and one very fine grey tabby of the domestic variety, who declined to comment.
I learned that a wildcat is not a house cat with a bad attitude, but a separate animal with a great deal to protect. I concluded that the best contribution a pet cat can make is to be neutered, vaccinated and microchipped, and to sit by a fire.
I would like to thank the conservation staff who gave me their time, and a warm blanket.