Who is a European forest cat

A fascinating feline native to Europe’s forests, the European forest cat is also referred to as the European wildcat. This wildcat is a prominent predator in its woodland home due to its thick fur, strong physique, and sharp eyes. The European forest cat, despite its domestic cat-like appearance, is a wild species with unique traits and habits.

These cats are renowned for being elusive; they frequently avoid interacting with people and would much rather wander through dense forests. They hunt with skill, specializing in small game like birds and rodents. They can survive in isolated locations far from populated areas because of their solitary lifestyle.

The European forest cat is threatened by a number of factors, such as habitat loss and interbreeding with domestic cats, despite their wild nature. To safeguard this species and maintain its natural habitat, conservation initiatives are being carried out. Gaining more knowledge about these wildcats enables us to recognize their importance in preserving the equilibrium of forest ecosystems.

Characteristic	Description
Species	European forest cat
Size	Medium-sized, muscular
Fur	Thick, dense, and helps them survive in cold climates
Color	Brown-gray with black stripes or spots
Habitat	Forests of Europe, especially in mountainous areas
Diet	Small animals like rodents and birds
Behavior	Solitary and territorial, mostly active at night

Who is a wildcat

The wildcat is regarded as the ancestor of all domestic cats. It is also referred to as the small wildcat or Central European. When humans started actively growing and storing grain 10,000 years ago, during the Neolithic agricultural revolution, mice and rats were drawn to human settlements. During times of famine, some wildcats started to approach and settle near human settlements because this is the easiest prey for them to catch. Newborn kittens were found and taken home by people, which resulted in their domestication.

The primary prey of the European wildcat is squirrels, hamsters, voles, and mice.

The wildcat falls under the following groups in zoological taxonomy:

• Class: Mammalia.
• Order: Carnivora.
• Family: Felidae.
• Genus: Cats.
• Species: Felis silvestris Schreber

24 subspecies of Felis silvestris Schreber. What kind of nose is ideal for a cat in good health? In 1775, it was initially described and added to the list of mammals.

European wildcats are most closely related to lynxes by genotype. Felis silvestris Schreber most likely descended from them. It is assumed that the divergence of species took place over a million years ago.

Although it is not included in Russia’s Red Book, the European wildcat is thought to be a rapidly disappearing subspecies.

The wildcat is not hunted, nor is it regarded as a commercial animal. However, it has vanished or is in danger of disappearing in several nations. Deforestation is the cause. For instance, it has been more than five years since any members of this subspecies have been sighted in Belarus. Lithuania is devoid of European wildcats. There are only a few dozen people left in Moldova. Although the disappearance of the Felis silvestris Schreber subspecies is still unspoken in Russia, the animal is becoming less and less common (the animal’s secretive lifestyle makes population estimates challenging to determine).

A mature forest cat weighs 7-8 kg, while a female cat’s weight rarely goes above 5-7 kg.

Native to the forests of Europe, the European forest cat, also called the wildcat, is a small, timid predator. These animals, in contrast to domestic cats, are true wild animals with thick, striped fur that helps them blend into their natural environment and a strong, muscular build. They may look like house cats, but they are loners and skilled hunters who mostly eat small mammals like mice and rabbits. This fascinating species is sadly endangered due to habitat loss and interbreeding with domestic cats, symbolizing the disappearing wild spaces of Europe.

Description of a forest European cat

Our homeless pets are quite similar to the Forest European Cat. However, the similarity is limited to appearance. This is a wild beast by nature and way of life, and it will take some time to completely domesticate.

Many people mistake a forest cat for a fed domestic cat when they see one; however, despite their striking similarities, these two subspecies are distinct.

What looks like

Woods Cat has a powerful body. His tail is blunted at the tip and is shorter. Cats have elongated muzzles and small, rounded heads. Strong jaws are designed to seize, hold, and shatter prey.

The tiny, rounded, brushless ears of the forest European cat are dispersed widely. The eyes are big and positioned widely. Cats have blue eyes, while adult animals have green eyes. The long and dense vibrissae, or hairs used as extremely sensitive sensory organs, are particularly noticeable in the whiskers, which are vibrissae growing on the cheeks of cats.

The cat can hear even the smallest sounds made by tiny rodents because of its ability to rotate rapidly and respond to frequencies up to 25,000 vibrations per second.

The medium-length fur has a thick undercoat, which gets denser as the weather gets colder. The first shedding of fur happens in May, and the second time is in November for wild cats. Typically, the summer "fur coat" is one or two shades lighter than the winter version.

When winter arrives, the European wildcat’s thick undercoat keeps it from freezing.

The wildcat is usually gray, smoky, or brown in color. Dark stripes that are distinctive on the chest, cheeks, tail, and spine. The most common areas to get white spots are the belly, chin, and inner ear hair.

European wildcat kittens are light gray in color, but as they get older, they darken or turn brown.

What is the character

The forest cat is a non-aggressive species. When it drives strangers from its territory, it fights with its relatives (this rarely occurs because other members of the subspecies are aware of their neighbors through odorous markings and avoid crossing boundaries). Males will occasionally fight for the "fair lady."

The European forest cat will carefully defend its 2-3 sq. km domain from other members of its subspecies.

Cats generally avoid getting into arguments with other animals (unless, of course, they could be food). The "Europeans" face numerous adversaries in the forests, including foxes, wolves, martens, bears, and large members of the cat family (lynxes, steppe cats, etc.). The European wildcat spends only two to three hours a day—dawn and dusk—hunting in order to avoid confrontations, even though most other predators are most active during this time.

