Wildcats in Scotland are Britain’s last native felid. Often referred to as ‘Scottish wildcats’, our Highland tigers are in fact a unique sub-population of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris) and a separate species to the domestic cat (Felis catus).
Although similar in size, there are some key differences. The most obvious and reliable features of a wildcat are their distinctly ringed, blunt bushy tail and their striped coat markings.
The wildcat arrived in Britain from Europe at the end of the last ice-age, over 9,000 years ago, when Britain was still connected to mainland Europe via a land bridge. Wildcats were previously present across Britain, in Scotland as well as in England and Wales. However, a sad history of habitat loss, persecution and, more recently, interbreeding with domestic cats, has forced the Highland Tiger to a point where the population was considered functionally extinct in 2019.
Although the species was once widespread across Britain, the wildcat faced widespread habitat loss and became extinct in England and Wales by the end of the 1800s, predominantly due to persecution by Edwardian and Victorian gamekeepers who saw wildcats as a threat to gamebirds.
Increased agricultural and industrial use of land and the ever-growing human population in Scotland further limited the presence of wildcats, and by the start of the 20th century, wildcats were only found in Britain in the Scottish Highlands.
Few people in Britain have seen a Scottish wildcat in its natural surroundings, as the species now only exists in more isolated areas of the Highlands.
Wildcats are extremely feisty and very elusive. They are carnivores and their preferred prey are small mammals, including mice, voles and rabbits. They will also occasionally eat invertebrates, reptiles, carrion and birds. Wildcats are stealth hunters and usually pounce on their prey after waiting patiently.
Wildcats are generally considered crepuscular, which means that they are usually more active at dusk and dawn. An average female habitat size has been found to be 5.6km², whereas males hold larger territories overlapping with several females and have been found to have an average habitat size of 16.1km². Habitat size depends on habitat quality and food availability. Wildcats are habitat generalists and depend on habitat that contains lots of prey. This can include grassland, open farmland, broadleaf woodland, riparian habitats and forestry clear-fell.
The wildcat is undoubtedly one of the most iconic and evocative mammals in Scotland, yet truly on the brink of extinction.
In 2019, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature found that the European wildcat population in Scotland was ‘non-viable’, meaning that there were too few wildcats to form a self-sustaining population. They recommended breeding wildcats for release in order to save the species in Scotland.
The wildcat is considered an icon of the Scottish wilderness and has been used in clan heraldry since the 13th century. The Picts venerated the wildcats, having probably named Caithness (Land of the Cats) after them. According to the myth, the ancestors of the Catti tribe were attacked by wildcats upon landing in Scotland. Their ferocity impressed the Catti so much that the wildcat became their symbol. A thousand years later the progenitors of Clan Sutherland, equally impressed, adopted the wildcat on their family crest. The Chief of the Clan Sutherland bears the title Morair Chat (Great Man of the Cats). The Clan Chattan Association (also known as the Clan of Cats) is made up of 12 different clans, the majority of which display the wildcat on their badges.
Since 2010, the Clan Chattan Association has helped to save Scotland’s wildcats by adopting a wildcat through the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS). RZSS leads the Saving Wildcats partnership, which aims to prevent the extinction of wildcats in Scotland by breeding and releasing them into the wild while reducing the threats they face.
This initiative has established Britain’s first large-scale dedicated conservation breeding for release centre for wildcats at RZSS’s Highland Wildlife Park, where young wildcats are prepared for the challenges of the wild in specialised pre-release enclosures.
Since 2023, the partnership has released over 40 wildcats into the Cairngorms National Park. Saving Wildcats is now focused on supporting this fragile new Cairngorms-based population of wildcats on their journey to recovery by tackling threats and continuing releases – helping to secure the future for wildcats in Scotland.
Further information can be obtained at: https://www.savingwildcats.org.uk/