The European forest cat actually seldom ever sleeps idly on the ground; instead, it prefers to perch in bushes, under stumps, or atop trees because it fears being attacked by other predators.

Where it lives

This wild cat’s subspecies is widespread in Western and Central Europe, as well as the European portion of Russia. The countries with the biggest populations are Ukraine, Italy, southern Spain, and Germany. For a home, the animal favors dense, mixed forests. It can survive 2-4 km above sea level in mountainous regions. It doesn’t care about the weather. It "grows" a thick fur coat to protect it from frosts and can withstand heat and humidity well.

During the day and night, the European wildcat prefers to sit in hollows, abandoned burrows, bushes, or trees. It hunts at dawn or during the evening twilight.

What it eats

Rats make up the majority of a wildcat’s diet. Additionally, they enjoy feasting on the flesh of birds, particularly those that actively hunt ducks, pheasants, and partridges. They do not find it repugnant to destroy bird nests. Although they dislike the water, they can go to a lake if needed, where they can fish or hunt for frogs, which they also enjoy eating. They can occasionally make their way into populated areas, posing a serious risk to chickens, ducks, and turkeys.

The European wildcat is not scared to get its paws wet and is eager to catch and devour toads and frogs.

Beaters are not wildcats. They wait for their prey in a remote area (they can occasionally lie in wait for a prey for one to two hours without moving), and then they make one or two leaps to capture the gaping mouse or frog. Should this kind of throw fail, the cat will not go after the victim. This is because of the animal’s unusual vision, which causes it to concentrate on a small target while perceiving everything around it as blurry; as a result, it rapidly loses sight of prey that moves quickly.

European wildcats can leap over two to three meters in a single jump, making them exceptional jumpers.

When it comes to how much food it eats, the cat is extremely voracious. An adult animal consumes at least 1.5 kilograms of meat per day, while a kitten that is 3–4 months old eats 8–10 rodents per day.

A three-month-old European forest kitten is already adept at climbing trees and scuttling small rodents.

How it reproduces and “raises” kittens

The wildcats of Europe are loners. They agree to communicate with representatives of their subspecies only during the mating season. The other times, the animals aggressively chase away other cats from the territory they claim (they claim 1-2 hectares as their own). To keep outsiders out of their territory, the animals liberally irrigate the stones and trees with their foul-smelling urine.

The European wildcat does not live in packs; instead, it is an individualist.

Every year, the European wildcat gives birth to kittens. Kittens are born by May or June if mating takes place during the main rutting season, which is February to March. Typically, there are three to six kittens in the litter. The male has no involvement in the upbringing of the offspring. Only the females are responsible for raising the children. For the first two months, the cat hardly leaves the babies (moving no more than a few dozen meters to catch prey). Five to six weeks after birth, the kittens start to leave their shelter, trying to hunt by trailing behind their mother. They leave their mother at the age of three or four months after learning all the nuances of adult life.

The wildcat builds a "nest" in stumps, downed trees, or abandoned badger holes where it gives birth and raises its kittens.

Crucial information: domestic cats and European wildcats can breed together. However, the offspring of this kind of union will always be categorized as belonging to the latter species. The rationale is that when a cat crosses, its distinctive exterior characteristics—such as its thick undercoat, shortened paws and tail, and dense, muscular body structure—are lost. Most importantly, hybrid kittens have a hard time surviving in the wild because they have "forgotten" the natural habits of a wild animal.

European forest cats typically live for five to six years, but because they have so many natural enemies, they hardly ever pass away from old age.

Life in captivity

The European forest cat finds life in captivity difficult. This is because the animal requires room to move around and space.

Given that these cats typically run 3–4 km each day, small apartments are definitely not the best place for them. Because animals don’t adapt well to humans, it is also impossible to keep them close to people. A person will always be the cat’s enemy; at best, it will constantly hide from people but may exhibit signs of aggression. The cat will never become affectionate and submissive.

Necessary conditions

A European forest cat may need to be kept in captivity in certain situations (for instance, if it is an injured or weak animal that cannot survive in the forest). Then, setting up the appropriate circumstances is crucial.

Setting up an outdoor enclosure is essential. It needs to be big (at least 15 meters long, 10 meters wide, and 3 meters tall for one person). A roof is required; if not, the cat—which has good climbing and jumping skills—will flee. The interior should have a variety of branches, ladders for climbing, and shelters where the animal can hide.

You will need to provide the cat with its usual diet while it is in captivity: rodents or raw poultry (duck, turkey, or chicken will work). A mature cat requires 0.9–1 kg of meat daily. The grass and grains the cat eats (sprouted oats work well) provide vitamins.

A wild cat requires three times as much meat as a domestic cat, even though they are nearly the same size.

It’s crucial to keep in mind that, despite spending years living among humans, a forest cat will always be a wild animal. It is not something you should try to talk to like a pet. Wild cats have very sharp claws and fangs, so any attempt to pet, hug, or coerce this animal will end in aggression.

While living a far more independent life in the wild, the European forest cat is an intriguing wild species that resembles domestic cats in many ways. It is well adapted to forest habitats due to its elusiveness and strong survival instincts; there, it feeds primarily on small mammals and birds.

The European forest cat is not a pet and would rather remain far away from human settlements, despite having some domestic breeds’ characteristics. It plays a significant role in the ecosystem, supporting the regulation of small animal populations and preservation of the natural equilibrium in the forests where it lives.

Given the serious threats posed by habitat loss and human encroachment, it is imperative that we comprehend and protect this species. By increasing public knowledge of the European forest cat, we can help to protect this distinctive aspect of Europe’s wildlife legacy.

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